The history of the study of religion at Wellesley College from its founding in 1875 until 1980 is considered. Initially, faculty were sought who possessed expressed Christian character and were able to instruct in the bible, which was a study requirement until 1968. The predominantly Protestant-Christian orientation of the religion department changed markedly during the 1970s. The Vietnam War was significant in drawing large enrollments for courses on Asian religions. Ethics courses also registered sizeable enrollments, while introductory courses on Old Testament and New Testament also had steady numbers. Educationally, the the religion department considers itself fulfilling the following roles: providing instruction in the Bible; teaching the religious issues in the middle ages and in the modern and contemporary periods; broadening the world-view of the students through instruction of the religious heritage of the non-Western world; and instilling in students the value of understanding religious traditions on their own terms in a pluralistic context. An important development was an agreement made between Wellesley and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the early 1970s that instruction of Asian religions be given on the MIT campus on a yearly basis. Religion and humanistic courses offered by the two colleges play a vital role in teaching the future leaders in science and technology humanistic and ethical concerns. Information about the faculty of Wellesley's religion department is included. (SW)