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Join one of the nation's most storied programs in ancient and religious studies.

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Experience a close-knit scholarly community in vibrant Iowa City.

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Build knowledge. Conduct research. Create new work. Stand out among your peers. You're going places, and it all starts here.

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Public university religious studies degree
Bob Cargill teaching at a whiteboard

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World-class faculty scholars

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Endowed professorships
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Certificate Programs
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News and announcements

CARS honors a century of religious studies with student-led conference

Monday, October 19, 2026
The 2026 E.P. Adler Graduate Student Conference brought students from different disciplines together to examine the role of religion while celebrating 100 years of Religious Studies in CLAS.

Hyaeweol Choi builds connections across cultures, classrooms, and communities

Monday, September 21, 2026
From her research on Korea to founding the Korean Studies Research Network, Choi explores how people, ideas, and traditions move across borders.

Richard Brent Turner traces the intersection of religion, jazz, and lived experience

Friday, August 28, 2026
Richard Brent Turner's scholarship has evolved across disciplines and communities, bringing together African American religion, music, history, and lived experience to illuminate connections that can be difficult to see from inside the classroom alone.

Events

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Cemetery Walk

Saturday, October 24, 2026 1:45pm to 2:45pm
Oakland Cemetery
Learn how to "read" a cemetery, explore the porous boundaries between the living and the dead, meet the Black Angel, and more!
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Haunted Popcorn Bar

Wednesday, October 28, 2026 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Jessup Hall
Join the Department of American Studies and the Department of Classics and Religious Studies for a spooky snack!
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Burying Tutankhamun: Ritual, Politics, and the Making of a King

Monday, November 9, 2026 5:00pm
Art Building West

Burying Tutankhamun: Ritual, Politics, and the Making of a King
Lecture by Nicholas Brown, University of Iowa

Abstract:

This talk explores the state funeral in ancient Egypt through the burial of Tutankhamun, one of the few nearly intact royal burials ever discovered. Dr. Brown will analyze the funerary procession scene from Tutankhamun’s tomb, examining how the royal funeral functioned not only as a religious ritual but also as a carefully constructed expression of politics, power, and succession...

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