Religious Studies

www.smu.edu/Dedman/Academics/Departments/ReligiousStudies/Graduate

Professor Roy Heller, Director

The Graduate Program in Religious Studies (GRPS) is composed of faculty from the Dedman Religious Studies department and the Perkins School of Theology, as well as the two University Ethics Professors.

Dedman Religious Studies Faculty

Professor Jill DeTemple, Department Chair

Professors: William Barnard, Mark Chancey, Jill DeTemple, Johan Elverskog, Serge Frolov
Associate Professors: John Lamoreaux, Steven Lindquist

Perkins School of Theology Faculty and University Ethics Professors

General Information

The Graduate Program in Religious Studies comprises programs of study leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The primary goal of both degree programs is to prepare persons for academic leadership in the field and hence for professional careers as teacher-scholars in colleges, universities and schools of theology. The M.A. degree program also aims to accommodate the qualified nonprofessional student interested in advanced work in religious studies within the context of the liberal arts and sciences. Students specialize in one of the following six fields of study:

Admission Requirements

The deadline for completed applications is January 5. The requirements for admission to the M.A. and Ph.D. degree programs in religious studies are as follows:

• The B.A. degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution.
• A cumulative grade point average of 3.000 or above on a 4.000 scale.
• A satisfactory score on the GRE general graduate school admission test, ordinarily including a combined score of 310 or greater on the verbal and quantitative sections.
• Sufficient previous study in religion or related areas to be able to satisfy the requirements of the degree program.
• When English is not the applicant’s native language, a satisfactory TOEFL English language proficiency test score also is required. Internet-based version: 79-80 or better (preferably 100 or above); or paper-based version: 550 or better (preferably 600 or above).

Language Requirement

All students are expected to demonstrate a reading competence in at least one approved language other than English upon matriculation, by passing an examination in that language in the August examination period preceding the first term of study. Ph.D. students will be expected to pass an examination in a second approved language by the beginning of the second year. (For students in the fields of Hebrew Bible or New Testament, both Biblical Hebrew and Greek are required, as well as two additional languages. The examination in the second language must be taken no later than May of the first year.)

The approved languages for examinations in both the M.A. and Ph.D degree programs are French, Spanish, German, Greek, Hebrew and Latin. Another pertinent language may be substituted with the approval of the GPRS Steering Committee. It is strongly recommended that Ph.D. students enter the program with a solid reading knowledge of the two (or more) languages in which they expect to be examined, since there is little time or opportunity for basic language acquisition during graduate study.

Programs

• Religious Studies, Ph.D.

• Religious Studies, M.A.

Courses

Perkins School of Theology Courses

• BB 8345 - Ethics of Biblical Interpretation  
• GR 7302 - Greek Exegesis  
• HB 7302 - Hebrew Exegesis  
• HR 8360 - Eastern Spiritual Traditions and Christian Mysticism  
• HX 8308 - Varieties of Medieval Theology  
• HX 8321 - The History of Christian Doctrine I  
• HX 8322 - The History of Christian Doctrine II  
• HX 8325 - Ecumenical Movement  
• HX 8354 - Black/Africana Christianity in the United States  
• HX 8360 - Studies in Wesley  
• HX 8367 - Studies in World Methodism  
• MT 8305 - Historical Studies in Christian Ethics  
• MT 8345 - Black/Africana Liberation Theology  
• MT 8352 - Contemporary Moral Issues  
• MT 8354 - Studies in Theological Ethics   
• MT 8383 - Process Theology and Social Ethics  
• MT 8385 - Malcolm and Martin and Theological Ethics  
• MT 8375 - The Poor in John Wesley’s Ethics  
• MT 8377 - Studies in Reinhold Niebuhr   
• NT 8365 - Evil, Suffering, and Death in the New Testament  
• NT 8379 - Issues in Pauline Theology  
• OT 8345 - Ancient Text and the Modern Reader  
• OT 8351 - Major Motifs of Biblical Theology  
• ST 8311 - Modern and Contemporary Theologies  
• ST 8318 - The Person and Work of Jesus Christ  
• ST 8327 - North American Hispanic Theology   
• ST 8345 - Black/Africana Liberation Theology  
• ST 8359 - God and Creation  
• TC 8308 - Contemporary Issues in the Philosophy of Religion  
• TC 8340 - The Christian, the Church, and the Public Good  
• WX 8328 - Theological Issues in World Christianity  

• RELI 6049 - Graduate Full-Time Status
• RELI 6301 - The Philosophical Study of Religion
• RELI 6302 - Approaches to Asian Religions
• RELI 6303 - History, Theory, and Method in Religious Studies
• RELI 6304 - Contemporary Approaches
• RELI 7300 - Philosophy of Religion I
• RELI 7320 - Religion and Culture I
• RELI 7321 - Religion and Culture II
• RELI 7322 - Religion and Culture III
• RELI 7323 - Religion and Culture IV
• RELI 7324 - Religion and Culture V
• RELI 7325 - Religion and Culture VI
• RELI 7326 - Religion and Culture VII
• RELI 7327 - Religion and Culture VIII
• RELI 7328 - Religion and Culture IX
• RELI 7329 - Religion and Culture X
• RELI 7330 - Religion and Culture XI
• RELI 7331 - Religion and Culture XII
• RELI 7332 - Religion and Culture XIII
• RELI 7333 - Religion and Culture XIV
• RELI 7334 - Religion and Culture XV
• RELI 7335 - History of Christianity I
• RELI 7336 - History of Christianity II
• RELI 7337 - History of Christianity III
• RELI 7338 - History of Christianity IV
• RELI 7339 - History of Christianity V
• RELI 7340 - History of Christianity VI
• RELI 7341 - History of Christianity VII
• RELI 7342 - History of Christianity VIII
• RELI 7343 - History of Christianity IX
• RELI 7344 - History of Christianity X
• RELI 7345 - History of Christianity XI
• RELI 7346 - History of Christianity XII
• RELI 7348 - History of Christianity XIV
• RELI 7349 - History of Christianity XV
• RELI 7350 - Systematic Theology I
• RELI 7351 - Systematic Theology II
• RELI 7352 - Systematic Theology III
• RELI 7353 - Systematic Theology IV
• RELI 7354 - Systematic Theology V
• RELI 7355 - Systematic Theology VI
• RELI 7356 - Systematic Theology VII
• RELI 7357 - Systematic Theology VIII
• RELI 7358 - Systematic Theology IX
• RELI 7359 - Systematic Theology X
• RELI 7360 - Systematic Theology XI
• RELI 7361 - Systematic Theology XII
• RELI 7362 - Systematic Theology XIII
• RELI 7363 - Systematic Theology XIV
• RELI 7364 - Systematic Theology XV
• RELI 7365 - Religious Ethics I
• RELI 7366 - Religious Ethics II
• RELI 7367 - Religious Ethics III
• RELI 7368 - Religious Ethics IV
• RELI 7369 - Religious Ethics V
• RELI 7370 - Religious Ethics VI
• RELI 7371 - Religious Ethics VII
• RELI 7372 - Religious Ethics VIII
• RELI 7373 - Religious Ethics IX
• RELI 7374 - Religious Ethics X
• RELI 7375 - Religious Ethics XI
• RELI 7376 - Religious Ethics XII
• RELI 7377 - Religious Ethics XIII
• RELI 7378 - Religious Ethics XIV
• RELI 7379 - Religious Ethics XV
• RELI 7380 - Old Testament I
• RELI 7381 - Old Testament II
• RELI 7382 - Old Testament III
• RELI 7383 - Old Testament IV
• RELI 7384 - Old Testament V
• RELI 7385 - Old Testament VI
• RELI 7386 - Old Testament VII
• RELI 7387 - Old Testament VIII
• RELI 7388 - Old Testament IX
• RELI 7389 - Old Testament X
• RELI 7390 - New Testament I
• RELI 7391 - New Testament II
• RELI 7392 - New Testament III
• RELI 7393 - New Testament IV
• RELI 7394 - New Testament V
• RELI 7395 - New Testament VI
• RELI 7396 - New Testament VII
• RELI 7397 - New Testament VIII
• RELI 7398 - New Testament IX
• RELI 7399 - New Testament X
• RELI 8049 - Graduate Full-Time Status
• RELI 8100 - Dissertation