Doctor of Philosophy in Study of Religion - Studies in Performance and Practice

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 DE in Studies in Performance and Practice presents a critical way of thinking about practices of communication, from film and stage, to sports, religion, and everday behavior, among many other areas. This DE is inherently interdisciplinary and collaborative, and interacts closely with the proliferating new media for communication. Studies in Performance and Practice engages students in critical approaches to theory and practice.

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