Concentration: Religion and Culture

Primary Source Language: Depends upon student's focus.

A group of at least four courses approved by the GPC. These may be selected from the following list, but other selections are possible.

RELIG 428 Modern Christian Theology
RELIG 504 Religion & Culture
RELIG 528 Christian Theology
RELIG 570 Religion and Literature
RELIG 590 Special Topics
RELIG 449 Religious Movements
ANTH 421 Belief, Ritual and the Structure of Religion
ANTH 521 Seminar on the Anthropological Study of Religion
HIST 412 Science and the Enlightenment
PHIL 467 Philosophy of Religion
PHIL 567 Seminar on the Phil. of Religion
SIS 405 Political Economies. of Religious Institutions
SOC 457 Sociology of Religion
SOC 554 Seminar on Sociology of Religion
RELIG 510 Colloquium series required every quarter

The study of Religion and Culture can involve social and intellectual history, forms of ethnographic cultural sociology, and the anthropology of human groups. The conception of “culture” includes ideas from scholars such as Peter Berger, Clifford Geertz, Pierre Boudieu, among others. It involves the development and communication of social and personal ideals, as well as social processes of externalization, objectification, and internalization. Finally, the study of culture examines the role of symbolic and social boundaries in structuring perception, thought, and practice and how they instill and guide human motivation and action. Cultural and social history encompasses intellectual history that concentrates on the development of ideas and the force of logic in history, but also on social structures of class, race, and gender, and how each intersects and interacts with religious phenomenon.

The field of Religion and Culture has more recently developed the study of religion and international affairs, concentrating on the broad theme of religion and power (state and nation) and, more specifically, religion and human security.
Because of the relatively broad nature of this option, and the number of specific emphases that might be possible within it, students electing it as major focus must work out an approved course list with the guidance of the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC).

Related Faculty

CYNTHEA BOGEL PhD Harvard (1995). Assistant Professor, Art History. Buddhist arts, Japanese art and architecture.

COLLETT D. COX PhD Columbia (1983). Associate Professor, Asian Languages and Literature. Buddhism, Study of religion.

TER ELLINGSON PhD Wisconsin (1979). Professor, Music and adjunct, Anthropology and South Asian Studies; Tibet, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Buddhist Cultures, Shamanism, ritual, symbolism, visual media, African studies, Ghana, African traditional religions, religious change and conflict.

ANTHONY GILL PhD UCLA (1994). Associate Professor, Political Science; Latin America, Protestantism, religious liberty, economic models of religion.

ELLIS GOLDBERG, PhD California-Berkeley (1983). Professor, Political Science; Islam, religion and politics in the Middle East.

JAMES W. GREEN PhD Washington (1972). Senior Lecturer, Anthropology; phenomenology of religious experience, death, Islam, Pakistan, West Indies.

STEVAN C. HARRELL PhD Stanford (1974). Professor, Anthropology; anthropology of religion, Chinese folk religion.

SHI-SHAN SUSAN HUANG, PhD Yale (2002). Assistant Professor, Chinese Art; Chinese painting, Taoist and Buddhist art, East Asian Art.

MARTIN S. JAFFEE PhD Brown (1980). Professor, International Studies and adjunct, Near Eastern Languages and Civilization; Rabbinic Judaism, study of religion.

CHARLES F. KEYES PhD Cornell (1967). Professor, Anthropology. Anthropology of religion, Buddhism.

CLARK B. LOMBARDI, Ph.D Columbia (Religion: 2001), J.D. Columbia (Law: 1998). Assistant Professor, School of Law; Law and Religion, Islamic Law, Church and State.

SCOTT NOEGEL, PhD, Cornell (1995). Professor, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization; Adjunct History. Hebrew Bible, Near Eastern languages and literature.

MARY R. O'NEIL, PhD Stanford (1982). Associate Professor, History; Renaissance and Reformation.

HEIDI PAUWELS, PhD Washington (1994). Associate Professor, Asian Languages and Literature; Hindi language and literature, Sanskrit religious literature, Hinduism, esp. medieval devotional literature; hagiographies; goddesses and their representation in classical, medieval and contemporary texts, including film and television.

CABEIRI deBERGH ROBINSON PhD Cornell (2004). Assistant Professor, South Asian Studies; Political Islam, Modern South Asia (esp. Kashmir, Pakistan, India), Comparative Muslim Societies, Anthropology of political violence, history and memory, human rights and humanitarian interventions.

RICHARD G. SALOMON PhD Pennsylvania (1975). Professor, Asian Languages and Literature; religion in India.

CLARKE K. SPEED, PhD University of Washington (1991). Lecturer, University Honors Program and African Studies. West Africa, Caribbean, and Diaspora; African Cosmologies, African Christianity, Secrecy; the Witch; Mystical Crisis, Public Mystical Practices in Colonial Spaces.

ROBERT C. STACEY, PhD Yale (1983). Professor, History; medieval Christianity and Judaism.

ROBIN C. STACEY, PhD Yale (1976). Professor, History; Medieval Christianity, Celtic.

KYOKO TOKUNO PhD California-Berkeley (1994). Assistant Professor, Jackson School of International Studies. Chinese and Japanese Buddhism.

EUGENE A. VANCE PhD Cornell (1964). Professor, English and Comparative Literature. Medieval French literature, Literary theory.

JOEL THOMAS WALKER, PhD Princeton (1998). Assistant professor, History, Religions of late antiquity; Syriac Christianity.

EUGENE WEBB PhD Columbia (1965). Professor Emeritus, Comparative Literature and the Jackson School of International Studies. Philosophy, Christian thought.

JAMES WELLMAN PhD Chicago (1995). Assistant Professor, Jackson School of International Studies. Religion in America, Religion and culture, Philosophy of religion.

MICHAEL A. WILLIAMS PhD Harvard (1977). Professor, Jackson School of International Studies. Early Christianity and religion in late antiquity, Study of Religion.

GLENNYS J. YOUNG, PhD California-Berkeley (1973). Associate Professor, Jackson School of International Studies; Imperial and Soviet Russia.

Associated Members

JERE L. BACHARACH, PhD Michigan (1967). Professor, History and International Studies; early Islamic, medieval, and modern Middle East, Ottoman Empire.

ROBERT C. COBURN, PhD Harvard (1958). Professor, Philosophy; religion and philosophy.

LINDA L. ILTIS, PhD Wisconsin-Madison (1985). Affiliate Assistant Professor, International Studies; Buddhism, Hinduism, anthropology of religion, ritual studies, women and religion.

LORNA A. RHODES, PhD Cornell (1973). Associate Professor, Anthropology; medical anthropology and religion, religion in South Asia.

RICHARD G. SALOMON, PhD Pennsylvania (1975). Associate Professor, Asian Languages and Literature; religion in India.

ROBIN C. STACEY, PhD Yale (1986). Associate Professor, History; medieval Christianity.

Related Units on Campus

Department of Anthropology

Department of Philosophy

Department of Political Science

Department of Sociology

Jackson School of International Studies

Law, Societies, and Justice

School of Art

School of Law

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