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What is religious studies?
Religious Studies, also known as Comparative Religion, the Science of Religion, or the academic study of religion, is a part of the human sciences and engages in the analysis of cross-cultural beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. Much as Political Science constitutes the study of political processes rather than the promotion and participation in specific party politics, so too the descriptive, comparative, and explanatory study of religion as carried out in the publicly-funded university is to be distinguished from religious (theological) forms of study.
To learn more about the study of religion, visit one of these sites:
http://www.as.ua.edu/rel/studyingreligion.html
http://www.studyreligion.org/why/index.htmlwhere to find books on religion
Books on religion can be found from the BL to the BX sections of the library’s catalog system. To browse the library stacks for books on the study of religion, as well as on specific religions, go to floor 2M of Gorgas Library and browse the following sections of the Library of Congress classification system:
BL 1-50
BL 51-65
BL 74-99
BL 1100-1295
BM
BP
BQ
BR
BS 701-2765
Religion, General
Philosophy of Religion, Psychology of Religion
Religions of the World
Hinduism
Judaism
Islam
Buddhism
Christianity
Hebrew Bible and New Testament Studies
On the first floor of Gorgas in the Reference Room one can also find reference books, that is, encyclopedias and dictionaries, cataloged from BL to BS.
Recommended Databases/Indexes
Note: To access any of these databases go to: http://www.lib.ua.edu/databases/dbsearch.htm and go to the appropriate letter for the name of the database, or go to the “Religion Subject Listing.”
“Full text” means that the whole article is available on the database.
“Scholarly Journals” means that the articles from these journals have been reviewed by experts before they were published, and were written for the use of scholars or students.
“E-books” are books, in their entirety, that can be accessed electronically on the database.
“Abstract” means the database provides a descriptive summary of the articleSubject Index/Databases
ArticleFirst: Indexes and Abstracts
ATLA Religion Database: Full Text, Book Reviews, and Scholarly Journals
Bibliography of Asian Studies: Abstracts
ISI Web of Science: Abstracts
Making of America: E-books, Full Text
Philosopher’s Index: Abstracts
Social Science Information Gateway: Catalogs, Reference sources and tools
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, Full Text, Reference sources and tools
General Databases
Academic Search Premier: Full Text
Expanded Academic ASAP: Book Reviews, Full Text, and Scholarly Journals
Research Library Complete: Book Reviews, Full Text, Newspapers, and Scholarly Journals
Other Useful Databases
Note: E-Journals are electronic journals that can be accessed through the Library’s databases.
E-Journals Sources
JSTOR—Book Reviews, Full Text, and Scholarly Journals
Project Muse—Book Reviews, Full Text, and Scholarly Journals
Web resources
There are many sites devoted to religion on the web, though most are not examples of scholar on religion, so much as examples of religious groups promoting specific viewpoints. For general information on religion, consider visiting:
Humbul’s Humanities Hub: Search Humbul's entire catalogue of online Religion & Theology resources, http://www.humbul.ac.uk/religion/
Religious Studies Electronic Journals, http://www.ucalgary.ca/%7Elipton/journalss
Religion Religions Religious Studies: information resources for study and interpretation of religions, http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/rel/
Academic Info: database of links relevant to Religious Studies, http://www.academicinfo.net/religindex.html
Comparative Religion.com: offers general world religion type information, http://www.comparative-religion.com/
Virtual Religion Index: helpful research site, http://www.virtualreligion.net/vri/
General works on the academic study of religion
The following titles are for published resources that provide general information on the history, and current shape, of the academic study of religion. Many of these are considered standard resources that could easily be found on the shelves of scholars of religion.
Gregory D. Alles, "Study of Religion: An Overview," The Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd ed. vol. 13, pp. 8760-8767 Macmillan Reference, 2005. Call Number: Gorgas reference room BL31 .E46 2005
Willi Braun and Russell T. McCutcheon (eds.), Guide to the Study of Religion Continuum, 2000.
Call Number: BL48.G83 2000Walter H. Capps, Religious Studies: The Making of a Discipline Fortress Press, 1995. Call Number: BL41 .C36 1995x
Peter Connolly (ed.), Approaches to the Study of Religion Continuum, 1999. Call Number: BL41 .A65 1999x
Brian Morris, Anthropological Studies of Religion: An Introductory Text. Cambridge University Press, 1998. Call Number: BL .M63 1987
Malory Nye, Religion: The Basics. Routledge, 2003. Call Number: BL48 .N94 2003
J. Samuel Preus, Explaining Religion: Criticism and Theory from Bodin to Freud. Yale University Press, 1987. Call Number: BL .P69 1987
Mark C. Taylor (ed.), Critical Terms for Religious Studies. University of Chicago Press, 1998. Call Number: BL31 .C75 1998
Jacques Waardenburg (ed.), Classical Approaches to the Study of Religion. Vol. 1. Introduction and Anthology; Vol. 2. Bibliography Mouton, 1973 [Walter de Gruyter, 1999]. Call Number: BL41 .C53 1999
Biography and Genealogy Master Index(Database)—lists reference books that have succinct essays on your subject.
Dictionary of American Biography (Ref E176. D563) classic source for historical persons in America history.
religious studies periodicals in gorgas library
Periodicals are scholarly journals, usually published four times a year, that contain current research. Note: The current year’s periodicals are located in the second floor periodicals room; past year’s issues are bound together and shelved on floor 4M.
Full text for some of these titles is also available through the electronic resources of Gorgas Library.
History of Religion. Call Number: BL1. H5
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Call Number: BL1 .J6
Journal of Bible and Religion. Call Number: BV1460 .N23
Journal of Feminists Studies in Religion. Call Number: HQ1393 .J68
Journal of the Academy of Religion. Call Number: BV1460 .N23
Method & Theory in the Study of Religion. Call Number: BL1 .M48
Numen. Call Number: BL1 .N8
Religion. Subscribed through electronic resource only
Religious Studies Review. Call Number: Z7751 .R38x
Studies in Religion. Call Number: BL1. S8
The Journal of Religion. Call Number: BR 1. H5
Zygon. Call Number: BL240.2 .Z9
REFERENCE resources in Religion
Selected dictionaries that are located in the Reference Room on the first floor of Gorgas Library:
John Bowker, The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Call Number: BL31 .O9 1997
John L. Esposito, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Call Number: BP40 .O95 2003
William H. Gentz, The Dictionary of Bible and Religion, Nashville: Abingdon, 1986. Call Number: BR95 .D46 1986
Trevor Oswald Ling, A Dictionary of Buddhism: Indian and South East Asia, Calcutta: K. P. Bagchi, 1981. Call Number: BQ130 .L45 1981
Jonathan Z. Smith (ed.), Harper Collins Dictionary of Religion, San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1995. Call Number: BL31. H37 1995
R. J. Zwi Werblowsky and Geoffrey Wiggoder (eds.), The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion, New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Call Number: BM50 .O94 1997
Selected encyclopedias that are located in the Reference Room on the first floor of Gorgas Library:
Robert E. Buswell, Jr. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Buddhism. New York: Macmillan Reference, 2004. Call Number: BQ128 .E62 2004
H. A. R. Gibb (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Islam. Leiden: Brill; London: Luzac, 1986. Call Number: DS37 .E5 1954
James Hastings (ed) Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics. New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1908-26. Call Number: BL31 .E4
Lindsay Jones (ed.), Encyclopedia of Religion. 2nd edition. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. Call Number: BL31 .E46 2005
Jacob Neusner (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Judaism. New York: Continuum, 1999. Call Number: BM50 .E63 1999
materials found outside the university of Alabama Libraries
Interlibrary Loans (ILL): This cooperative system among libraries permits you to borrow books and obtain photocopies of articles from other libraries across the United States. ILL staff will notify you when the item arrives. Please be aware that some deliveries incur charges for copying or delivery. These orders can be placed in person at Gorgas Library or online.
Kudzu: A special part of the Interlibrary Loan system available through the Libraries Catalog http://library.ua.edu/ that allows you to both search for books at a dozen southeastern libraries and order them online
academic departments and professional Organizations in the study of religion
University of Alabama Department of Religious Studies http://www.as.ua.edu/rel/
American Academy of Religions http://www.aarweb.org/
International Association for the History of Religion http://www.iahr.dk/index.html
North American Association for the Study of Religion http://www.as.ua.edu/naasr/
Society of Biblical Literature http://www.sbl-site.org/
careers in religion
Visit the career center’s web page at: www.career.ua.edu and go to “ Resource Center,” then select the “Majors/Resumes Handouts” link, and scroll down to Religious Studies. Or visit the “Careers” section of the “Student’s Desk” link at http://www.as.ua.edu/rel/
Help
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Content for this page selected by Jessica McGinnis, Kimberly Davis, and Christine Scott, all graduates of the University of Alabama Department of Religious Studies.
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University of Alabama
Last modified:
09/04/07
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