[DRAFT in progress]

A foundational area of study in the early days of Trinity College, the Theology Department is one of the College's oldest departments.

In the establishment of Trinity College, Theology was considered one of the core subjects, the founders of the College modeled the new school after the European style of teaching. Even the College's first president, Thomas Brownell, was a professor of Theology. When the first class graduated from the College, 55 out of 140 students were clergymen or theology students. A Dean of Theology was also part of the College's administration, the first of whom was the Reverend Dr. Thomas Winthrop Coit.

The importance of Theology at the College was not only for academic or moral pursuit but to remain equal with a neighboring, rival college–Yale. Nathaniel Wheaton, when questioned about the lack of theology professors at the College, responded that one faculty member and a fourth of the Trustees were from the Church, trumping Yale's three theology professors. For a time, expanding the College into a university with a School of Theology was considered, but ultimately the idea did not succeed.

The Department's early curriculum mirrored that of the General Seminary in New York; many students of this curriculum proceeded to pursue a Master's Degree. The popularity of the Theology Department at Trinity, however, decreased over time. In 1900, only two students in the incoming class were interested in studying theology.

In more recent years, the Theology Department has evolved into the Religious Studies Department, popular with students interested in philosophy, culture, and anthropology. The course selection offers a diverse mixture of religious traditions and perspectives.

To be integrated:

[In 1848, when John Williams was named president of Trinity College, he wanted to strengthen the ties between Trinity and the Episcopal Church; as such, Williams was intent on offering courses in theological education, as he had done in the past with students from Union College in Schenectady, New York. Some of these students followed Williams to Trinity, where he continued to informally instruct them in theological coursework. In time, a Theology Department grew out of Williams' instruction and by 1851, the College had integrated a full complement of theological coursework into its curriculum. In 1852, the Diocese of Connecticut recognized the program as an official Diocesan School of Theology, which brought a steady number of new theological students to the College.]

Trinity College: Religious Studies

History of Trinity College (1967) by Glenn Weaver, pp. 6, 30, 71, 112-115, 246.