Doctor of Philosophy in Study of Religion - Classics and Classical Receptions

The Study of Religion Ph.D. program is designed as a 6-year program. Students gain advanced knowledge of the literatures of particular religious traditions and the intersections of these with contemporary thematic and regional phenomena including values, ethics and human rights, modernity, science and secularism, visual culture, media and technology, language, rhetoric and performance, body and praxis, and theory and method. Students graduate with the qualitative and quantitative skills necessary for professional research and teaching in religious studies. Graduate students in our program receive two kinds of training: classical research in the corpus of a particular religious tradition, and theoretical training to place this tradition at the center of broader concerns, in contemporary and regional context. We offer distinctive research strengths in three regions: American religious cultures, ancient Mediterranean religions, and Asian religions. A second regional specialization gives students an in-depth comparative basis. Students focus their scholarship through one of the following thematic lenses: Values, Ethics, and Human Rights, Modernity, Science, and Secularism, Visual Culture, Media and Technology, Language, Rhetoric, and Performance, Body and Praxis, Theory and Method. This curriculum provides the depth to produce rigorous scholarship that is on the cutting edge, redefining what religious studies has to say to the academy and public.

The Designated Emphasis in Classics and Classical Receptions explores the civilizations of Greek and Roman antiquity, and focuses on the influence exerted by the achievements of the Greeks and Romans on later centuries. Students whose interests lie in areas where knowledge of Greek and Roman literature, history, and culture has direct impact on their research program will benefit from systematic training in both the theory and methodology of research in Classics and Classical Receptions. (formerly Classics and the Classical Tradition)

A minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) from the institution where you have earned or will earn your bachelor's degree.
Statement of Purpose (4,000 character limit, including spaces)
Personal History Statement (4,000 character limit, including spaces)
The sample of your written work should be a research paper or critical analysis.
Three letters of recommendation (from professors)
Transcripts
TOEFL iBT - Minimum Score: 80
IELTS - Minimum Score 7.0 on a 9-point scale