History of Religions

Program Overview

The purpose of the M.A.-Ph.D. program in the History of Religions is to provide training in the comparative study of religion and in the study of specific religious traditions. The program includes courses designed to introduce the student to the general field of phenomenological and comparative religious studies, as well as advanced courses in which the student will pursue specialized work in the practices, ritual, literatures, philosophies, and social and cultural histories of individual religious traditions. The History of Religious Program focuses on several principal traditions:

• African Religions and African-Diaspora/Atlantic Religions
• Buddhism (Chinese, Indian and Sri Lankan, Japanese, Tibetan)
• Daoism
• Hinduism
• Islam

The program is interdisciplinary in nature and draws upon related courses in other departments and programs of the University, for example, Anthropology, History, Asian Studies, Afro-American and African Studies. Master's candidates are expected to concentrate on a single religious tradition. Doctoral students will concentrate on a specific religious tradition and also develop competence in a second religious tradition.

Admission and Residency Requirements

In order to apply to any graduate program, it is necessary to have a B.A. or its equivalent prior to the projected admission date. Students entering the program with only a Bachelor's degree will be admitted to the M.A. or M.A./Ph.D. program and will be admitted subsequently (after two years) to the Ph.D. only upon the recommendation of the History of Religions field Committee. The M.A. may be taken as a terminal degree (M.A.-only) or as part of the Ph.D. (M.A./Ph.D.) course. Students should specify for which they are applying, but M.A./Ph.D. applicants may also be accepted into the M.A.-only program at the discretion of the Committee. The presumption is that M.A.-only students will not continue on into the doctoral program, and, if they choose to apply after two years, they will be considered on par with external applicants at that time.

Students who already hold a Master's degree in Religious Studies or in a suitable area studies program and who have completed a suitable amount of language preparation may be admitted directly into the Ph.D. program upon approval of the Committee of Graduate Studies. They may also petition for one year of “advanced standing” for work done in a Masters program elsewhere. Nine hours of UVA Continuing Education courses taken prior to admission - if they are graduate courses in the relevant area - can be counted towards a Masters or Ph.D degree requirements. If more than nine hours have been taken, then the student must present a petition to the Committee of Graduate Studies to count such courses toward either M.A. or Ph.D. degree requirements.

Master's Degree (M.A.) Requirements

This description supersedes the general departmental description of the M.A. program.

An M.A. requires a total of the equivalent of thirty (30) credits with successful completion of twenty-four hours of course work (not including non-topical research) in the department along with a thesis (which counts as six hours of course work).  This option involves the preparation and successful defense of a thesis that exhibits competence in the area of specialization, skill in a given method of study, and an ability to employ resources in the relevant foreign language(s).

Alternatively, the student may forego the thesis and complete thirty (30) credits of course work in the classroom, followed by an M.A. examination. This involves satisfactory performance in a comprehensive examination based upon a reading list approved by the relevant field committee.

In either case, fifteen of the credits must be non-language seminars. Of these fifteen, nine credits must be in seminars dealing with the same religious tradition and three credits should be a methodology course listed on the History of Religions approved list of methodology courses (see “Methodology Requirements”). In this context, Buddhism in all forms are considered together as a single religious tradition, as are African Religions, Hinduism, and Islam.

Language Requirement

Candidates for the M.A. must demonstrate by examination a reading knowledge of any modern language other than English that is useful for the student's proposed M.A. work, or they may complete two courses (6-8 semester hours, or the equivalent) in a language related to their area of specialization (e.g., Sanskrit, Hindi, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Swahili).

Ph.D. Degree Requirements

Language Requirements

According to departmental requirements, doctoral candidates must acquire proficiency in the languages necessary for advanced research in their area of specialization, as follows:

• Hinduism: four years of either Sanskrit or Hindi and at least two years of a second South Asian language relevant to the student's research interests;
• Indian/Theravada Buddhism: normally four years of Sanskrit or three years of Pali and two years of a second language relevant to the student's research interests;
• Indian-Tibetan Buddhism or Chinese-Tibetan Buddhism: four years of Tibetan and three years of either Sanskrit or Chinese;
• East Asian Buddhism: normally Chinese and Japanese, four years of one and three years of the other;
• African Religions: three years of Swahili or another African vernacular language;
• Indian Religions: four years in a classical Indic language and at least two years of a second Indic language relevant to the student's research interests.

In addition, Ph.D. students must also pass competency exams in two modern research literary languages relevant to their field of research. This requirement can be fulfilled by the comprehensive exams in one's primary and secondary languages if the languages qualify as "modern research literary languages". A modern research literary language is defined as a language with a contemporary body of academic research literature relevant to the student's program, such as French, German, modern Japanese, modern Chinese, modern Tibetan, Portuguese (for African Religions), Swahili, or Arabic. It does not include such classical languages as classical Japanese, classical Chinese, classical Tibetan, Sanskrit and so forth, or languages without relevance to the student's program.

Ph.D. Comprehensive Examinations

Upon completion of the aforementioned requirements, and with the permission of the field committee, candidates will take five comprehensive examinations in the following areas: 1. The student’s area of specialization; 2. Methods of study and major themes in religious studies; 3. An area of secondary concentration; 4-5. Relevant language examinations, or completion of language requirements. If a student receives an A in the final course he or she completes in a classical language, the student generally will not be required to pass an examination. However, the student’s committee may require a textual translation examination.

In addition, everyone must pass the examinations in two modern research languages before the second year of their Ph.D. studies - this is not considered to be a comprehensive exam and should not be postponed.

Methodology Requirement

All doctoral students enrolled in a History of Religions program must take two methodology courses. One must be from an official History of Religions methodology course (see below). The second may be one of the approved methodology courses. Entering graduate students are required to take whatever History of Religions methodology course is being offered during their first year of study.

History of Religions methodology course

These courses are generally listed at the five-hundred level, and are geared towards graduate students. The course description will specify that they fulfill the History of Religions methodology requirement. They are taught by History-of-Religions faculty. The courses may deal with specific issues such as gender, embodiment, etc., but do so with a focus on broader theoretical issues and approaches; alternatively, they may constitute surveys of various approaches in the history of religions without a thematic focus. Egs.: RELG 5050: “History of Religions,” Kurtis Schaeffer; RELG: 7300 “The Study Of Ritual,” Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton; RELG 5170: “Methodology,” Benjamin Ray.

Approved methodology courses

If a student wishes to use a course not on this list, then they must petition the HR Committee through their adviser for permission prior to taking the course. The current list of approved courses is given below (this list will be expanded each year as we identify suitable alternatives):

RELG 5070: “Interpretation Theory,” Larry Bouchard.

N.B. For approval of courses not on this list, students must petition the HR Committee prior to taking the course.

Methodology comprehensive exam

The methodology comprehensive exam is administered by the departmental professors who taught the courses used by the student to fulfill the methodology requirement. The student’s Ph.D. adviser could choose to participate in that process if s/he chooses to do so. If one of the courses was taught by a faculty member from outside the department, the faculty member in question may not be involved in administering the comprehensive exam.

Fieldwork

At least nine months of fieldwork and/or study abroad in a country relevant to the candidate's dissertation research is required, and a longer period is encouraged.

Dissertation

Within six months after completing the comprehensive examinations, the candidate will present a dissertation proposal to his/her advisory committee. Completion of the dissertation and the Final Examination will proceed according to the rules of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Requirements for students in History of Religion Ph.D. program tracks

The following details the Ph.D. requirements for each of the seven program tracks in the History of Religions section of the Department:

Buddhist Studies (including East Asian Buddhism, Indian or Theravāda Buddhism, Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, and Sino-Tibetan Buddhism)

• Primary religion (Buddhism): 6 seminars.
  Students are urged to choose courses that focus on Buddhism’s development in a number of different cultures. For the possibility of additional courses in Buddhism, see the section on electives below. Courses must be approved by one's adviser.
• Secondary religion: 3 seminars.
• Methodology:  2 seminars.
  These must be selected from the list of approved courses, or a petition must be filed through the student's adviser to include a course that does not appear on the aforementioned list.
• Electives:  2 seminars. 
  These courses could be from another department or from course offerings in the Religious Studies Department outside of the areas covered in the primary tradition’s geographical area. For example, a student in East Asian Buddhism could not count another course in East Asian Buddhism, but could count one in Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese history, etc., as an elective. Language courses are permissible under special circumstances if the language is not a required language and a paper is written. Courses must be approved by one's adviser.
• Language requirements: Advanced ability in two classical languages; Competency in two modern research languages
  Religious Studies requires competence in two modern languages that are relevant to a student's research. In addition, classical languages vital to the student's interests are required, as outlined above. In most cases, the student will be expected to work in two classical languages and attain competency equivalent to completing four years of instruction in one and three in the other. Students must commence studying language as soon as possible and should discuss their choice of languages with their advisers. Advanced language courses may also be used to fulfill other requirements if a research paper is written. As mentioned, above, students must demonstrate competence either through examination or coursework in two modern research literary languages relevant to student's field of research.  This requirement can be fulfilled by the comprehensive exams in one's primary and secondary languages if the languages qualify as "modern research literary languages". The French and German departments offer courses to enable graduate students rapidly to gain a reading knowledge of these languages; they also administer examinations to test competency.
• Courses in other departments: Every Ph.D. candidate must have a faculty member from outside the department on his or her dissertation committee. To facilitate this process, students should take at least one course outside of the department. This course may be counted towards other requirements.
• Doctoral comprehensive exams:  1. the primary religion of study; 2. a secondary religion; 3. methodology; 4-5. relevant classical languages.
  As mentioned, above, an "A" in the final semester of classical language study serves as the comprehensive examination in that language; otherwise the relevant professor will set the examination.

Hinduism

• Primary religion (Hinduism): 6 seminars. Two courses can be taken outside the department, but such courses must be approved by ones adviser.
• Secondary religion: 3 seminars.
• Methodology: 2 seminars. These must be selected from the list of approved courses, or a petition must be filed through the student's adviser to include a course that does not appear on the aforementioned list.
• Electives: 2 seminars. These are required courses, but their specific nature is variable. However, these courses should be selected from among those offered in other departments, or from course offerings in the Religious Studies Department from outside of the History of Religions. Language courses cannot be counted as electives, and all of these courses must be approved by the student’s Ph.D. adviser.
• Primary language (Sanskrit or Hindi): 8 courses.
• Secondary language (Sanskrit, Hindi, Tamil, Nepali, or other modern Indic languages taken in summer and/or external programs): 4-6 courses.
• Two modern research languages: It is necessary to pass competency exams in two modern research literary languages relevant to the student's field of research. This requirement can be fulfilled by passing comprehensive exams in one's primary and secondary languages if the languages qualify as "modern research languages". A modern research literary language is defined as a language with a contemporary body of academic research literature relevant to the student's program of study, such as French, German, modern Japanese, modern Chinese, modern Tibetan, Portuguese (for African Religions), Swahili, Arabic, and so forth. It does not include such classical languages as classical Japanese, classical Chinese, classical Tibetan, Sanskrit and so forth, or languages without relevance to the student's program of study.
• Total: 25-27 courses.
• Doctoral comprehensive exams: Five are required, one each in (1) the primary religion of study, (2) a secondary religion, (3) methodology, (4) the student’s primary research language, and (5) the student’s secondary research language. As mentioned, above, an "A" in the final semester of classical language study serves as the comprehensive examination in that language; otherwise the relevant professor will set the examination.

African Religions

• Primary religion  (African Religions): 6 seminars. Specific courses must be approved by the student’s Ph.D. adviser.
• Secondary religion: 3 seminars.
• Methodology: 2 seminars. These must be selected from the list of approved courses, or a petition must be filed through the student's adviser to include a course that does not appear on the aforementioned list.
• Electives:: 2 seminars. These are required courses, but their specific nature is variable. However, these courses should be selected from among those offered in other departments, or from course offerings in the Religious Studies Department from outside of the History of Religions. Language courses cannot be counted as electives, and all of these courses must be approved by the student’s Ph.D. adviser.
• Primary language: Six courses are required in Swahili or another African language such as Hausa, Amharic, Wolof, Shona or Arabic. If the appropriate African language is not offered at UVA, then it is the student's responsibility to identify summer language institutes that offer intensive courses in the desired language–whether in the United States or abroad. FLAS fellowships are available for summer study in certain African languages, and students are, again, expected to pursue such possibilities. In some cases, it is likely that a student may not be able to arrange for formal instruction in the African vernacular he/she will use in fieldwork. In such an instance, it is advisable to choose a relevant lingua franca, such as Swahili (East Africa) or Arabic (North Africa) or Hausa (West Africa), since such widely spoken African languages can be formally studied up to an intermediate or advanced level in the United States.
• Secondary language, when applicable: If it is advisable, students may need to take two courses or the equivalent in a second African language. If the student plans to do fieldwork in an African vernacular rarely taught in the U.S., such as Kikuyu, Guro, Nupe or Maa, it is the student's responsibility to develop basic familiarity with the language on his/her own. This can be achieved through a variety of means, such as obtaining tapes and manuals for self study; locating a native speaker and arranging tutorials; or traveling to Africa over the summers for intensive language study in the region selected for later dissertation research.
• Two modern research languages: It is necessary to pass competency exams in two modern research literary languages relevant to student's field of research. This requirement can be fulfilled by the comprehensive exams in one's primary and secondary languages if the languages qualify as "modern research languages". A modern research literary language is defined as a language with a contemporary body of academic research literature relevant to the student's program of study, such as French, German, modern Japanese, modern Chinese, modern Tibetan, Portuguese (for African Religions), Swahili, Arabic, and so forth. It does not include such classical languages as classical Japanese, classical Chinese, classical Tibetan, Sanskrit and so forth, or languages without relevance to the student's program of study.
• Doctoral comprehensive exams: Four are required, one each in (1) the primary religion of study, (2) a secondary religion, (3) methodology, (4) the student’s primary research language.

Indian Religions

• Indian religions: The student is required to complete nine seminars, up to three of which can be taken outside the department with the adviser's approval. No more than five seminars can be taken in a single religious tradition.
• Methodology: 2 seminars. These must be selected from the list of approved courses, or a petition must be filed through the student's adviser to include a course that does not appear on the aforementioned list.
• Electives: 2 seminars. These are required courses, but their specific nature is variable. However, these courses should be selected from among those offered in other departments, or from course offerings in the Religious Studies Department from outside of the History of Religions. Language courses cannot be counted as electives, and all of these courses must be approved by the student’s Ph.D. adviser.
• Primary language: The student must complete eight courses in a classical Indic language, such as Sanskrit or Pali.
• Secondary language: The student must complete four to six courses in a second Indic language.
• Two modern research languages: It is necessary to pass competency exams in two modern research literary languages relevant to student's field of research. This requirement can be fulfilled by the comprehensive exams in one's primary and secondary languages if the languages qualify as "modern research languages". A modern research literary language is defined as a language with a contemporary body of academic research literature relevant to the student's program of study, such as French, German, modern Japanese, modern Chinese, modern Tibetan, Portugese (for African Religions), Swahili, Arabic, and so forth. It does not include such classical languages as classical Japanese, classical Chinese, classical Tibetan, Sanskrit and so forth, or languages without relevance to the student's program of study.
• Total: 25-27 courses.
• Doctoral comprehensive exams: Four are required, one each in (1) the primary religion of study, (2) methodology, (3) the student’s primary research language, (4) the student’s secondary research language.

Course Load

Typical Course Load

Students will typically enroll for a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester. Be sure that you are making substantial progress toward degree requirements with each and every course each semester. Example for PhD students in the History of Religions is as follows:

• Seminar 3 credits
• Seminar 3 credits
• Classical Language 3 credits
• T/A 3 credits

Or

• Seminar 3 credits
• Seminar 3 credits
• Classical Language 3 credits
• Classical Language 3 credits

Note that, for students in the Tibetan religions programs, literary and spoken language courses are counted as a single course for the purposes of determining course load. For example, first-year Modern Spoken Tibetan (2 credits) and third-year literary Tibetan (3 credits) may be counted only as 3 credits when determining course load, despite their real value of 5 credits.

Non-Topical Research Courses

Due to the phasing out of the COD and the three digit system for course identificaiton, some of the following information my not be updated correctly. Please contact the graduate secretary directly for more information regarding Non-Topical Research Courses.

Each department has been assigned numbers for four non-topical research courses listed below:

• 8998 Non-Topical Research: Preparation for Master's Research, no thesis director
• 8999 Non-Topical Research: For Master's thesis, taken under the supervision of a thesis director
• 9998 Non-Topical Research: Preparation for Doctoral Research, no dissertation director
• 9999 Non-Topical Research: For Doctoral Dissertation, taken under the supervision of a dissertation director

The registration system requires that there be a faculty member associated with each course and an instructor number entered on the Integrated Student Information System (ISIS) found at the Office of the Registrarwebsite. Student’s can find Instructor numbers by consulting the IIQ Screen on ISIS.

For courses numbered 8998 and 9998, a faculty member will have to be assigned for each student. For 8999 and 9999, the student's research advisor would be the appropriate faculty member.

Entering students must enroll for a 12 semester hour course load and with no more than three hours of non-topical research. Part-time entering students must register for six semester hours with no more than three hours of non-topical research.

All students that are enrolling in less than 12 credit hours must add the appropriate non-topical research hours to keep their enrollment at a full-time level (12 semester hours), unless they are going to be a part-time student (6 semester hours).

Students working on a master's degree will enroll in either 8998 (if they have not selected a thesis advisor) or 8999 (if they have selected a thesis advisor), and students working on a Ph.D. degree will enroll in either 9998 (if they have not selected a dissertation advisor) or 9999 (if they have selected a dissertation advisor).

If you have any questions about this, please call the Enrolled Student Office (434-924-6741 or 434-924-7183)