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Faculty

Chair: Professor James Byrne
Professors: John Kenney, Joseph Kroger, Jeffrey Trumbower, Rev. Joseph McLaughlin, Edward Mahoney 
Assistant Professor: Raymond Patterson, Jeanne-Nicole Saint-Laurent

Keeping with the mission of Saint Michael’s as a Catholic liberal arts college, courses in religious studies primarily examine the foundations, development, meaning, and cultural relevance of the Christian tradition: its literature and history, beliefs, practices, and ethics. Courses are also offered in other religious traditions, such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. By its nature, religious studies approaches traditions in a multi-disciplinary fashion and inquires into both life’s ultimate questions and issues central to everyday life. The skills of empathic understanding and critical thinking developed in religious studies are not only valuable for almost any career, but they also serve to enrich one’s entire life. Recent majors and minors in religious studies are successfully pursuing careers in teaching, various church ministries, law, business management, journalism, information management, social services, and other fields.

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