Requirements

Students develop a specialization in a geographically- and historically-defined concentration (or an explicitly transregional concentration across two of these areas). Students will understand the development of and interactions between religions in a specific cultural context. Students will take a set of required courses established by each of these specializations in order to develop the research and interpretative skills necessary for original research and to learn the contextual knowledge necessary for understanding religion within a particular geographical and chronological framework. In addition, students choose a more narrowly-defined Major Field from within their Area of Concentration.

Students will take a set of required courses established by each of these concentrations and fields in order to develop the research and interpretative skills necessary for original research and to learn the contextual knowledge necessary for understanding religion within a particular geographical and chronological framework.

The four areas of concentration are: Religions in History, Religion and Society, Religion in the Americas, and Ancient Mediterrannean Religions.

For details on these areas and their requirements, see the Areas of Concentration page.

Students will define a thematic field that requires engagement with theoretical works and case studies on a topic that crosses geographical and temporal boundaries. Students will do this both through organized courses and through independent reading; Ph.D. students will be examined on this field. This requirement asks students to become theoretically agile about a specific topic, to explore this topic across religious traditions, and to engage scholars from different subfields in a common area of conversation.

Examples of such themes, which reflect current interests of the Department and College faculty, include:

• The Body (e.g., Gender, Sexuality, Health/Purity, Food, Asceticism)
• Ritual and Performance
• Space and Place (e.g., Diasporas, Material Culture, Death/Burial)
• Visual Culture
• Text, Translation, and Transmission

All students are required to enroll in a set of courses that integrate their concentration areas into the broader conception of Religious Studies. These courses will introduce students to theories and methods in the study of religion, explore pedagogical issues, and prepare students for their professional obligations. These core courses are:

R S 383M Theory and Method in the Study of Religion
This course introduces graduate students to the history of the discipline, discusses classical interpretative works in the field, and examines current theoretical and methodological developments.

R S 384D Doctoral Seminar in Religious Studies
This advanced seminar will introduce the students to the profession. It will assist them in framing a dissertation proposal, encourage them to place their own scholarship within a broader disciplinary context by considering contemporary theories in the study of religion, and it will help them understand pedagogical issues in teaching religious studies to undergraduates. The course will also address other issues related to the profession, including publication and seeking funding.

In addition, graduate students will participate in the Department Colloquia and Area Colloquia (in their area of concentration) while they are in residence at the University. These colloquia consist of reading, commenting upon, and discussing with the author, a pre-circulated research paper. The Department Colloquia focus on topics that are of broad interest to faculty and students across the subfields. They are organized in the fall semester by the faculty member teaching R S 384D: Doctoral Seminar in Religious Studies with the input of the third-year doctoral students. The Area Colloquia are organized by faculty and graduate students in each area and focus on specialized themes in each subfield. Participation in both the Department and Area Colloquia is a requirement for all students, whether working toward an M.A. degree or a Ph.D.

The graduate program in Religious Studies is designed as a full-time course of doctoral study for students seeking a Ph.D. The program includes an M.A., but not as a stand-alone or terminal degree. Rather, the M.A. functions as an integrated component of the doctoral curriculum. It is understood as the first step in the process of working toward the Ph.D.

All incoming students are required to complete the two-year M.A. Students whose highest earned degree is a bachelor's degree enter the program with master's standing and complete the M.A. via a combination of coursework and a written master's thesis or report in the second year before proceeding to doctoral standing. Students whose highest earned degree is a master's degree automatically attain doctoral standing upon matriculation in the program. Those students whose prior master's degree included a written thesis or report have the option (pending approval) to complete the M.A. through coursework only, without writing a thesis or report. This coursework in lieu of a thesis or report counts directly toward doctoral degree requirements, even though earned before completion of the M.A.

All students take qualifying exams in the third year. Upon successful completion of the exams, the formation of a dissertation committee, and submission of a dissertation proposal, students enter into candidacy for the Ph.D. degree.