Department of Religion

Chair

Leigh E. Schmidt

Director of Graduate Studies

Stephen F. Teiser

Professor

R. Marie Griffith

Martha Himmelfarb

Elaine H. Pagels

Albert J. Raboteau

Peter Schäfer

Leigh E. Schmidt

Jacqueline I. Stone

Jeffrey L. Stout

Stephen F. Teiser

Cornel R. West

Muhammad Q. Zaman, also Near Eastern Studies

Associate Professor

Leora F. Batnitzky

Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Shaun E. Marmon

Assistant Professor

Eric S. Gregory

AnneMarie Luijendijk

Lecturer

Andrew H. Quintman, also Council of the Humanities

Andrea Schatz, also Council of the Humanities

 

The study of religion at Princeton is in the tradition of the liberal arts, and the Department of Religion belongs to the division of the humanities. The department offers graduate instruction in the critical study of religion, emphasizing philosophical, historical, comparative, and ethical inquiries as well as the understanding gained through other disciplines, especially in the humanities and social science departments of the University. In addition, the graduate study of religion is strengthened by taking appropriate courses from among the offerings of nearby institutions.

Application

An applicant must indicate the proposed area of specialization within the department’s program and submit a sample of written work that, at least in a general way, is related to the proposed area (see below).

Requirements for Admission

Entering students are expected to have had preparation equivalent to that offered through the undergraduate program of study in the religion department at Princeton. While an individual might (in rare cases) enroll as a qualifying student before being admitted to the full status of a graduate student (which usually delays the general examination for one year), preference is given to those applicants who will not require a qualifying year of study. Applicants in East Asian religions should have completed at least two years of formal study of either Chinese or Japanese prior to enrollment, and those in the religions of late antiquity are expected to have studied several relevant ancient languages. Applicants who propose to study Islam must demonstrate competence in the relevant language(s).

Language Requirements

Candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in religion are expected to have a reading knowledge of two modern foreign languages, usually French and German, occasionally with the substitution of Spanish. Students concentrating in East Asian religions substitute Chinese or Japanese for either French or German. This requirement may be fulfilled by completing summer language courses offered by the University, or by passing tests given by the language departments. All entering students are strongly urged to achieve competence in at least one of these languages by the August prior to entering the program. First-year students who are seeking admission for the second year of study must have completed the requirement in one foreign language. Students in the religions of late antiquity are also expected to demonstrate competence in two ancient languages by the time they complete the general examination.

Students must show evidence of competence in the two required modern languages before being admitted to a fifth term. In addition, students need to demonstrate a knowledge of other languages such as are necessary for advanced work in their area of specialization.

Program Objectives and Resources

Graduate study is intended to prepare a degree candidate for teaching in departments of religion or related programs and provide the training necessary for scholarly research in a specialized field. Students normally take four different types of courses in preparing for the general examination: (1) two departmental seminars, REL 501 and 502 (offered in alternate years); (2) appropriate specialized seminars, numbered REL 503 through 511; (3) reading courses (700 level) within a student’s special field; and (4) other courses offered by the University, including undergraduate courses in religion and courses in other departments (such as anthropology, classics, East Asian studies, English, history, Near Eastern studies, philosophy, and sociology). Students are also encouraged to take courses at the Princeton Theological Seminary, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania through the various reciprocal and cooperative arrangements of the Graduate School.

The department offers broad coverage of materials and issues traditionally treated under rubrics such as Buddhist studies, Islamic studies, history of Christianity, history of religion, Jewish studies, philosophy of religion, religious ethics, and Western religious thought. It also devotes much attention to subjects that do not fall neatly into any of the standard categories; it offers extensive resources, for example, in the comparative study of popular religions. Most faculty members are engaged in reflection on methodological and conceptual problems that transcend special fields. While the department encourages its graduate students to work out innovative programs of study and to make use of the full range of available resources, it also requires each student to demonstrate mastery of one of the following fields of concentration:

(1) East Asian religions (religious traditions of China and Japan)

(2) religions of late antiquity (Christianity, Judaism, and other religious traditions of the Greco-Roman world)

(3) religion in America (religious thought, institutions, and movements in the Americas, including African-American religions)

(4) religion and philosophy (religious uses of philosophical ideas, philosophical criticisms of religion, philosophical issues in the study of religion)

(5) religion, ethics, and politics (relations among religious, ethical, and political dimensions of culture)

(6) Islam: religion and society (Islamic religious traditions, past and present, within their social and cultural contexts in the Middle East and/or modern Europe and the Americas)

Increasingly, candidates for the degree work closely with interdepartmental programs, such as those in East Asian studies, Hellenic studies, Late Antiquity, Near Eastern studies, and political philosophy, as well as recently established interdisciplinary centers such as those directed to the study of religion or those dedicated to human values.

General Examination

Unless admitted to a qualifying year, a student normally completes the general examination by the middle of the third year of graduate study. The general examination is designed in each case to reflect the student’s program of study.

By the end of the first year, a student and his or her adviser agree on the proposed parts of the general examination. There are four parts to the examination, the content and form of which are defined by each subfield. In some subfields, a research paper may be submitted as one of the parts. Ordinarily, one part of the general examination is based upon graduate study in another department of the University.

Students qualify for the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree by successfully completing required coursework, the language requirement, and normally two of the four parts of the general examination.

Dissertation and Final Public Oral Examination

Normally, within six months after successfully completing the general examination, the candidate, in consultation with appropriate faculty in relevant fields, prepares a dissertation proposal to be presented for approval in an open meeting. The candidate is expected to show knowledge of the background of the dissertation topic as well as an acquaintance with the relevant bibliographical materials. At the presentation, the assembled faculty decides whether the project is feasible or in need of substantial revision, and then offers appropriate advice. The completed dissertation should not exceed 300 double-spaced pages in length, exclusive of bibliography. After the dissertation has been recommended for acceptance, the candidate must pass a final public oral examination.

Research Facilities

A graduate study room is provided in Firestone Library, which is close by its religion holdings. Reference works, current periodicals in the field of religion, and certain books are kept on reserve for graduate courses.

Other specialized collections from which students draw are the Gest Oriental Library (which houses Chinese, Japanese, and Korean resources) and Near Eastern resources.

In addition to the library resources of the University, the excellent library of the Princeton Theological Seminary is available to graduate students of the University.

Other Resources

Under a collaborative arrangement, Princeton graduate students in religion may enroll in appropriate seminars at the Princeton Theological Seminary, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, or New York University. Those students may make use of related resources as well.

Students attend a wide range of lectures and colloquia, and have many opportunities to interact with visitors to the University—some are sponsored by the department, others by programs such as the Center for the Study of Religion, the Program in Political Philosophy, the Program in East Asian Studies, the Program in the Ancient World, the Program in Judaic Studies, the Program in Near Eastern Studies, and the University Center for Human Values.

Graduate students in the department sponsor frequent discussions and lectures, and elect five of their number to serve on the departmental graduate committee.

Courses

REL 501 Social Theory and the Study of Religion

Staff

A critical introduction to developments in social theory that have influenced the academic study of religion, including the classic contributions of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber as well as more recent debates in anthropology and cultural history. Required of, and designed for, first- and second-year graduate students in religion; others must receive the instructor’s permission to enroll. Offered in alternate years.

REL 502 Philosophy and the Study of Religion

Jeffrey L. Stout

A critical introduction to developments in philosophy that have influenced the academic study of religion, including naturalism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, literary theory, genealogy, pragmatism, and feminist theory. Required of, and designed for, first- and second-year graduate students in religion; others must receive the instructor’s permission to enroll. Offered in alternate years.

REL 503 Studies in East Asian Religions

Jacqueline I. Stone, Stephen F. Teiser

Themes, figures, and movements in Chinese and Japanese religions are examined.

REL 504 Studies in Greco-Roman Religions

Martha Himmelfarb, AnneMarie Luijendijk, Elaine H. Pagels, Peter Schaefer

Themes, figures, and movements in the religions of antiquity are examined.

REL 505 Studies in Religions of the Americas

Eddie S. Glaude Jr., R. Marie Griffith, Albert J. Raboteau, Leigh E. Schmidt

Themes, figures, and movements in American religions are examined.

REL 506 Studies in Theology

Staff

Themes, figures, and movements in theology are examined.

REL 507 Studies in Religion and Philosophy

Leora F. Batnitzky, Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Eric S. Gregory, Jeffrey L. Stout, Cornel R. West

Modern philosophy and the study of religion.

REL 508 Studies in Religion and Morality

Leora F. Batnitzky, Eric S. Gregory, Jeffrey L. Stout, Cornel R. West

The relation between religion and morality, the historical, philosophical, and theological issues, are examined.

REL 509 Studies in the History of Islam

Shaun E. Marmon, Muhammad Qasim Zaman

Themes in Islamic religion are examined.

REL 510, 511 Special Topics in the Study of Religion

Staff

Topics of special interest may be offered each term, 510 usually for fall, 511 for spring.

Undergraduate Courses of Interest

Anthropology

321 Ritual, Myth, and Worldview

East Asian Studies

223 Ideas and Images in Chinese Culture

224 Ideas and Images in Japanese Culture

333 Islamic History, 600–1050

334 Mediterranean Islam, 1050–1500

335 Islamic History, 1050–1800

344 Readings in the Qur’an

345 Introduction to Islamic Law

Religion

See the Undergraduate Announcement.

Sociology

362 Sociology of Religion