MA in Islamic Studies
Religion
The faculty of the Department of Religion at Claremont Graduate University stand in solidarity with those who protest police brutality. We stand in solidarity with the calls for police reforms and demilitarization of the police, and with those who demand justice for Black lives. Black lives matter, today and every day.
As philosophers, theologians, historians, and cultural interpreters, we recognize and decry the grave injustices perpetrated against people of color in this country. Recent events are a poignant reminder to us that too many of our fellow citizens are neither seen nor heard, and we commit to doing a better job—in our scholarship as well as in our teaching—of recognizing and calling out systemic injustices. That commitment includes pursuing the transformation in our society and culture at all levels—systemic and otherwise. We must, and shall, change unspoken “ground rules” and speak “truth to power.”
President Trump demeaned the faith and practice of an Episcopal congregation when he harmed the bodies of protestors brazenly cleared from his path in pursuit of a recent photo opportunity. As scholars of religion, we are attentive to the ways religious traditions are experienced by those who embrace them, and therefore, we support the clergy and congregants of St John’s Episcopal Church whose community the president flagrantly disrespected.
Religion Department, Claremont Graduate University
Chair: Tammi Schneider
831 N. Dartmouth Avenue • Claremont, CA 91711 • 909-621-8612 • Fax 909-607-9587
Programs
MA in Religion
PhD in Religion
Women’s & Gender Studies in Religion
MA in Women's & Gender Studies in Religion
MA in Religion & American Politics
Core Faculty
Matthew Bowman
Associate Professor of Religion and History
Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies
Nicola Denzey Lewis
Professor of Religion
Margo L. Goldsmith Chair in Women’s Studies in Religion
Lori Anne Ferrell
Dean, School of Arts & Humanities
John D. and Lillian Maguire Distinguished Professor in the Humanities
Director, Early Modern Studies Program
Director, Kingsley & Kate Tufts Poetry Awards
Caroline Kline
Research Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of the Center for Global Mormon Studies
Emeriti Faculty
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
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
Zayn Kassam
Pomona College
Research Interests
Islamic studies, Religious studies, Women and Islam, Islamic philosophy and mysticism, Religion and the environment
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
Dennis MacDonald
Claremont School of Theology
Research Interests
Christian apocryphal writings, the Synoptic Problem, influence of classical Greek literature, and the Homeric epics on Jewish and Christian narratives
Thomas Phillips
Claremont School of Theology
Research Interests
Luke-Acts in the New Testament
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
Ken Adkins
MA Student
Research Interests
Mormon Studies, Religions of North America
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.
Josue Carames
PhD Student
Research Interests
Philosophical Hermeneutics, Phenomenology of Religion, Christian Theology
Bryan Cottle
PhD Student, Concentraion 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
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
Irene Ludji
PhD Student, Philosophy of Religion and Theology
Research Interests
Religious Ethics, Social Ethics, Animal and Environmental Ethics
John Mauger
PhD Student
Research Interests
Early Christianity, History of Christian Thought, Philosophy of Religion and Theology
Dorival Do Nascimento
PhD Student, Philosophy of Religion and Theology
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
Ryan Quandt
PhD Student
Research Interests
Scripture, History of Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Artificial Intelligence
Josiah Solis
PhD Student
Research Interests
Philosophy of religion, political theology, modern Jewish thought, post-holocaust philosophy and theology
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
Minnie Christine Walters
MA Student, Concentration in Religions of America
Research Interests
Historic Material Culture, different religions and their interactions with each other, LDS and RLDS sects
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
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
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
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
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
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.