Virginia Tech Dept. of Religion and Culture

09/11/2026

Religion and Culture Program Update

The Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Culture, including the Religion and Culture and Humanities for Public Service majors, has been discontinued. The Department of Religion and Culture will close on July 1, 2027.

The changes have been approved by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and reflect new state requirements for under-enrolled programs, recommendations from the university’s Academic Resource Alignment Committee, and ongoing financial pressures facing public higher education.

Current students will continue working with their academic advisors and faculty to complete their degrees. Many Religion and Culture courses will continue to be offered, and the department’s minors will transition to other academic units.

Virginia Tech recognizes and celebrates the longstanding contributions of Religion and Culture faculty, students, alumni, and supporters to the university’s intellectual and academic community. We are grateful for the community they have built and the lasting impact of their work.

12/10/2025

11/07/2025

On October 21st The Department of Religion and Culture welcomed Very Rev. Mitred Archpriest Dr. Mark Morozowich for his lecture “The Roman Catholic Church Today and Tomorrow: Pope Leo XIV’s Approach to Eastern Christians.”

Dr. Morozowich discussed the Pope’s mission of unity, the shared dignity of Eastern and Western Christian traditions, and the call to build bridges across faith communities—embodying Pope Leo’s motto, “In the one Christ, we are one.”

10/17/2025

On October 7th in Dr. Christensen’s Folk Cultures in Appalachia class Aristotle Jones brought the spirit of Appalachian soul to campus, reminding us that the story of Appalachia is richer and more diverse than stereotypes suggest. Through music, memory, and storytelling, he celebrated the Black musicians and families who shaped the sound of the mountains and the heart of community life.

10/13/2025

On September 18th Dr. Webb Keane joined the Department of Religion and Culture to explore how our conversations with AI reflect deeper questions about language, belief, and authority. From “talking tools” to “machines of the soul,” Dr. Keane challenged us to think critically about why technology so often feels alive, and what that says about us.

Make sure to keep updated with upcoming events and lectures!

10/08/2025

The Department of Religion and Culture is happy to be back! We had a great time meeting students at the Major/Minor Fair in the Commonwealth Ballroom last week. Here’s to an exciting year ahead.
Go Hokies! 🧡🦃
Check out our pathway minors:
- Appalachian Cultures and Environments
- Religion and Journalism
These minors allow students to fulfill all their pathway requirements cohesively and expansively.
Check out more on our Virginia Tech Department of Religion and Culture website!

07/23/2025

At the end of last semester faculty, and community members gathered in Newman Library for A Day of Dialogue, providing a space to reflect on and discuss the Palestinian, Israeli, Muslim, and Jewish experience at VT.
In three open sessions, attendees came together to listen, share, and engage across lines of difference with empathy and care. Here are some strategies for holding similar events in your own communities.”

07/19/2025

On April 17th, Dr. Andrew Sharp presented Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and the Environment: Ecology as Fertile Ground for Dialogues in the Middle East, a lecture sponsored by the Departments of Religion & Culture, Political Science, and the Middle East Working Group.

His talk explored how climate change in the Middle East, where warming is occurring three times faster than the global average, demands not only political and scientific responses, but also spiritual ones. Drawing on Orthodox Christian and Islamic teachings, Dr. Sharp highlighted how ecological crises can serve as shared ground for interfaith collaboration, urging a paradigm shift that centers connection, stewardship, and collective action.

05/21/2025

Join us in celebrating our amazing seniors!
Congratulations to Cailin Drain, Carson Blacksburn, and Louise Rohall on your graduation! Your curiosity, compassion, and commitment to exploring religion and culture have left a lasting impact on our community. Wishing you all the best on your next journey.
Once a Hokie, always a Hokie! 🧡

04/28/2025

On April 8th, Dr. Willa Hammitt Brown joined us to explore how capitalism shapes memory—from forgotten forest fires to the flannel-clad myth of the American lumberjack. Drawing from her new book Gentlemen of the Woods, Brown revealed how tales like Paul Bunyan were crafted to sell clearcut land as untouched wilderness.

🌲 Missed it? Catch the highlights above!

📚 Gentlemen of the Woods out now via University of Minnesota Press.