Bautch Richard J.

Richard Bautch is Professor of Humanities, and in his courses students explore ancient texts and the religious systems associated with them. With an interest in hermeneutics, Professor Bautch encourages his students to apply insights from the past to today's significant social questions.

Focal topics in Professor Bautch's teaching and research include kinship and the formation of community identity, trauma and reconciliation, and the development of literary collections in antiquity. He is the author of numerous journal articles and five books, most recently Covenant in the Persian Period: From Genesis to Chronicles (2015). Professor Bautch founded the university's Jewish Studies minor, and he has served as chair of the Department of Religious and Theological Studies. He is currently Associate Dean in the School of Humanities, and he also directs the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies, a professional organization for academics.