Mary Lyon founded the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1837 with a strong Protestant tradition. At this time, weekly lessons in the Bible were given by various teaches of other subjects at the Seminary, including Mary Lyon herself. This tradition continued until 1894 when instructors with advanced degrees in religion were brought to Mount Holyoke College. At this time, the Department of Biblical History and Literature was founded, and each student at the College was required to partake in a year of study in the department. In the 1927/1928 academic year, the department was renamed the Department of the History and Literature of Religion, and remained so named until the 1951/1952 academic year when it became simply the Religion Department. In 1915, a course in comparative religions was introduced into the curriculum, which formerly only included the study of Christianity. In 1918, the department's emphasis was placed on the social teachings of the Bible. In 1930, the mandatory one year study of religion was dropped, and the Department of the History and Literature of Religion became one of four departments in the social sciences group, of which study in three departments was required. By 1937, the centennial anniversary of Mount Holyoke, the Bible had maintained its status as the central subject in the department. Courses had become distinctly cultural, and the aim of the department was to prepare students for "intelligent Christian citizenship" and to create a foundation for academic teaching, religious education, and various forms of Christian social service. Course topics at this time included the history and literature of the Bible, primitive religions, religious education, the history of Christian thought, current religious problems and beliefs, and the history of Christian worship. Within the next eleven years, courses began to be designed to show the relationships between religion and many other human interests. By 1948, courses pertaining to Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity (including Catholicism and Protestantism), cult religions, religious thought, and the philosophy of religion had appeared. The department curriculum was still heavily focused on Christianity. In 1959, the Religion Department was considered nonsectarian; however, the department still placed a great emphasis on Christianity, while considering developing more emphasis on Judaism. A significant shift away from Christianity occurred in 1970, although the department still maintained Christianity as a central focus. Currently, the Religion Department consists of four areas of study, each of which is required for the major in Religion, including Biblical Studies; Ethics, Philosophy, and Theology; Nonwestern Traditions; and History.