Seth Perry is an associate professor of religion. He has taught at Princeton since 2014. His scholarship focuses on American religious history and religious authority.

Perry has served as director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Religion for five years, during which time he revised the department’s junior colloquium, chaired the committee that revised and updated requirements for the major, and proposed the course of study to create a minor in religion. 

“Seth’s contributions to undergraduate and graduate education in the Department of Religion have been nothing short of outstanding, as has his mentorship of students within the department,” said a colleague. 

As a faculty fellow for the Scholars Institute Fellows Program (SIFP) and an academic adviser in Butler College, he has extended his support to students beyond his department, especially first-generation and lower-income students. 

Undergraduates credit Perry’s thorough and thoughtful feedback with helping them become more critical readers and better writers, skills they used to succeed in other classes and in their careers after Princeton. Perry is also known among graduate students as an “enthusiastic mentor” committed to their intellectual and professional development.

Said one former student, “His passion for intellectual inquiry, unparalleled gift for teaching, and genuine care for students epitomize all of Princeton’s highest ideals.”

A recent alumnus said Perry not only ignited her interest in religious studies but influenced her work as a teacher today: “I draw heavy inspiration from the example set by Professor Perry,” the student said. “His warm demeanor, clear passion for the field, and skillful, instructive use of relatable terms and cultural references made his classes a joy to attend; the love of religious studies that I try to pass on to my students, he modeled.”

Read more about Perry on the Princeton Department of Religion website.