Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean
PhD Program Description
The Department of Religious Studies is pleased to offer a new Ph.D. track, “Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean.” This track is especially intended for students who wish to focus on the interdisciplinary study of religion throughout the ancient Mediterranean and Near-East. Choosing both a major and a related minor area, students will examine ancient religions synchronically, understanding how they formed and functioned in their social, intellectual, and political contexts.
Admission
As in all of our other Ph.D. tracks, only students with an MA in a related field, or exceptionally promising BA students, will be considered for admission. Students are expected to have had some training in the academic study of religion. Because the course of study requires knowledge of several languages, entering students will typically have substantial knowledge of one, and at least some knowledge of a second relevant language.
Coursework
During the first year the student, in consultation with the advisory faculty, will design a curriculum that allows for exploration while remaining focused. RS 2000 must be taken as soon as possible.
At the end of the first year, students will choose both a major and minor field. Upon choosing these fields, each student will be assigned an advisory committee consisting of one faculty member from the major and one from the minor field. Possible major or minor fields include:
- Israelite Religion;
- Judaism from the fifth century, BCE to first century CE;
- Judaism from the first century CE to the seventh century;
- Greek religion;
- Roman religion;
- Early Christianity (first - fourth centuries, CE);
- Christianity in Late Antiquity (fourth - seventh centuries, CE)
- Early Islam
In addition to these, students may choose as a minor field only:
- Northwest Semitic religion (i.e., Ugaritic, Phoenician, Aramean);
- Egyptian religion;
- Mesopotamian religion
Students are expected to complete at least three seminars (or independent studies) in one’s major field and two in one’s minor. All coursework must be completed prior to being allowed to sit for the Preliminary Examination.
Languages
All students must demonstrate that they are able to comprehend and utilize scholarly writings in French and German. Those students who major or minor in some fields (particularly Israelite religion and Judaism in any time period) must also demonstrate competency in modern scholarly Hebrew. Competency in these languages can be demonstrated in one of three ways:
- a grade of B or higher in an appropriate course, as determined by the advisory committee in consultation with the Graduate Advisor;
- a translation test, typically lasting three hours during which the student is asked to translate, with the aid (if desired) of lexical aids, a passage of scholarly prose; or
- a working exercise, administered by the faculty, in which typically a student reads a substantial scholarly article or book and submits a report on it.
The required primary languages are determined according to one’s field and in consultation with the student’s advisory committee. All major fields require knowledge of Greek; Israelite religion and all periods of Judaism also require Hebrew proficiency. Students studying Christianity would ordinarily be expected to learn Latin and/or Coptic or Syriac. An adequate demonstration of competency will be determined by the student’s advisory committee, but typically will consist of a three-hour translation test in which lexical aids may be used.
All language requirements should be completed by the end of the student’s second year (third if the student entered without an M.A.), and must be fulfilled prior to sitting for the Preliminary Examination.
Preliminary Examination
Generally, students who entered with an MA will spend their third year of study preparing for and taking the Preliminary Examination. The Examination is taken in four parts. Two parts should be completed by January of that year and the entire Examination completed by the end of May. Students who entered without an MA are expected to complete the Preliminary Examination during their fourth year of study.
The Examination is divided as follows:
- Major field;
- Minor field;
- Ancillary area;
- Dissertation area
The reading lists for the major and minor fields will be made in consultation with the student’s advisory committee. The examination in the “Ancillary area” is intended to allow the student to acquire additional expertise in an area that might bear directly on the student’s interests or one that might complement the student’s teaching abilities and is also determined in consultation with the advisory committee. Possibilities might include aspects from one of the other fields or have an interdisciplinary or theoretical focus. A student, for example, who has a particular interest in early Jewish-Christian conflict might choose to major in Judaism from the fifth century BCE to the first century CE , to minor in Early Christianity, and to focus the ancillary exam on theories of conflict and conflict-resolution. Similarly, a student with particular interest in exegesis might take this examination in some aspect of literary theory. This exam will be administered by a faculty member chosen by the student in consultation with the student’s advisory committee. The fourth examination will also be administered by a faculty member chosen by the student in consultation with the student’s committee, and who will usually become the dissertation director.
The four parts of the examination can be taken in any order, although the fourth part will normally be last. The format of the exam will be determined by the student in consultation with the advisory committee. Upon passing all parts of the examination, the student will be advanced to candidacy.
Dissertation Prospectus
In accordance with the usual procedures in the Department of Religious Studies, the student is expected to submit his/her dissertation proposal by the first day of classes in the fall of the student’s fourth year (if s/he had a prior M.A.). Within two to four weeks after submission, the entire Department faculty will convene with the student to discuss the prospectus. At the end of this meeting the faculty will meet to discuss the prospectus and its defense, and will then convey its recommendations to the student. Typically, this conversation will take the form of a “working session” that helps the students see more clearly the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed project. The faculty will then formally appoint the dissertation committee. If the faculty rejects the prospectus, the student will be given an opportunity to resubmit it.
Core Faculty
Susan Ashbrook Harvey Ross S. Kraemer Saul Olyan |
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Michael Satlow Stanley K. Stowers |