PhD in Religion - Critical Studies in Asian, Islamic, and Jewish Traditions in Nashville United States | Vanderbilt University

The PhD program equips students for academic careers and scholarly research in religious studies through a dual approach. Initially, learners explore diverse analytical perspectives on religion, emphasizing theoretical and methodological considerations. Each candidate then specializes in a principal and supplementary religious tradition. Graduates from the Critical Studies track will possess 1) comprehensive expertise in at least one religious tradition and 2) the ability to engage with broader social science and humanities disciplines concerning religious scholarship.

Critical Studies investigations typically examine how the concept of religion is formulated. Rather than viewing elements as intrinsically religious, this approach recognizes their religious character as shaped by historical, ideological, or methodological frameworks. Comparative religious studies may also inform such research. The focus centers on both the academic subject matter (and its contextual origins) and the researcher's perspective (and its formation), along with their dynamic interplay. Both theoretical frameworks and research methodologies must be developed in relation to their specific objects of study.