Fieldwork and Internships

In place of one pathway elective, students can also choose to receive credit for a fieldwork project or take an internship. In additional to the standard internships offered by the Faculty of Humanities, the programme is also in the process of developing tailor-made internships with some museums, international organisations, national political and educational organisations, NGO’s, and research institutions.

Latest research

Content is regularly updated to reflect contemporary academic debates and the very latest insights – many from the research conducted by lecturers on the programme. The academically-rigorous design of the programme aims to develop in you essential skills in reasoning and critical thinking, as well as advanced abilities in independently conducting high-quality scientific research and developing this data into an academic dissertation.

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RAM students focus on the interdisciplinary study of religion throughout the ancient Mediterranean and Near-East. Choosing both a major and a relate minor area, students examine ancient religions synchronically, understanding how they formed and functioned in their social, intellectual, and political contexts. Students may choose as either a major or minor field work in:

• Israelite religion
• Judean religion (Judaism) from the fifth century BCE to first century CE
• Judean religion (Judaism) from the first century CE to the seventh century CE (including rabbinics and/or the Greco-Roman Diaspora)
• Greek religion
• Roman religion
• Early Christianity (first-fourth centuries CE)
• Christianity in Late Antiquity (fourth-seventh centuries CE)
• Early Islam

In addition to these, students may choose as a minor field only:

• Egyptian religion;
• Mesopotamian religion

Admissions

Most successful applicants to RAM come with an MA in a related field, although exceptionally promising BA students with significant undergraduate study in appropriate areas are also considered for admission. Students are expected to have had some training in the academic study of religion. Students intending to specialize in any aspect of ancient Israelite or Judean religion (Judaism) must have a minimum of two years of college level biblical Hebrew or its equivalent; a working knowledge of modern and rabbinic Hebrew and introductory ancient Greek are also highly desirable. Students intending to specialize in some aspect of early Christianity, or Greek, or Roman religion, should have college level training in Greek or Latin, and ideally both. Preference will be given to RAM applicants who have appropriate prior study of Greek (and other appropriate languages) and a reading knowledge of French or German, as well as prior work in the history, literature and religions of the ancient Mediterranean.

Coursework

During the first year, students, in consultation with the RAM advisor and other appropriate faculty, design a curriculum that allows for exploration while remaining appropriately focused towards the student’s primary interests. RELS 2000, which is taught every other year, should be taken as soon as possible. At the end of the first year, students choose both a major and minor field and will be assigned an advisory committee in accordance with their focus. This advisory committee may or may not be identical to the student’s eventual dissertation committee.
Students are expected to complete at least three seminars (or independent studies) in the major field and two in the minor field. All coursework must be completed prior to being allowed to sit for the Preliminary Examination.

Qualifying Requirements for the Preliminary Examination

These depend upon the student’s specific areas of interest, but always include language training, RELS 2000, and appropriate preparation in the sources and methods of the areas of focus. Students should discuss the expectations for their particular areas with the RAM advisor and other appropriate faculty as soon as possible.

Language Requirements

Required ancient languages are determined according to the student’s field, in consultation with the student’s advisory committee. All major fields require knowledge of Greek. Israelite religion and all periods of Judaism also require proficiency in ancient Hebrew, and knowledge of Aramaic; early Islam requires proficiency in Arabic. Students studying Christianity are ordinarily expected to learn Latin and/or Coptic or Syriac in addition to proficiency in Greek. Diagnostic examinations are ordinarily given to entering students in Greek, Latin, Hebrew and other languages as appropriate, typically consisting of a three-hour translation test in which lexical aids may be used. Students may be asked to retake one or more of these examinations annually until they have achieved an adequate level of competence, as determined by the faculty. In some cases, advanced (graduate level) coursework, with a grade of B or better, may satisfy the requirement, at the discretion of the faculty. All language requirements should be completed by the end of the student’s second year (third if the student entered without an M.A.), and must be fulfilled prior to sitting for the Preliminary Examination.

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Overview

Religious Studies is a creative discipline, vital to contemporary understandings of economy, art, politics, media culture and globalisation.

Our Department of Religious Studies is a lively, interdisciplinary community in which exploration of global traditions and a rich historical past enables us to rewire contemporary issues.

Staff are internationally-recognised experts in their fields and committed teachers with interests in areas including the philosophy of religion, mindfulness, East Asian medicines, blasphemy, unbelief and the secularisation of religion.

They will show you how to engage in collaborative exploration at the cutting edge of the humanities.

Our degree programme

You will encounter specific traditions from Christianity to South Asian religions and might explore more experimental topics including Chinese philosophy and medicine, death and the afterlife, blasphemy, sexuality and the secular.

In your first year you take one compulsory module, which asks ‘What is religion?’ You can also choose options from introductory modules in Judaism and Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, Christianity, or ways to understand religion in secular society.

In your second and final years, you can choose to study particular world religions in more depth, or you can take modules on topics like religion and film, ancient biblical traditions in contemporary politics, or secular cultures and spirituality. At all stages of your degree it is possible to choose elective modules from other subject areas.

This programme will help you develop important transferable skills in critical analysis and communication and give you a fascinating insight into some of the most influential forces shaping our world.

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• Philosophy and religion
• Religious ethics (that is, the interrelation among religion, ethics, and politics)
• Theory of religion

The program endeavors to integrate these areas, encouraging students to work at the intersection of normative and critical approaches, topics and disciplines.

Given the program’s emphasis on theory and critical thought, students are given broad exposure to classic and contemporary issues, problems, and texts associated with philosophy of religion, ethics, social-scientific theory, theology, and political philosophy. At the same time, students are required to gain competence in at least one religious tradition in order to lend specificity to critical reflection on various aspects of religion and the study of religion.

Admission

Candidates are admitted to the program with a Master’s Degree and also directly from their undergraduate programs. Typically, students will have done previous work in the socio-critical and philosophical study of religion.

Coursework

Students with a masters degree in a relevant field will normally take two years of coursework; students entering with a bachelor’s degree will normally take three years. During the coursework stage, students are expected to enroll in 4 courses each semester the first year, and three in subsequent years. Students in their first three years of graduate studies are normally expected to participate in at least three RCT graduate seminars. After the third year, students should consult with the RCT advisor about whether they are expected to take a particular RCT seminar. Generally speaking, students will draw on resources throughout the humanities and social sciences, for example, in the departments of Philosophy, Political Science, Comparative Literature, Africana Studies, Judaic Studies, Classics, Anthropology, and Sociology. In consultation with the core RCT faculty, students will develop a schedule that will satisfy the requirement for competence in a religious tradition through coursework. Additionnally, students must demonstrate familiarity with a second religious tradition; this religious diversity requirement, depending on the judgment of the RCT faculty, may be satisfied by coursework done prior to attendance at Brown or by one or two additional courses at Brown.

Annual Meeting with Faculty

The student will meet annually with the RCT core faculty, normally toward the end of the spring semester. This informal meeting is an opportunity to talk broadly about the student’s trajectory in the program, that is, about one’s past, preset, and future work.

Language Requirements

All students must pass examinations in French and German before taking their Preliminary Exams; subject to approval, French or German (but not both) may be replaced with an alternate. Depending on their areas of interest, students may need to acquire additional language competence, for which there is no set examination structure.

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Harold Roth specializes in Chinese thought and religion of the classical period, and in early Daoist contemplative traditions. Jason Protass works on Chinese Buddhism, especially Chan and Zen studies. Janine Anderson Sawada specializes in Japanese religions, with particular emphasis on popular religions and Buddhist and Confucian movements of the 16th through 19th centuries.

EAST ASIAN RELIGIONS (EAR)

• Chinese thought and religion of the classical period
• Early Daoist contemplative traditions
• Chinese Buddhism
• Confucian Traditions
• Japanese religious and intellectual history

Description

Students of East Asian Religions concentrate in the religious traditions of either China or Japan, but attain broad competence in the religious history of the alternate area as well. Students may also focus on a specific religious tradition (Daoist, Confucian, or Buddhist) whether within the parameters of one cultural area or across the broader East Asian context. Most students who specialize in the Daoist tradition concentrate on its origins and development in the intellectual contexts of early China and selected later developments, while students of Confucianism focus on Neo-Confucian interpretations of China and Japan. Students of Buddhism concentrate on the cultural, literary, and institutional history of Song, Yuan, and Ming Chinese Buddhism, and/or Japanese Buddhism of the late medieval through early modern periods. A specialization in the history of the Japanese new religions is also possible. Regardless of their area of concentration, all students are expected to develop an understanding of the key issues involved in the historical interaction of the major East Asian religious traditions.

ADMISSION

Successful applicants to the doctoral program in East Asian Religions ordinarily possess an M.A. or the equivalent in a related field of study. At least two years of either Chinese or Japanese is required; three or more years is highly recommended. Excellent command of English, both spoken and written is essential.

COURSEWORK

Courses are selected in consultation with the student’s primary advisor, usually in a meeting at the beginning of each semester. Before their preliminary examinations students in East Asian Religions are expected to complete at least six graduate seminars or the equivalent; at least four of the seminars will be in the main area of concentration (China or Japan), and at least two in the secondary area. With the approval of the area faculty, a Brown University undergraduate course numbered above 1000 may count toward the seminar requirement if the student receives an “A” grade on a graduate -level paper for the course.

Students should draw on resources at Brown University not only in Religious Studies, but also in East Asian Studies, History, History of Art and Architecture, Comparative Literature, and/or the social sciences as appropriate. It is also possible to cross-register for specialized courses at Harvard University, as time permits (usually after modern East Asian language requirements are completed), and subject to the approval of both the ART advisor and the Harvard instructor.

Before their first preliminary examination, students should also complete the following specific courses:

• RELS 2000 Theory of Religion
• RELS 2300C Chinese Bibliography and Reference Resources, or a course in Japanese bibliography (in accordance with the area of specialization), or the equivalent.
• A course in the history of China, Japan, or Korea (numbered 1000 or above)
• A course in the literature or art history of China, Japan, or Korea (numbered 1000 or above)

For current courses related to East Asia at Brown, see “East Asia Related courses” posted annually by the Department of East Asian Studies.

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Students in this field will specialize in the texts, traditions, and critical analysis of Islamic society and culture from the medieval (6th century) to the modern era. This field is devoted, but not limited, to the study of Islamic beliefs and practices within the cultural and historical context of the Middle East and South and Central Asia. Students interested in the study of Islam and ethics, or Islam in the US and North America (i.e. from a contemporary perspective) will find intersections with the Department’s track in Religion and Critical Thought; those interested in comparative study between Islam, Christianity, and Judaism will find intersections with the track in Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean; and those interested in South and Central Asia will have overlap with Asian Religious Traditions track. Applicants should have advance preparation in the relevant research languages. Students in this field may pursue their graduate work in conjunction with area studies programs (Middle East Studies, South Asian Studies, African Studies, etc.) and will make use of the resources provided by the Departments of History, Comparative Literature, Art History and Anthropology.

Admission

Successful applicants to the doctoral program in ISC ordinarily possess an M.A. or the equivalent in a related field of study. Prior language training is also an important factor taken into consideration in the admissions decision. At least two years of a core language such as Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, etc. is required; three or more years is highly recommended. Excellent command of English, both spoken and writtten, is also required.

Coursework

Courses should be selected each semester in consultation with the student’s primary advisor. In addition to the departmental course requirement in theory and method (RELS 2000), ISC students are expected to complete at least six graduate seminars or the equivalent. Students in this field may pursue their graduate work in conjunction with courses offered by the various area studies programs and may also make use of the resources provided by the Departments of History, Comparative Literature, and Anthropology, among others. Students are also encouraged to cross-register for other specialized courses at Harvard University, as appropriate.

Languages

In addition to a) two (usually) pre-modern research langugages, ISC students must attain reading competence in b) two modern research-related languages other than English (ordinarily French & German, but this may be adjusted according to field of study). Native speakers of one research language in category a) will be asked to demonstrate mastery of a second as well as in two modern research-related languages other than English.

Graduate students are urged to take intensive language courses in the summner whenever possible, so as to complete their requirements in a timely fashion. ISC students are also encouraged to refine their language skills abroad during summers or other limited periods during the course of their graduate studies. Enquiries about the possibility of financial assistant for language study should be made will in advance of the projected study program.

Pre-Modern Languages

Depending on the area of study, the ability to conduct research in Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish or other pre-modern language (e.g. Syriac) should be attained as early as possible and students in ISC should be prepared to demonstrate competence in one of these languages by the end of the fourth semester, and in the second, no later than the end of the sixth semester by passing an exam administered by a faculty member.

Modern Languages

Ordinarily, and depending on area of study, reading knowledge of German and French needs to be attained as early as possible (other Modern languages, such as Persian, Turkish, Hindi, or Spanish may be options as well). Students in ISC should be prepared to prove competence in these languages no later than the end of the fourth semester by passing an exam administered by a faculty member or by receiving an honors grade in German 12 (“German for Reading”) or a similar course in French when offered.

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