Degree Programs
The M.A. Program
The Ph.D. Program
Fields of Study
Religion and Nature
Religion in the
Americas
Religions of Asia
Comprehensive Exam Reading
Religion and Nature
Religion in the
Americas
Religions of Asia
Graduate Students
Completed
M.A. Thesis Topics
Completed
Ph.D. Dissertation Topics
Evaluation of Graduate
Students
Dissertation
Proposal
Admissions and Awards
Religion in the Americas
The Field
This Ph.D. specialization builds upon the
strengths of departmental faculty and the
Faculty
David Hackett is a well-known historian of religion in the United States, whose publications include the
widely-used textbook, Religion and American Culture and the award-winning The Rude Hand of Innovation: Religion and
Social Order in
Anna Peterson has written extensively on
religion and society in
Manuel Vásquez works both on
Robin Wright, a scholar of indigenous
religions with long experience in
Several other religion
faculty offer courses that enrich the
Vasudha Narayanan conducts research and
teaches on the Hindu diaspora in
Mario Poceski, a scholar of Chinese
Buddhism, also teaches on Buddhism in
Zoharah Simmons teaches courses on
African-American religions, Islam in the
Bron Taylor has written widely on nature
religions and the religious dimensions of environmental movements in
Faculty and graduate students also work closely with colleagues in Political Science, Anthropology, History, and other programs, to develop research and teaching programs in this interdisciplinary and collaborative field.
Graduate Students
The track stresses ethnographic and/or archival research on the myriad of expressions of religion in the region. Graduate students and recent graduates in Religion in the Americas work on diverse topics, including yoga in the U.S., Mormon missions in Latin America, transnational Charismatic Christian movements, the Jewish diaspora in Latin America, and religion and politics in Chile, among others.
Required courses (beyond Method & Theory I and II): REL 6126 Religion in the Americas; REL 6387 Religion in Latin America; REL 6137 Religion in North America.
Recommended Courses: Students are strongly encouraged to take these three additional courses: REL 6137 Indigenous Religions of the Americas; REL 5365 Islam in the Americas; A research methods course.
Elective courses: As often as possible, department faculty offer courses such as Buddhism in America, Hinduism in America, and Religion, globalization, and Immigration. Graduate students in the Americas are encouraged to take these courses whenever possible.
Language requirement: Students must demonstrate competence in at least one and in many cases two non-English languages in the Americas (i.e., Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, and/or any the other Amerindian languages) selected in consultation with the faculty supervisory committee on the basis of their relevance to the student's research program.
Qualifying examinations: 1) North American history, culture, and religion; 2) Latin American history, culture, and religion; 3) Religion in the Americas; 4) A fourth exam in another area, defined as a teaching field, such as Indigenous Religions, Islam, Hinduism, Religion and Nature, or Sociology, Anthropology, or Philosophy of Religion, among others. This exam is to be determined in consultation with the student’s advisory committee; 5) oral examination, to be taken upon successful completion of all written qualifying exams.
