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
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
Bishop Kyrillos
St. Athanasius & St Cyril Coptic Orthodox Theological School
Research Interests
Coptic Studies
Jamel Velji
Claremont McKenna College
Research Interests
Islamic Studies, Apocalyptic Studies
Philip Zuckerman
Pitzer College
Research Interests
Secularity, Atheism, Apostasy, and Scandinavian culture
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.