Meet our Majors

Travis Proctor, senior

As a Religious Studies major, I am consistently impressed with the wide range of courses offered through the program’s various partner departments. Whether it be a class on Judaism in late Antiquity, Medieval Catholicism, or even Modern Buddhism, the program always ensures its students have an equal opportunity to study several religious traditions. Nevertheless, I found that a semester abroad is an excellent complement to the coursework available at Washington University. For my study abroad experience, I spent the Spring 2009 semester at Oxford University, and found that the challenges and opportunities it offered enriched my ongoing study of religion.

During my time across the Atlantic, I had the privilege of working with one of the leading scholars of Early Christianity, Dr. Mark J. Edwards. Oxford’s tutorial-based program gave me the opportunity to meet one-on-one with Dr. Edwards and discuss early Christian writers such as Tertullian, Ignatius, Origen, and Justin Martyr, who I am now researching for my Senior Honor’s Thesis. Furthermore, I advanced my studies in Ancient Greek, participating in a New Testament Greek tutorial with an Oxford professor. Finally, my time abroad helped bring some important religious monuments to life. I visited the Notre Dame in Paris, which certainly enhanced the "Sacred Shrines and Holy Places" course I’d taken the previous fall at WashU. Additionally, I travelled to see Stonehenge, one of the most famous religious sites in the world. Considering all these opportunities, my time spent at Oxford is one of my most valued college experiences, and I recommend it to anyone looking to supplement what WashU has to offer.