Juan Campo's deep interest in religious matters is almost innate. "I've been interested in religion ever since my childhood," says Campo, who was born in Colombia, but grew up in the San Fernando Valley.

There were two events in his early life that had profound influence in putting him on his adult course: a trip to see the traveling King Tut Egyptian exhibit when he was 10 and a summer spent on an archeological dig in Israel when he was a junior at USC.

"That was a major summer in terms of defining my interests," says Campo, who was a pre-law student at the time.

Campo, who specializes in Islamic Studies and the history of religions, tries to infuse students with his enthusiasm for his subjects and asks them to think outside the box of their preconceptions.

"I want them to challenge the assumptions about Islam and other religions that they bring to the class," he says.