The Department of Religious Studies at Penn is one of the few departments in North America that focuses on the relationships between religion and material/visual culture. Graduate students working in this area consider religion's interactions with material/visual culture as a central feature of religious identity, practice, and community, rather than as a secondary effect of religious belief. This includes focused attention on the material study of manuscripts and printing practices. The Graduate Group in Religious Studies at Penn brings together a range of domains of expertise. We specialize not just in geographical areas and historical religious traditions, but also in methods and approaches, including a reflexive approach to the category of religion itself, attention to material and visual culture, engagement with both classical manuscripts and contemporary media, and consideration of the role of religion against the backdrop of modernity and science, including considerations of politics, gender, and race. Rather than a formal track system, we encourage combinations of approaches, cultivating expertise that will prepare students for the academic job market while also developing research and communication skills applicable to a range of professional contexts. Our main areas of research and expertise, listed in alphabetical order, include: