ASIAN RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (ART)
ART offers training in the study of Asian religions in their historical and cultural contexts. Students are expected to choose their tradition or region of specialization from among the fields of expertise of the Brown faculty, currently in the following areas:
EAST ASIAN RELIGIONS
• Chinese thought and religion of the classical period
• Early Daoist contemplative traditions
• Japanese popular religions
• Religion and thought of early modern Japan
• Confucian traditions
SOUTH ASIAN RELIGIONS
• Ancient South Asian religions
• Medieval and early modern South Asian religions
EAST ASIAN RELIGIONS [EAR]
DESCRIPTION
Students of East Asian Religions specialize in the religious traditions of either China or Japan, but attain broad competence in the religious history of the alternate area as well. Students may also choose to concentrate on a specific religious tradition (Daoist, Confucian, or Buddhist) as it developed in the East Asian historical context. Those who specialize in the Daoist tradition study its origins and development in the intellectual context of early China and selected later developments. Students who concentrate on the Confucian tradition study its emergence and development in the intellectual context of early China, as well as the major Neo-Confucian interpretations of Song and Ming China, Yi Korea, and Tokugawa Japan. The study of Buddhism at Brown currently focuses on Japanese Buddhism from the Tokugawa through the Meiji periods. Regardless of their area of concentration, all EAR students are expected to develop an understanding of the key issues involved in the historical interaction of the religious traditions of East Asia.
ADMISSION
Successful applicants to the doctoral program in East Asian Religions ordinarily possess an M.A. or the equivalent in a related field of study. At least two years of either Chinese or Japanese is required; three or more years is highly recommended. Excellent command of English, both spoken and written, is also required.
COURSEWORK
Courses are selected each semester in consultation with the student’s primary advisor. In addition to the departmental course requirement in theory and method (RELS 2000), EAR students are expected to complete at least six graduate seminars or the equivalent. For details, see the Religious Studies Graduate Handbook.
LANGUAGES
EAR students must attain reading competence in at least one modern European language other than English (ordinarily French), and a second modern language, to be determined (for details, see the Handbook). Native speakers of an East Asian language will be asked to demonstrate mastery of a second modern East Asian language and a modern European language other than English.
All students of Chinese religions must demonstrate competence in modern Chinese, proficiency in classical Chinese, and reading competence in modern Japanese. Students of Japanese religions must attain proficiency in modern Japanese and competence in classical Japanese; depending on their period of specialization, they should also learn to how to read Sino-Japanese (kanbun).
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS
The first two doctoral examinations are based on bibliographies that the student and the advisory committee negotiate. The first exam covers the history of Chinese and Japanese religions as a whole; the second focuses on the student’s special field. The third and final examination is a research paper written under the guidance of one of the members of the examination committee. For details, see the Handbook.
DISSERTATION RESEARCH
Students of Japanese or Chinese religions are generally expected to conduct on-site research using original sources, whether primary texts in archives and libraries, works of art in museums, interviews with subjects, or other materials. EAR graduate students should therefore plan to conduct research for an extended period, usually one year, in China or Japan after their dissertation prospectus has been approved. For details, see the Handbook.
SOUTH ASIAN RELIGIONS [SAR]
DESCRIPTION
Students of South Asian Religions focus on the Hindu religious traditions of India and specialize either in the traditions of ancient Indian religion or the traditions of medieval and modern India. Students work closely with their advisors to develop a program that will best suit their interests and prepare them for a career as a teacher and scholar of South Asian religions.
ADMISSION
Applicants should have significant preparation in the academic study of South Asia and South Asian languages, including ordinarily at least two years of either Sanskrit or Hindi-Urdu.
COURSEWORK
Students normally take six semesters of course work and then spend two years in the research and writing of the Ph.D. dissertation. Depending upon the needs of their particular program, students are encouraged to take courses in other Brown departments that bring them into contact with modern and contemporary contexts of South Asian religions and to seek out opportunities for periods of study and research in India in the course of their graduate careers.
LANGUAGES
Required language work is one of the principal distinctions between studying Ancient South Asian Religions and studying Medieval and Early Modern South Asian Religions. The first requires passing the General Sanskrit reading exam; a Special Sanskrit Reading Exam; and reading proficiency in both German and French. Students in this area are encouraged to study Hindi at some point in their careers, if at all possible. The second requires passing the language exam in Hindi; two years of graduate level coursework in Sanskrit, and reading proficiency in either French or German.
EXAMINATIONS
The preliminary examination has two parts. The first covers the general history, sources, and themes of the Hindu Religions of South Asia. The second covers the broad area and themes within which the student’s dissertation research will take place. For details, see the Handbook.
CORE FACULTY
EAST ASIA
Harold Roth
Professor of Religious Studies
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Janine Tasca A. Sawada
Professor of Religious Studies and East Asian Studies
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SOUTH ASIA
James Fitzgerald
St. Purandara Das Distinguished Professor of Classics
Faculty Affiliate in Religious Studies
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Donna M. Wulff
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
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ASSOCIATED FACULTY
EAST ASIA
Maggie Bickford
Professor of History of Art & Architecture
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Cynthia Brokaw
Professor of History
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Paola Dematté (Rhode Island School of Design)
Associate Professor of Chinese Art and Archaeology, History of Art and Visual Culture
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Dore Levy
Professor of Comparative Literature
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James McClain
Professor of History
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Samuel Perry
Assistant Professor of East Asian Studies
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Kerry Smith
Associate Professor of History
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Meera Sushila Viswanathan
Associate Professor of Comparative Literature
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Lingzhen Wang
Associate Professor of East Asian Studies
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Kikuko Yamashita
Associate Professor of East Asian Studies
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SOUTH ASIA
Lina Fruzzetti
Professor of Anthropology
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Ashutosh Varshney
Professor of Political Science
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Vazira F-Y Zamindar
Robert Gale Noyes Assistant Professor of the Humanities (History)
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