Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Department of Philosophy and Religion. We are a dynamic department of active scholars and engaged students.

Our small class sizes afford the opportunity for personal, individualized interaction with our students. And our vibrant research agendas offer opportunities for our students in undergraduate research and scholarship.

We are a joint department in philosophy and religious studies, several members of which teach and research in both areas of inquiry. Our majors are designed to promote interdisciplinary studies, whether between philosophy and religion or with other complementary majors. And our Comparison Project enacts interdisciplinarity through a robust public program in comparative philosophy of religion.

In addition to philosophy of religion, our scholarly strengths lie in the fields of philosophy of education, critical-race theologies, post-colonial biblical studies, philosophy of mind, and Japanese philosophy. But it is our innovative and dynamic teaching that sets us apart, be it through immersive role-playing pedagogies, creative artistic-representation pedagogies, or the facilitation of digital stories about the religions of Des Moines.

It is my honor to chair such an active, interesting, and collegial department.

Brad Crowell
Associate Professor of Religion
Chair, Department of Philosophy and Religion