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2016-2017 Theological School Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Doctor of Philosophy
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 Return to: Program Requirements
Offered in the Theological School’s Graduate Division of Religion, the Doctor of Philosophy degree supports graduate research in such fields as Hebrew Bible; New Testament and Early Christianity; Theology and Philosophy; Christian Social Ethics; Religion, Culture and Ecology; and Psychology and Religion.
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General Requirements
Twelve courses (36 credits) are required for the Ph.D. degree, with a GPA of at least 3.4 (3.1 for students who entered prior to Fall 2009). Up to one year of course credit may be given for previous work at graduate level in a student’s field, on recommendation by the relevant area faculty and approval by the Committee on Academic Standing. The normal course load for full-time study is three courses per semester. Further requirements for the Ph.D. include proficiency in either one or two modern languages of scholarship, determined by examination, comprehensive examinations, and a dissertation and oral defense. All requirements for the Ph.D. degree must be completed within a period of seven years.
The Fundamental Goals of a Degree in the Graduate Division of Religion
The GDR aims to equip persons for vocations of teaching and research in theological schools, colleges, and universities, or for the scholarly enhancement of ministerial practice and religious leadership. In general, a student who has successfully completed the degree requirements should be:
1. Able to demonstrate a mastery of the theory, methodology, and history specific to the field of study
2. Able to conduct research at a high level of competence in the field of study.
3. Able to communicate both orally and in writing at a high level of proficiency in the field of study.
4. Attuned to the key interdisciplinary connections between the various religious studies disciplines, and between religious studies and other disciplines in the humanities and/or social sciences.
5. Attuned to the intersections of the academy with church and/or the broader society and of theory with praxis more generally.
6. Personally enriched by the academic process and scholarly discourse in the GDR.
7. Capable of functioning as a professional scholar and teacher in his or her discipline.
Student Learning Objectives
The assessment procedures outlined below are designed to evaluate the success of the degree programs offered in the GDR. The faculty and administration use multiple measures to evaluate the program and students’ individual progress through it and after it (i.e., as related to placement). These measures are directly determined by the following set of specific learning objectives:
1. Students should be able to read at least two languages of modern religious studies scholarship other than English (e.g., German and French). In addition, students in certain programs (Biblical Studies and Early Christianity; the Christianity in Late Antiquity or Medieval Europe tracks of Historical Studies) should be able to read the relevant ancient languages (e.g., Hebrew, Greek, Latin).
2. Students should have an appropriate level of familiarity with scholarship in their field of study.
3. Students should be capable of conducting original research in their field of study.
4. Students should display, both orally and in writing, a breadth and depth of expert knowledge in specific subject areas.
5. Students should be conversant with major interdisciplinary work in their field.
6. Students should receive preparation to function effectively as teachers after they graduate.
7. Students should be capable of participating in professional activities in their field (e.g., holding membership in and attending regional and national meetings of the American Academy of Religion and/or the Society of Biblical Literature, and presenting papers at such conferences).
Biblical Studies & Early Christianity
Fields of Study
- Hebrew Bible
- New Testament and Early Christianity
The Biblical Studies programs seek to cultivate a complex and rigorous interdisciplinarity characterized by methodological multiplicity and theoretical eclecticism. Each program allows for a variety of critical approaches, both textual and contextual. The Hebrew Bible program focuses on the literature of the Hebrew Bible, its complex history of development, and its social, political, and religious attitudes and assumptions. The program in New Testament and Early Christianity investigates the literary and rhetorical aspects of ancient Christian texts in diverse contexts, including the social and cultural formations of early Christianity in the ancient Mediterranean world, from the first to the fourth century. Both programs seek to engage with recent theoretical and methodological developments, such as literary theory and criticism; sociological approaches; feminist studies and masculinity studies; studies in the history of sexuality; postcolonial studies; cultural history and cultural studies; and studies in race and ethnicity.
Language Requirements
Demonstrated competence at the appropriate level in the relevant ancient languages is a prerequisite for admission into the Biblical Studies and Early Christianity M.A. and Ph.D. programs. Proficiency in these languages is usually demonstrated by evidence of at least two semesters of course work per language at a minimum of 3.0 grade level.
Modern language requirements for these programs are as follows:
German and one other modern language of biblical scholarship (other than English), such as French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, or modern Hebrew, all of which are recognized without petition.
If another language is deemed relevant to the student’s program, the student may petition for a substitution, which requires the recommendation of the student’s area and the approval of the Committee on Academic Standing. This approval is contingent upon the availability of appropriate testing and grading resources.
Theological & Philosophical Studies in Religion
Fields of Study
- Theological Studies
- Philosophical Studies
The area of Theological and Philosophical Studies fosters a transdisciplinary community of inquiry among students, with emphases on constructive, philosophical, systematic, ecumenical, and comparative approaches to theological themes. These emphases entail strong intersections with feminism, ecology, postcolonial and empire studies, and the philosophical traditions of pragmatism, process, and poststructuralism. Our faculty bring their distinct commitments and approaches to the fields of theology and philosophy, and their various sites of interconnection, to a common table of open, dialogical discourse. Students are invited participants in this collegial and rigorous table talk, learning not only concrete content specific to particular fields of interest, but also appreciation for and negotiation of the complexities and ambiguities of those fields as they take shape within concrete contexts marked by interdisciplinary and interreligious conversation. Incoming students are expected to identify in either theology or philosophy.
Language Requirements
Both French and German.
If another language is deemed relevant to the student’s program, the student may petition for a substitution, which requires the recommendation of the student’s area and the approval of the Committee on Academic Standing. This approval is contingent upon the availability of appropriate testing and grading resources.
Religion & Society
Fields of Study
- Christian Social Ethics
- Psychology and Religion
- Religion, Culture and Ecology
Our work focuses on the role of religion and Christianities in relation to structures of oppression, struggles for liberation, and the restoration of wholeness for individuals and communities. This approach to the study of religion and society attends to intertwined public and private dimensions as well as implications for the natural environment. We share the understanding that theory should respond to human experience and that academic scholarship must incorporate a concern with praxis. The diverse academic training and research interests of the faculty encompass cultural studies, psychoanalytic theory, sociology, Christian social ethics, religion and ecology, pastoral theology, liberative and feminist/womanist theologies, Latino/a religions, and Africana diasporic studies.
Language Requirements
Two of the following: French, German, Portuguese, or Spanish. International students whose native language is other than English may use English as their second research language. They must, however, pass French, German, Portuguese, or Spanish before they take their second year of classes.
If another language is deemed relevant to the student’s program, the student may petition for a substitution, which requires the recommendation of the student’s area and the approval of the Committee on Academic Standing. This approval is contingent upon the availability of appropriate testing and grading resources.
Women’s & Gender Studies Concentration
The Graduate Division of Religion offers a concentration in Women’s and Gender Studies, which may be pursued in conjunction with study in any of the Division’s Areas of Study.
Requirements for the Concentration include:
- The Women’s Studies Interdisciplinary Seminar (WMST 712), offered every other Fall;
- At least three additional courses in which the student’s work focused centrally on women, gender, sexuality, or feminist analysis.
- One comprehensive examination that focuses on women, gender, or feminist analysis (this exam would ordinarily correspond with the interdisciplinary comprehensive examination).
Once these requirements have been met, complete the Women’s & Gender Studies Form and Women’s & Gender Studies Coursework Verification Card, submitting them to the GDR Administrative Office.
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Return to: Program Requirements
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