Welcome to the Religion Department

Thank you for your interest in Claremont Graduate University’s master’s and PhD programs in Religion. Our distinct programs in Religion, coupled with Claremont Graduate University’s unique, intimate campus climate, create a graduate study environment unlike any other in which you can customize your degree track to meet your own scholastic and professional goals.

In CGU’s Religion programs, you are the focus of how we teach and mentor. As a student at a graduate-only institution, you will not compete with undergraduates for the attention and advice of your professors. Our faculty are leading thinkers in their respective fields, and we work closely with you from the moment of your arrival until the completion of your degree.

Our master’s programs include our boutique program, the MA in Islamic Studies, and our flexible MA in Religion (general). Both programs prepare you for a variety of careers, from government and nongovernmental organizations to international corporations and business.

Our flagship doctoral degree—with concentrations in Philosophy of Religion & Theology, Women’s & Gender Studies in Religion, History of Christianity & Religions of North America, and Critical Comparative Scriptures—positions graduates for successful careers in academia or other higher education endeavors. CGU Religion students may also craft interfield tracks of study or dual-degree programs.

As a member of the highly ranked Claremont Colleges, we offer students the opportunity to take courses across colleges and collaborate with extended faculty at each college.

Claremont Graduate University’s prime location in the Los Angeles basin offers tremendous opportunities for study, fieldwork, and employment in the local metropolitan area and beyond. The gateway to the Americas, Los Angeles extends your career horizons into Latin America and the Pacific Rim. Finally, the religious and cultural pluralism and diversity of Los Angeles, amid a beautiful setting of temperate weather, will enrich your graduate experience in ways you can only begin to imagine.

If you are interested in learning more about our programs, I would be happy to schedule an appointment to meet with you or to speak by phone. Thank you for considering Claremont Graduate University.

Tammi J. Schneider
Chair, Religion Department
School of Arts & Humanities
Claremont Graduate University

831 N. Dartmouth Avenue • Claremont, CA 91711 • 909-621-8612 • Fax 909-607-9587

Tammi J. Schneider profile image

Tammi J. Schneider

Danforth Professor of Religion
Chair, Religion Department

 

Programs

 

Core Faculty

Matthew Bowman profile image

Matthew Bowman

Associate Professor of Religion and History
Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies

Nicola Denzey Lewis profile image

Nicola Denzey Lewis

Professor of Religion
Margo L. Goldsmith Chair in Women’s Studies in Religion

Lori Anne Ferrell profile image

Lori Anne Ferrell

Dean, School of Arts & Humanities
Director, Early Modern Studies Program
Director, Kingsley & Kate Tufts Poetry Awards

Ruqayya Y. Khan profile image

Ruqayya Y. Khan

Professor of Religion
Malas Chair of Islamic Studies

Daniel Ramírez profile image

Daniel Ramírez

Associate Professor of Religion

Tammi J. Schneider profile image

Tammi J. Schneider

Danforth Professor of Religion
Chair, Religion Department

Kevin Wolfe profile image

Kevin Wolfe

Assistant Professor of Religion
Horton Chair of Religion and Africana Studies

 

Emeriti Faculty


Ingolf Dalferth

Professor of Philosophy of Religion
Professor Emeritus


Gawdat Gabra

Clinical Professor of Coptic Studies
Professor Emeritus


Karen Jo Torjesen

Professor of Religion
Professor Emerita

Extended Faculty

Ahmed Alwishah

Pitzer College

Research Interests

Islamic philosophy, Medieval philosophy, Philosophy of religion, Islamic theology


Myriam Chancy

Scripps College

Research Interests

African diaspora with specialization in its literature


Stephen T. Davis

Claremont McKenna College

Research Interests

Analytic theology, Christian thought, Metaphysics, Philosophy of religion


Lara Deeb

Scripps College

Research Interests

Politics of knowledge production, Gender and sexuality, Islam, Transnational feminism, The Middle East, especially Lebanon


Erika Dyson

Harvey Mudd College

Research Interests

Activism and religion, American religious history, Church and state, Occult religions, Religion and science


Oona Eisenstadt

Pomona College

Research Interests

Judaism and political theory


Gastón Espinosa

Claremont McKenna College

Research Interests

American religion & politics; Latino religions; Latino religions & politics; Pentecostal, charismatic, & liberation movements; Religion and the American presidency; Religion in the United States


Gary Gilbert

Claremont McKenna College

Research Interests

Bible, Christian-Jewish relations, Israel, Jesus, Jewish/Christian relations, Judaism, New Testament


Philip Zuckerman

Pitzer College

Research Interests

Secularity, Atheism, Apostasy, and Scandinavian culture

 

Research Fellows


Grace Kao

Claremont School of Theology

Research Interests

Rights, human and animal, religion in the public sphere in the U.S., ecofeminism, and Asian American Christianity


Marvin Sweeney

Claremont School of Theology

Research Interests

Hebrew Bible studies with a particular focus on prophetic literature, biblical theology, literary-critical methodologies, ancient exegesis of biblical texts, and the interrelationship between religion and politics in both the ancient and modern worlds

Current Graduate Students

Dissertations in Progress


Rebekah Call
PhD Candidate

Dissertation Title

Ezer K’negdo: Using Genesis 2:18 to Analyze the Nature of English Translation and to Establish a New Baseline for Understanding Gender Bias

Dissertation Committee

Tammi Schneider (chair), Lori Anne Ferrell, Matthew Bowman

 

Graduate Students


Sultan Ahsan
PhD Student

Research Interests

Place of Religion, Religious Identities and Religious Reasons in the Public Sphere of Liberal Democratic Societies; Epistemology of Religious Reasons and Consensus on Reasons in Public Discourses


Kody Bartley
PhD Student, Philosophy of Religion and Theology

Research Interests

Mark Fisher, Critical Theory, Human Dignity


Heather Burrow
PhD Student

Research Interests

The Hebrew Bible, Ancient Near East, and the intersection of American popular culture and popular religion.


Lewis Chapman
MA Student

Research Interests

Mormon Studies, American Fundamentalisms, Political Theory, Postcolonialism


Bryan Cottle
PhD Student, Concentration in North American Religion

Research Interests

Religion and Politics, Mormons Studies, American Religious History, Religion and Pop Culture


Otis Coutsoumpos
PhD Student, Philosophy of Religion and Theology

Research Interests

Philosophy of Language (Wittgenstein and Ordinary Language Philosophy), Hermeneutics, and Phenomenology


Lori Denning
PhD Student

Research Interests

Critical Comparative Scripture, Mormon Studies, Hebrew Bible, literary criticism & poetics


Lincoln Hale
PhD Student, Concentration in History of Christianity

Research Interests

Coptic Studies, Mormon Studies, Biblical Languages


Telaireus Herrin
PhD Student

Research Interests

The Reformation, Liberation Theology, Pentecostalism, and Queer Theory


Jessi Knippel
PhD Student, Women and Gender Studies in Religion

Research Interests

New Religious Movements, Global Witchcraft and Witch trails, Syncretism in Religion, Afro-Caribbean Religions, Ex/Post Evangelical Movements, Pop Culture and Religion, American Religions, Folk Religion


Jeremy Langill
PhD Student, Philosophy of Religion and Theology

Research Interests

Wittgenstein, D.Z. Phillips, Rush Rhees, Pre-Socratics


Moina Maaz
PhD Student

Research Interests

Researching the role of Muslim women as mothers, educators, students, influential social agents, and ambassadors of Islam in North America.


Tony Marinoff
PhD Student

Research Interests

History of Christianity; Religion in America; History of Christian Thought; Continental Philosophy; History of Political Thought


John Mauger
PhD Student

Research Interests

Early Christianity, History of Christian Thought, Philosophy of Religion and Theology


Brishette Mendoza
PhD Student

Research Interests

Text production, ancient and modern; orality, literacy, scribes, and the Hebrew Bible; Women’s Studies in Religion; economics, religion, and social history of the American South; public history


Dorival Do Nascimento
PhD Student, Philosophy of Religion and Theology

Research Interests

Mormon Studies, Museum Studies, intersections of religion and politics


Mitch Nelson
MA Student

Research Interests

Afro-futurism, Decolonization, Critical Race Theory, Poetry, Western Philosophy and Hermeneutics


Janice Poss
PhD Student, Women and Gender Studies in Religion

Research Interests

Gender Studies as related to theology and religion, interreligious dialogue, visual religion and aesthetics, feminist philosophy of religion, theology without walls, equal ordination, anti-racism


Maggie Tawadros
PhD Student

Research Interests

Coptic Manuscripts, Manuscript Illumination and Illustrations, Coptic Magic, Coptic Iconography


Gwen Ulrich-Schlumbohm
PhD Student

Research Interests

Early Modern Witch Trials in England and Scotland; Comparative aspects of women’s experiences in early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam


M. Christine Walters
MA Student, Concentration in Religions of America

Research Interests

American Religious Studies and Material/Artifact Studies


Mollie Winninger
PhD Student

Research Interests

Disability Studies, Systematic Theology, New Testament Exegesis + femme experiences of chronic pain


Jennifer Wolfe
PhD Student, Concentration in History of Christianity & Religions of North America

Research Interests

Late Antique Roman Imperial History, 2nd century North African Christianity, Power and Class in Roman society, Romanization and provincial identity


Danyang Xu
MA Student, Concentration in Religion and American Politics

Research Interests

Ethics and Decision Making


James Yuile
PhD Student, Concentration in Critical Comparative Scriptures

Research Interests

The intersection of Christianity with Greco-Roman History and Literature

Research Centers

Coptic Studies Council

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CGU’s Council for Coptic Studies works to create and nourish vibrant, enduring relationships between the Religion Department, the surrounding community, and the Coptic world and to promote through research, teaching, and publication a deeper understanding of the Coptic religious experience.

 


Mormon Studies Council

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The Mormon Studies Council works closely with the Religion Department and School of Arts and Humanities to advance Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University. The Council seeks to foster interest in the study of the traditions descended from Joseph Smith in an academic context in which many religious traditions are studied alongside one another.

 


Zoroastrian Studies Council

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The Zoroastrian Studies Council seeks to bring knowledge of this ancient, yet modern religion to our students and inform the study of religion at CGU.


Research Projects

 


Mormon Women’s Oral History Project

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The Mormon Women’s Oral History Project at Claremont Graduate University collected interviews with Mormon women of various ages, experiences, and levels of activity. These interviews record the experiences of these women in their homes and family life, their church life, and their work life, in their roles as homemakers, students, missionaries, career women, single women, converts, and disaffected members. Their stories feed into and illuminate the broader narrative of LDS history and belief, filling in a large gap in Mormon history that has often neglected the lived experiences of women.

 


Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia

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The web-based Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia (CCE) is a project of global reach and significance, providing a vital resource and a wealth of information to scholars, students, Coptophiles, and the general public. Whether you are a PhD student writing a dissertation on Coptic monasticism, a college student taking a course in Art History, or a casual browser seeking intellectual nourishment, you will find the CCE to be an excellent resource.