MA 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, examining the growing diaspora of Indigenous communities across the Americas while centering Indigenous knowledge systems to tackle issues affecting Native populations. The curriculum explores diverse areas including history, spirituality, philosophy, governance, social structures, languages, and linguistics, alongside Indigenous-led initiatives for self-governance, sovereignty, decolonization, racial justice, and self-determination, plus ethnohistorical research. Both master's and doctoral candidates gain teaching experience through assistantships and instructor roles.

The Designated Emphasis in Religious Studies offers graduate scholars an interdisciplinary framework for analyzing how religion has been theorized historically and how these conceptualizations shape fundamental modes of thinking, identity formation, and social practices globally, particularly in Western contexts. Instead of treating religion as a static force influencing other dynamic domains (like arts, culture, or society), this program encourages students to view religious studies as an evolving, context-dependent discipline that actively shapes its objects of study.