MA in Islamic Studies
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 and Religious Thought, 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.
Daniel Ramírez
Chair, Religion Department
School of Arts & Humanities
Claremont Graduate University
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
Director, Early Modern Studies Program
Director, Kingsley & Kate Tufts Poetry Awards
Kevin Wolfe
Assistant Professor of Religion
Horton Chair of Religion and Africana Studies
Emerit Faculty
Extended Faculty
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
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
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
Otis Coutsoumpos, Jr.
PhD Candidate
Dissertation Title
Philosophy of Language (Wittgenstein and Ordinary Language Philosophy), Hermeneutics, and Phenomenology The God of Language and the Language of God: A Study in Dewi Z. Phillips’s Philosophical Portrayal of Prayer with Systematic Attention to Ludwig Wittgenstein
Dissertation Committee
Hartmut von Sass (chair), Kevin Wolfe, Ruqayya Khan, Daniel Ramirez
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 and Religious Thought
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
Lori Denning
PhD Student
Research Interests
Ancient Scripture Hebrew Bible Literary and Forms Criticism
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 and Religious Thought
Research Interests
Wittgenstein, D.Z. Phillips, Rush Rhees, Pre-Socratics
Shiloh Logan
PhD Student
Research Interests
American Religious History, Christian Conservatism, Religiopolitical Fundamentalism, Mormon Studies, Oral History, History of the Devil, the Idea of Evil
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 and Religious Thought
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
Michael Sedra
PhD Student
Research Interests
Religion, woman, and gender studies
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
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.