PhD in Study of Religion - Studies in Performance and Practice in Davis United States | University of California Davis

The Ph.D. program in Religious Studies is structured as a six-year curriculum. Participants develop expertise in the textual traditions of specific faiths while exploring their connections to modern themes and regional contexts such as ethics, human rights, modernity, scientific thought, secularization, visual arts, digital media, linguistic expression, embodied practices, and theoretical frameworks. Graduates acquire both qualitative and quantitative research competencies for academic careers in religious scholarship. Our program provides dual training: traditional textual analysis within specific religious canons alongside theoretical frameworks that situate these traditions within contemporary regional dialogues. The program features specialized research opportunities in three geographic areas: North American religious movements, ancient Near Eastern faiths, and Eastern spiritual traditions. Students also pursue a secondary regional focus for comparative analysis. Academic work is organized around thematic concentrations including Ethics and Human Rights, Modernity and Scientific Thought, Digital Media and Visual Culture, Linguistic and Performative Studies, Embodied Practices, and Theoretical Approaches. This framework enables students to produce innovative scholarship that advances the field's academic and public discourse.

The Designated Emphasis in Performance and Practice Studies offers analytical frameworks for examining communicative acts across diverse domains - from theatrical and cinematic expression to athletic, spiritual, and routine social interactions. This inherently interdisciplinary DE collaborates with emerging communication technologies. Performance and Practice Studies equips students with critical methodologies bridging theory and applied practice.