PhD in Native American Studies - Study of Religion in Davis United States | University of California Davis

The Graduate Group in Native American Studies takes an interdisciplinary, hemispheric perspective, focusing on the growing movement of indigenous communities across the Americas while drawing on indigenous knowledge systems to examine issues affecting native populations. Areas of academic exploration encompass historical, spiritual, philosophical, political, social, and linguistic dimensions, along with indigenous self-governance initiatives, colonial impacts, racial dynamics, cultural preservation, and historical ethnography. Both master's and doctoral candidates gain practical teaching experience through assistantships and instructor roles.

The Designated Emphasis in Religious Studies offers graduate scholars a cross-disciplinary framework for examining historical and contemporary conceptualizations of religion, particularly how these shape fundamental modes of thinking, identity formation, and social practices globally, with special attention to Western contexts. Instead of treating religion as a static influence on other evolving domains (such as arts, culture, or social structures), this program encourages students to analyze religious studies as an evolving, context-dependent discipline that actively shapes its objects of study.