Robert J. Stephens

Robert Stephens is a lifelong student of Asian philosophies and the history of religions. He earned a B.A. cum laude in Religious Studies from Missouri State University, an M.A. in Religious Studies (Method and Theory) from the University of Kansas, and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies (History of Asian Religions and Cultures) from the University of Iowa. Stephens joined the Clemson faculty in 2010 after holding teaching appointments at the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Alabama, Transylvania University, and Lindenwood University. He regularly offers classes such as Introduction to Religion, World Religions, Women in World Religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, and upper-level seminar courses on topics related to South Asian religions. Stephens has published several book chapters, peer-reviewed articles, and book reviews in The Journal of Asian Studies, The Journal of Church and State, Religious Studies Review, Nidan: An International Journal for Indian Studies, The Journal of International and Global Studies, and, most recently, The Conversation. He has been an editorial consultant for Oxford University Press, Routledge University Press, W.W. Norton, SUNY Press, and The Asian Journal of Communication. In 2020, he was selected to join Clemson University’s Fulbright-Hayes India team tasked with expanding educational awareness of and institutional partnerships with India at Clemson University and the state of South Carolina.