From 1950s to the Present Day...

1950s

1954

The academic study of religion at UCSB began under the leadership of a professor in Political Science, D. Mackenzie Brown. In February, he chaired a committee of professors from various departments, the function of which committee was to consider the possible introduction of courses in the study of religion at UCSB.

1958

A course entitled "Religious Institutions" was offered for the first time in the fall in the Political Science Department of the College of Letters and Sciences.

1959-
1960

Two more courses were added in 1959; and in fall of 1960, "Religious Institutions" became a separate program administered by a faculty committee, composed of D. Mackenzie Brown as chair, Cornelius Muller of Botany, and William Kennedy from Economics.

1960s

1961

In December, the committee drafted a proposal for a major in Religious Institutions, designed to offer "a preparatory background of studies for individuals planning post-graduate work or careers in the field of theology."

1962

Following negative responses from already established departments, the theological emphasis was dropped entirely, and a second proposal "designed for students desiring a general education with emphasis upon this aspect of Western civilization and comparative cultures" was submitted and approved.

1963

Paul Tillich was appointed as a visiting lecturer in the spring.

In the fall, W. Richard Comstock became the first full-time appointment, and the title of the major was changed to Religious Studies.

1964

The Department of Religious Studies was officially established on July 1, 1964 with a faculty of four:

• D. Mackenzie Brown as chair;
• Paul Tillich, returning as a visiting professor for Spring Quarter, 1964;
• W. Richard Comstock; and
• Walter Capps, who arrived in July, becoming the second full-time appointment

At this time there were eight courses in the major, two of them from cognate departments, plus a list of related courses.

D. Mackenzie Brown left UCSB in July, and was replaced as chairperson by Robert Michaelsen, who thus became the third full-time appointment in the new Department of Religious Studies.

Proposals for an Institute of Religious Studies and for a graduate program were already being considered at this time. In September, the Department submitted a formal proposal for an Institute of Religious Studies. It was "designed to do what a department cannot do adequately, that is, to stimulate and support research in the phenomenon of religion by scholars from a variety of disciplines and fields." The position of director was defined as a half-time position, the other half to be devoted to work in some department of the university, as determined by the field of competence of the director.

1966

The Institute of Religious Studies was officially established on July 1,1966.

A proposal for a graduate program leading to an M.A. degree in Religious Studies was drafted in October. It suggested a timetable of fall of 1967 for inaugurating the M.A. program, and fall of 1970 for the addition of a Ph.D. program in Religious Studies.

1967

Thomas F. O'Dea came to UCSB in January as a professor in the departments of Religious Studies and Sociology and as the first director of the Institute of Religious Studies. O'Dea worked closely with Robert Michaelsen and other faculty in Religious Studies in developing the proposal for a graduate program.

The M.A. program in Religious Studies was officially launched on July 1, 1967.

The ladder faculty at this time included:

• Walter Capps;
• W. Richard Comstock;
• Robert Michaelsen;
• Thomas F. O'Dea;
• newly-appointed assistant professor, Wilbur M. Fridell; and
• acting assistant professor, Jonathan Z. Smith.

Two lecturers and and associates were also included on the staff.

The new M.A. program in Religious Studies required:

• reading proficiency in French or German;
• thirty units in upper division and graduate level course work; and
• a thesis.

Moreover, all graduate students were required to take a two-quarter graduate seminar entitled Religious Studies 230, "Seminar in the History and Theory of Religion." The required seminar was taught by Thomas F. O'Dea with the specific intention of making the interdisciplinary work of the Institute, which O'Dea directed, available to graduate students. Beyond the required seminar, graduate students were expected to focus their course work in three general areas of preparation:

• history of religions;
• religious thought; or
• theories of religion and religious behavior.

Ten graduate level courses were introduced.

1969

A proposal for a program offering the Ph.D. degree in Religious Studies was drafted in spring of 1969 and officially approved and established on July 1 of the same year.

One additional full-time faculty was added to the department in 1969-70, Birger Pearson.

Mircea Eliade was appointed as a visiting professor for one quarter.

The new Ph.D. program in Religious Studies required:

• reading proficiency in French and German;
• the two-quarter "Seminar in the History and Theory of Religion," taught by O'Dea;
• a residence requirement of two academic years;
• a comprehensive examination;
• an oral qualifying examination; and
• a dissertation.

With the introduction of the Ph.D. program, a significant change in the requirements for the M.A. degree was also brought about. The M.A. thesis requirement was dropped, and a comprehensive examination was put in its place. Students in the Ph.D. program generally worked in history of religions, religious thought or theories of religion and religious behavior, and it was the intention of the department to design a particular program for each doctoral student that reflected the student's needs as well as the strengths of the department and the cognate resources at UCSB.

1970s

1970-
1971

Gerald J. Larson joined the full-time faculty in the summer of 1970, and succeeded Robert Michaelsen as chair of the department on July 1971.

Robert Michaelsen was elected president of the AAR for 1971-72.

1971-
1972

During the 1971-72 academic year a curriculum committee made up of faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students was formed to revise the undergraduate major in Religious Studies. The process of revision was completed by fall of 1973.

The structure of the undergraduate major consisted of forty-eight upper division units, eight each in the three areas of Western Religious Studies, Asian Religious Studies, and Religion and Culture. From four to twelve units were expected to be taken from cognate courses in other departments.

Discussions by the faculty regarding the revision of the graduate programs also began in the 1971-72 academic year. Continuing self-criticism by the department, the appearance of the Welch report (a publication of the American Academy of Religion that questioned the validity of the Department's graduate program) and the addition of Raimundo Panikkar to the full-time faculty in January of 1972 were all factors leading to a reconsideration of the scope and structure of the graduate programs. As discussions about the graduate p.rogram unfolded, a consensus emerged that it would be desirable, if possible:

• to sharpen the description of the intention of the graduate program so that prospective students would have a clearer impression of the kind of work being pursued in Religious Studies at UCSB;
• to devise areas of special work which reflected the particular strengths of the UCSB faculty in Religious Studies; and
• to shape the special programs in Religious Studies in a way that would allow optimal use of cognate resources at UCSB -- the latter including such elements as faculty in other departments, possibilities for language-study at UCSB, library resources, etc.

1973

The M.A. program was separated from the Ph.D. program and was reinterpreted as a general rather than a specialized program. It was designed for those wishing to do general graduate-level work in Religious Studies either for the purpose of general education or for the purpose of primary and secondary school teaching, etc. More specialized work could be pursued by M.A. students, but it was not required. Requirements for the degree included:

• reading proficiency in French or German,
• thirty-six units of course work (eighteen of which must be at the graduate level),
• a required one-quarter "Proseminar in Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Religion" (Religious Studies 201), and
• a comprehensive examination.

Moreover, M.A. students would not ordinarily proceed into a Ph.D. program, at least at UCSB.

The Ph.D. program was reinterpreted, entitled Cross-Cultural & Interdisciplinary Studies in Religion, and was divided into three areas or tracks for special concentration:

• Cross-Cultural Studies in Religious Traditions;
• Sociology of Religion; and
• Coordinated Studies in Religion and the Humanities.

Raimundo Panikkar and Gerald J. Larson assumed responsibility for coordinating Cross-Cultural Studies; Thomas F. O'Dea and Robert Michaelsen were to be responsible for Sociology of Religion and W. Richard Comstock and Walter Capps for Coordinated Studies in Religion and the Humanities. It was also decided that only five students would be admitted in residence in any one track.

Requirements for the new Ph.D. program included:

• French and German (and for Cross-Cultural Studies an additional fundamental language, classical or modern),
• a residence requirement,
• a comprehensive examination,
• the one-quarter course entitled "Proseminar in Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Religion" (Religious Studies 201),
• an oral qualifying examination, and
• a dissertation.

1974

In the fall, the Department of Religious Studies at UCSB was invited to become a member of the Council on Graduate Studies in Religion. (The Council serves as a quality-control agency with respect to graduate studies in religion, and membership on the Council is made available only to established graduate programs, and is by invitation only.)

Richard Hecht joined the faculty as a lecturer in the area of Judaica.

Thomas F. O'Dea died in November, with a High Funeral Mass for Professor O'Dea celebrated at the Santa Barbara Mission. The Sociology of Religion track was therefore set aside, and the Ph.D. program consisted of two areas of specialization -- namely, Cross-Cultural Studies in Religious Traditions and Coordinated Studies in Religion and the Humanities.

1975

Robert Gimello joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in the areas of Chinese and Buddhist studies.

1976

Ninian Smart joined the faculty as Professor in the areas of Philosophy of Religion and Comparative Religion.

Birger Pearson succeeded Gerald Larson as department chairperson.

Richard Hecht was advanced to Assistant Professor.

1977

The Religious Studies Graduate and Faculty Colloquium series was initiated to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas of common interest and to provide a focus for on-going departmental discussions of the study of religion.

1978

Phillip Hammond joined the faculty as Professor in the area of Sociology of Religion and Inés Talamentez joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in the area of Native American Religious Traditions.

The Institute of Religious Studies was discontinued as an active research center for inter-disciplinary studies in religion and the humanities at UCSB.

1979

W. Richard Comstock succeeded Birger Pearson as chairperson.

Robert Gimello resigned and took a position at the University of Arizona.

In the spring, Gerald Larson wrote a grant application for and chaired a conference and mounted an art exhibition entitled "In Her Image," which compared images between the Catholic Virgin Mary and various Hindu goddesses.

1980

The number of units required for the undergraduate major was reduced from forty-eight to forty-four, and a double major was encouraged.

1981

Charles Wendell, who held part-time positions in the Religious Studies Department and the German Department teaching Islamic Studies and Arabic, died in the spring. A memorial service was held in the University Center. The German Department decided not to teach Arabic. Consequently, the Religious Studies Department was given a full FTE position for the purposes of Arabic instruction and Islamic studies generally.

An Undergraduate Honors program was added to the major. The student submits a formal petition (accompanied by one faculty reference) to the chairperson of the Department. In order to participate in the program, students had to have:

• residence at UCSB of at least one year,
• a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.5,
• a G.P.A. of 3.7 in Religious Studies, and
• Religious Studies 195, "Senior Honors Program Seminar.

1982

William Powell joined the Department, replacing Robert Gimello's position in the area of Buddhist and Chinese Studies.

1983

Juan E. Campo joined the Department as an assistant professor in the areas of History of Religions, Islamic Studies and Arabic.

For the first time, a three-hour field exam is required of Ph.D. students.

1984

Phillip Hammond assumed the chair of the Department.

The Japan Bamboo Association (Take no Kai) sponsored a trip to Santa Barbara by Gudo Wafu Nishijima, a Buddhist priest. At the suggestion of Professor Wilbur Fridell, the Department of Religious Studies cosponsored two lectures by the Rev. Nishijima and initiated discussions with Hisanao Ichikawa, the head of the JBA's International Allotment Section. These discussions culminated in 1986 with the establishment of the Bamboo Fund.

1985

Allan Grapard was appointed as a visiting professor in Japanese Religions while Wilbur M. Fridell was on leave.

In the spring, working again from a NEH grant secured by Gerald Larson, the Department held a series of conferences on graduate education, with the title: "Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone: The Future of Graduate Education in Religious Studies." The proceedings of the conferences became a special publication in the journal Soundings. The Department's own graduate program was affected by the conference in the addition of Religious Studies 200C to its graduate requirements. RS 200C addressed the perceived need for some acquaintance with questions of empirical evidence.

The number of upper division units required for the undergraduate major further decreased from forty-four to thirty-six, to encourage a double major.

Kurt Rudolf, an expert on Gnosticism, joined the faculty after a year's visiting professorship at Chicago, thereby defecting from behind the Iron Curtain. For years a professor at the University of Leipzig, Rudolf returned in 1987 to what was then West Germany (University of Marburg).

1985-
1986

The Department held a three-day conference on ritual, chaired by Allan Grapard. The proceedings were published in the journal Ritual Studies.

1985-
1987

The Department received two grants from the California Council of the Humanities to create and conduct an ongoing program entitled "The Religious Contours of California." William Powell served as coordinator. The program involved training high school teachers and various volunteer groups in the greater Santa Barbara area in how to educate their students about the diversity of religious traditions represented in California and thereby in the world. The program also planned for a nine volume series targeting secondary education and sought to generate among high school students and others an appreciation for "living religious traditions on the ground."

1986

Wilbur M. Fridell retired.

Allan Grapard joined the faculty as an associate professor in Japanese Religions.

In the spring, Brian Wilson, an Oxford scholar, visited the Department as the UCSB Distinguished Visiting Professor of the Humanities.

Phillip Hammond was elected to a two-year term as President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Professor William Powell and Mr. Ichikawa coordinated a donation of $102,000 from the Japan Bamboo Association to the Department, to be used to further teaching and research in the study of Japanese religions and/or to fund research in Japan. The current use stipulations (as of 1990) are primarily for the support of graduate students; alternatively the funds may be used for:

• faculty research and travel,
• student summer language study in the U.S. or Japan,
• student travel and/or residency in Japan, and
• acquisition of library materials.

The Rowny endowment fund was secured. In 1980, J.F. Rowny, a publisher of new-age books, died, leaving a handwritten will stipulating that his assets be used to create a foundation for the study of non-sectarian religion. In 1984, Phillip Hammond, then Chairman of the Department of Religious Studies, was appointed to the board of trustees of the Rowny Foundation. In 1986, the Rowny Foundation trustees deeded the entire Rowny estate to the UCSB Religious Studies Department. The property, at the top of Mission Canyon, was placed under conservation easement, with the exception of six acres, which were put up for bid and sold for $650,000. The remainder of the estate was worth $200,000-$250,000.

The Department voted to use $700,000 to create two endowed chairs, the J.F. Rowny Chair in Religion and Society and the J.F. Rowny Chair in Comparative Religion, and to invest the funds in the Regents' Investment Pool. The income from the combined total is limited to improve graduate education. The Department established the Rowny Fellowship program, which funds approximately six new graduate students each year. The number of years of financial support that could be expected is limited to four years (five for those students needing time for language study or study abroad).

Professor Robert S. Michaelsen was named to the J.F. Rowny Chair in Religion and Society, and Professor Ninian Smart to the J.F. Rowny Chair in Comparative Religion.

Steve Allen was the Department's guest as a Regents' Lecturer.

1987

Catherine L. Albanese joined the Department as a professor in American Religious History.

W. Randall Garr joined the Department as an assistant professor in Semitic Languages.

Raimundo Panikkar retired and Barbara Holdrege joined the faculty as an assistant professor in Comparative Religions in place of Panikkar.

Richard Turner was hired to teach African and African American religion.

Foreign language study began to be heavily recommended as part of the undergraduate major. The Undergraduate Honors program offered honors sections in lower-division courses, inviting students to design their own contract courses and independent study. The Edward C. Truman award was established for outstanding freshman, sophomore, or junior religious studies students.

In the graduate curriculum, Religious Studies 200C was added, providing instruction in empirical studies in the study of religion.

1989

Robert Michaelsen retired.

Ninian Smart assumed the department chair.

Walter Capps received the Corita Kent Peace Award from Immaculate Heart College Center.

Gerald Larson gave the Swami Dayananda Endowed Lectures at the Ramakrishna Institute of Culture in Calcutta, India.

Barbara Holdrege won the Harold J. Plous Memorial Award for assistant professor or instructor who demonstrates outstanding performance in creative action, contribution to research, teaching and intellectual life of the college community.

1990s

1990

Wade Clark Roof joined the faculty as the J.F. Rowny Professor of Religion and Society, succeeding Robert Michaelsen in the position upon his retirement in 1989.

In December, Wade Clark Roof's research on the Baby Boomers was featured as the cover-story in Newsweek.

Raimundo Panikkar received the Spanish National Prize Antonio Machado for his book, Paz y desarmo cultural.

Once again both an MA I and MA II were offered. The requirements for the MA I are:

• completion of RS 200ABC;
• a comprehensive exam following RS 200B;
• a language exam in either French or German;
• thirty-six units of religious studies courses, no less that twenty-four of which are graduate courses; and
• a thesis.

The requirements for the MA II are:

• completion of RS 201, a new course entitled "Core Issues in the Study of Religion";
• a comprehensive exam following RS 201; and
• the same unit requirements as the MA I (no thesis is required).

The only new addition to the Ph.D. requirements is the stipulation that students must advance to candidacy by the 10th quarter if they entered without an MA, and by the 7th if they entered with an MA.

1991

An endowment was given by the Saudi Royal Family providing for a chair in the field of Islamic History in the History Department. As part of this package, Religious Studies assumed the responsibility for teaching first-year Arabic.

Dwight F. Reynolds joined the department as an assistant professor in the area of Arabic Language and Literature.

Kenneth Woodward (editor in religion for Newsweek) visited UCSB as the Regents' Lecturer.

Catherine Albanese was named Alumna of the Year by the Divinity School of the University of Chicago.

Wade Clark Roof served as President of the Religious Research Association for 1991-1992.

Walter Capps' class, "The Impact of the Vietnam War" was featured on 60 Minutes.

William Powell conducted a study on sacred geography at Jihua Mountain in China and participated in an interdisciplinary conference held on the mountain by Chinese scholars.

Juan E. Campo took a two-year appointment as Director of the U.C. Education Abroad center in Cairo.

The Dalai Lama visited UCSB on a tour of the United States to inaugurate the Year of Tibet. The Dalai Lama took part in a panel discussion at the Centennial House moderated by Gerald Larson, with Ninian Smart, William Powell and Kenneth Woodward participating. He then spoke at the UCSB Events Center on "Global Peace and Security."

1992

Charles Long joined the faculty as Professor. He also assumed the position of Director of the Center for Black Studies.

1993

W. Richard Comstock retired. Approval was obtained to begin a search for a full appointment to replace his position in the area of Religion in Western Culture.

The Religious Studies Department voted not to extend tenure to Richard Turner, who then transferred to a full-time position in the Black Studies Department.

Walter Capps assumed leadership of the Department.

The Department established a Vice-Chair first held by Richard Hecht.

The Department held a three-day conference on Tibetan religion and culture that mixed popular lectures, academic papers, panel discussions and an illustrated art presentation to cater to a variety of interests. The conference drew an audience of one thousand people.

The Center for the Study of Religion was established under the directorship of Wade Clark Roof. It is designed to seek extramural funding for research projects on religion, and to train students in conducting research.

1994

Birger Pearson retired.

Nandini Iyer retired but was retained as a Visiting Lecturer in first-year Sanskrit.

Wilbur M. Fridell passed away.

Walter Capps became the Democratic candidate for California's 22nd Congressional District while being Chair of the department. He lost the race for the Congressional seat by a narrow margin.

In recognition of his service to the Department, and especially of his efforts with the Rowny Endowment, Professor Phillip Hammond was named to the D. Mackenzie Brown Chair in Religious Studies.

Catherine Albanese was elected President of the American Academy of Religion for the 1993-1994 term.

Wade Clark Roof was President-elect of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.

The Department established an electronic mail network.

1995

Ninian Smart was named Faculty Research Lecturer, the highest recognition the UCSB Faculty gives to one of its own.

The Department, along with the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, organized a major three-day conference on "Religious Forces in the New World [Dis]Order" and a second conference on Tibetan Buddhism.

Juan E. Campo secured a donation of $20,000 to establish the Hani Sadek Endowment for Islamic Studies.

2000s