The contribution of religious studies to public policy (Building correlational and interdisciplinary bridges between the university and the community)

What contribution can Religious Studies make to public policy in Canada and internationally? This article suggests a significant contribution can be m ade by taking a new approach - one that is correlational, interdisciplinary and builds bridges between the university and the community. Our narrow an d less challenging Religious Studies departmental ways must be imaginativel y stretched into new patterns. A theoretical approach is sketched and pract ical examples are given from studies at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society, University of Victoria, in the areas of "population, consumpti on and the environment", "healthcare ethics", "ethics and Canadian fisherie s" and "restorative justice".