Welcome from Chair and Graduate Chair, Pamela Klassen

Pamela Klassen Chair Department for the Study of Religion
Professor Pamela Klassen

I am delighted to welcome you to one of the best and most comprehensive religion departments in the world. This diverse community of professors and students is focused on thinking critically and creatively about religion’s role in the world, past and present. Central to our outlook are

  • innovation in undergraduate and graduate education
  • excellence in advanced research, with robust international research and teaching collaborations
  • active commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion
  • engagement with the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and broader communities, including Indigenous nations

With award-winning faculty who are leaders in their fields, the DSR grounds its rigorous and interdisciplinary teaching in research excellence. Together with our students we study religion with diverse theoretical and methodological approaches, spanning many traditions and over forty source languages.  As well as supporting a vibrant MA and PhD student population with an impressive placement record, we are focused on renewing and re-imagining our undergraduate programs. We are listening to and learning from our students, nurturing our department community alongside our city-based and international relationships.

The study of religion is vital to understanding, critiquing, and positively transforming the world around us. Please do explore our website and find out more about this fascinating lens for viewing one of humanity’s most fundamental and influential activities.