WMU department changes name to World Religions and Cultures

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—After over 50 years as Western Michigan University’s Department of Comparative Religion, the department has a new name that reflects its diverse course offerings: the Department of World Religions and Cultures.

Dating back to 1953, the department's roots trace to a selection by the Danforth Foundation and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Initially chosen as one of 15 teacher training colleges for a pioneering project on teacher education and religion, the department later adopted the name Comparative Religion in the early '80s to counter assumptions of a theological emphasis. Nevertheless, the new name brought its own set of misconceptions.

"The term 'comparative religion' can be confusing—students and others often assume we teach theological comparisons between religions to determine which religion is best," says department chair Dr. Stephen Covell. "In reality, our academic approach studies religions from a cultural perspective to understand how religious worldviews shape human behaviors and societies."

The new name seeks to eliminate ambiguity and clearly communicate the department's commitment to exploring the diverse dimensions of religious traditions, cultural frameworks and thematic issues.

“I think it’s really helpful that way,” says Covell. “Our program helps students see the world more broadly, and as I tell them, if you want to understand history, you can't understand it without understanding the history of religions.”

The department aims to prepare students to understand diverse perspectives and foster cultural competencies valuable for citizenship and careers. With courses spanning traditions like Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and more to thematic topics like death and dying, health and gender, the curriculum explores global cultures and religions and their intersections with history, sociology, science, law and other fields.

Commitment to interdisciplinarity is not only reflected in the course offerings but also in the department's faculty, which boasts expertise in fields spanning anthropology, sociology, environmental science and history.

“Our faculty represents a really broad group of backgrounds with a focus on religion but coming at it from different perspectives,” says Covell. “That’s a key reason why we are able to offer such a variety of thematic courses.”

Beyond the classroom, Covell also leads a Japanese Religion and Culture study abroad program that offers students an exploration of Japan's cultural and religious heritage. The itinerary includes Tokyo, Kamakura, Yokohama and Kyoto with unique access to temples, shrines and museums through a partnership with Taisho University. Students engage in cultural festivities, hike through scenic mountains and visit sites such as temples designated as world heritage sites and others. The journey concludes with a bullet train trip to Kyoto, home to over a thousand temples.

“Religion is embedded in how peoples' worlds are constructed and perceived. Learning more about how people construct their worldviews helps you better understand where they are coming from and it will make you a better citizen,” says Covell.

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