Graduate Division of Religion

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Graduate Division of Religion

Handbook

The GDR Handbook is intended as a supplement to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences catalog and Student Handbook. For the most part, the information provided here specifies in more detail the policies and procedures printed in the catalogue and Student Handbook.

I. Overview

A. Purpose and Programs

The Graduate Division of Religion prepares students to be scholars and teachers of religion and theology, requiring mastery of a specialized field in the context of a general knowledge of the study of religion and the varieties of religious expression. All programs include interdisciplinary inquiry and encourage cross-disciplinary work. The academic program is supplemented by rigorous teacher training and ample teaching opportunity.

The Ph.D. is offered through nine programs: American Religious Cultures; Comparative Literature and Religion; Ethics and Society; Hebrew Bible; Historical Studies in Theology and Religion; New Testament; Person, Community, and Religious Practices; Theological Studies; and West and South Asian Religions. In addition, the Graduate Division has specialized concentrations that combine resources from more than one program and from other graduate faculties in the University. A concentration in Religious Practices and Practical Theology is available within any program, as well as a joint J.D./Ph.D. program.

As part of gaining general knowledge all entering students take a year-long colloquy which introduces students to the broad spectrum of disciplines and modes of inquiry in the study of religion and to the variety of religious traditions and many forms of religious expression.

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B. Interdisciplinary Work

The GDR expects all of its students to develop mastery in a single discipline or area of study but it also expects interdisciplinary competence. These two goals are connected: One cannot know one's own field without understanding its relation to other fields; and one cannot significantly engage other fields and modes of inquiry without mastery of the language of one's own. Moreover, mastery of a field of inquiry and interdisciplinary fluency are essential to the comparative work that is part of the study of religion.

"Interdisciplinarity" is a word that is commonly used to cover multiple meanings: It sometimes means "multidisciplinary" where a single person is able to work within more than one discipline at different times, much as a bilingual person who can speak two languages. It can mean the presence of more than one discipline in the study of a given subject matter, each of which provides a different and contrasting "take" on the subject. It can refer to more integration among disciplines, either within a given scholar's work or within a field of study. It can refer to active collaboration (cross-disciplinarity) by scholars from different fields on a common issue or field. Within the field of religion it can refer not simply to different disciplines (such as history, or textual analysis, or normative inquiry) but to different aspects in the subject matter itself, such as the variety of religious traditions, or multiple aspects of religion within traditions (e.g., texts, rituals, normative teachings, institutions), or the varieties of religious experience. These many meanings of interdisciplinarity are often intermingled in actual scholarly work.

The GDR engages in interdisciplinary work in these various senses in a numerous ways:

1. Many faculty use interdisciplinary approaches in their own teaching and research as a matter of course.

2. Faculty from other fields in the GraduateSchool have either full or associated standing in the GDR.

3. All students are required to do seminar work outside their specialized program of study, and to be examined in an outside field, including in other departments in the GSAS.

4. While all programs inevitably use more than one discipline in their work, some are by design interdisciplinary: e.g., Ethics and Society; West and South Asian Religion; Person, Community, and Religious Practices.

5. The GDR has several cooperating relationships with other faculties in the university going beyond those implied above, including especially Jewish Studies and the Law and Religion program in the LawSchool.

6. The pattern of teaching in the TATTO program encourages students to gain teaching experience in a discipline or field of inquiry outside their specialization.

7. The GDR sponsors and cosponsors lectures and symposia which cultivate interdisciplinary questions and engagement.

C. Organization of the Division

1. Programs in Religion at Emory

The Graduate Division of Religion (abbreviated GDR) is part of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Emory offers work in religion in three distinct, though cooperating programs: the Department of Religion in EmoryCollege (undergraduate level), the Candler School of Theology (post-baccalaureate professional education, including professional doctorates), and the Division of Religion (graduate work leading to the M.A. and Ph.D.).

2. GDR Faculty

The faculty of the Division consists essentially of professors from the Candler School of Theology and the Department of Religion of EmoryCollege. Certain faculty from other divisions of the GraduateSchool as well as from the AquinasCenter, the InterdenominationalTheologicalCenter, Columbia Theological Seminary and other institutions also participate in the programs of the Division as appropriate. Faculty from outside the Division also serve as dissertation directors, readers, and examiners from time to time.

3. Governance

The Director of the Division is responsible to the Dean of the GraduateSchool, who appoints the Director for a three-year term. The Associate Director assists the Director and represents the Division in the Director's absence. The Associate Director is appointed by the Dean in consultation with the Director. If the Director is from the Candler faculty, the Associate Director will be chosen from the Department of Religion Faculty, and viceversa.

The programs and policies of the Division are established by the Policy and Curriculum Committee, which consists of the Program chairpersons, the Director and Associate Director, and three elected student representatives. The Academic Dean of Candler and the Chair of the Department of Religion are exofficio members of the Committee. The Committee is chairedby the Director, or the Associate Director in the Director’s absence.

The following sub-committees facilitate special tasks of the Policy and Curriculum Committee.

Admissions and Awards Committee --convened by the Director of the Division and composed (on a rotating basis) of three of the departmental chairpersons.

Language Committee --consists of three professors charged with administering the foreign language examinations.

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Ad-Hoc Committees --appointed as needed.

Students in the Division elect up to five persons to represent them on the Graduate Student Council, and up to three to represent them on the Policy and Curriculum Committee.

The Director represents the Division of Religion at meetings of various Graduate School of Arts and Science committees and councils.

4. Special Concentrations

a. Special Concentrations are proposed by groups of faculty committed to them. After approval by pertinent program faculties (or other departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, if pertinent), the proposal comes to the PCC for final approval.

b. Special Concentrations are overseen by committees of three or more faculty, drawn from pertinent program faculty. Each committee elects its Chairperson. The Chairperson reports to the Director and Associate Director.

II. General Regulations and Procedures

The regulations and procedures of the Division of Religion function within the framework of policies set by the GraduateSchool as stated in the catalog. Regulations and procedures for individual programs are in accord with Divisional policies and procedures.

Any regulation and procedure of the Division or Program may be waived by the Policy and Curriculum Committee. Request for waiving regulations must be made in writing and submitted to the Committee through the office of the Director of the Division or the Chairperson of the appropriate program. The student should consult the advisor and program Chairperson before making such an appeal.

Except when specified, the following regulations pertain to the Ph.D. program.

A. Registration

1. Registration Status. Students are registered in one of the three following categories:

a.Special Standing - Students who have been admitted to the GraduateSchool for course work, but not admitted to a degree program.

b.Full Standing - Students admitted for studies toward the M.A. degree.

c.Advanced Standing - Students who hold an M.A. degree or equivalent and have been admitted for studies toward the Ph.D. degree.

Within any of these three categories, one may register as a Graduate Resident (use of the University library and other facilities, but without course work).

Students who have completed all requirements for the Ph.D. except for writing and defending the dissertations are in Candidacy.

2. Residence. Students must earn at least twelve units (48 semester hours credit) at advanced standing level. There are two restrictions on the way these credits may be earned.

a. The first restriction has to do with the distribution of time: there must be two consecutive semesters of full registration in regular course work. Normally, students meet this requirement during the first year. The remaining 24 hours need not be earned in consecutive semesters of full registration.

b. The second restriction has to do with the distribution of types of academic work: at least 24 hours must be taken in seminars and directed study at the doctoral level, 20 of which must be in seminars. The remaining hours may be taken in seminars, directed study, course work (3 hour courses in the School of Theology combined with 1 hour directed studies), or dissertation research. At least two seminars or courses, moreover, must be taken outside the student's own Program or area of study. Directed Studies will not normally fulfill this requirement but may do soifneeded seminars are not offered. Exceptions to the normal rule must be approved by the student’s program faculty.

The Division requires, therefore, a minimum of five doctoral seminars for students in advanced standing in the Ph.D. program. Most students will probably wish to take more than the required five seminars.

c. All course work, including Directed Study courses, must be passed with a grade of B- or better. A student who receives a C in a course must take an equivalent number of extra hours after having completed the 48 semester hours of required course work. Students are required to pay for only twelve units (48 semester hours) of tuition, however.

After students have earned 48 semester hours, but continue to use Emory libraries and computer facilities, they register as Graduate Residents and pay a flat fee for each semester in residence. This includes summers.

International students, who need to maintain full registration throughout the year in order to meet visa requirements, may continue to register each semester for 12 hours Dissertation Research 799 but pay only the Graduate Residence fee.

3. Transfer Credit. Up to 6 units (24 semester hours) may be counted toward the Ph.D. degree, provided it is done in an equivalent program from an accredited school.

Transfer credits must be approved at the time of admission by the chairperson of the student's department, the director of the Graduate Division of Religion, and the Dean of the GraduateSchool. Transfer Credit forms are available from the Graduate Division of Religion office.

The eight-year rule applies to these transfer credits. For example, a student who transfers 3 units (12 semester hours) of credit into the program (the equivalent of one semester's work) must complete the requirements for the degree within eight years less one semester after entering Emory.

The same limitation and procedures apply to students enrolled in Emory's program who wish to do some of their graduate work elsewhere. The student is responsible for all expenses incurred. Under special circumstances, however, with approval of the Director of GDR and the Dean of the GraduateSchool, fellowship holders who receive stipends may use these funds in such extra-mural study.

4. Maximum Tuition. The tuition for the entire period of study at the advanced standing level is the equivalent of full tuition (3 units, or 12 hours, per semester) for four semesters (48 hours). Thereafter, a fee is charged for Graduate Residence status which provides access to the faculty, the libraries, and computer facilities.

5. Full Registration. Full registration consists of 12 semester hours (3 units). Under exceptional circumstances, a student may meet the Division's two-consecutive-semester residence requirement registering for eight hours per semester for a two-semester sequence. In such cases, the student must present a written petition to the Program faculty; the Program faculty response will be reviewed by the Division's Policy and Curriculum Committee. Although this particular arrangement will satisfy the Division's two-consecutive-semester requirement, students must still make up, in subsequent semesters, the remaining hours in order to meet GraduateSchool requirements for four full semesters of residence.

In no case, moreover, can a student earn more than 3 units (12 semester hours) residence credit in any given semester. That is, "extra hours" from one semester may not be applied to a subsequent semester (with a lighter course load) in order to fulfill the 48-hour residence requirement (four full semesters) or the two-consecutive-semesters full registration requirement.

6. Minimum Registration for Student Housing and Doctoral Fellowships. To be eligible for student housing, students must be registered for a minimum of 12 semester hours. Also students on doctoral fellowships must be registered for each semester.

7. Use of the Libraries and Computer Facilities. Students must be registered to use the libraries and computer facilities of the University. Students not registered for course work (including Directed Study 797 or Research 799) must register as Graduate Resident and pay the stated fees. This includes summers.

8. Audit Courses. The charge for audit courses is the same as for credit courses. Courses audited may not be established for credit by examination, nor may they be transferred to credit status after the first week of classes.

9. Late Registration Fee. Because of the extra cost to the University, students who register after the stated time will be charged a late registration fee.

10. Course Withdrawal. Students are not allowed to withdraw from a course after the mid-point of the semester unless there are clear mitigating circumstances beyond their control. In such cases, students must request their advisors or the Director of Graduate Studies in Religion to submit a letter to the Associate Dean of the GraduateSchool supporting withdrawal. The request must be accompanied by a letter from the student explaining the reasons for the request.

B. Types of Academic Work Carrying Credit

1. Academic credit is earned by satisfactory participation in various settings.

a. The most general designation--"course"--does not indicate the format, though it is usually characterized by lecture-discussion. Because the style of each course varies with the instructor(s), students are encouraged to speak with the appropriate instructor about the precise character of the course, prior to registration.

b. "Seminar" usually designates a course in which the students share their research papers, oral presentation, etc. Normally, the professor chooses the topic and provides the basic structure of the seminar. Some seminars are offered by individual professors, others by two or more instructors.

c. A "Research Seminar" is one in which the research projects of the students and faculty give the fundamental shape of the course, rather than the professor.

d. There are two categories of "Individualized Research": Directed Study 797 and Research 799 (Directed Study 597 and Research 589 are the equivalents for M.A. students).

Work taken as Directed Study 797 is graded at the end of the term in the same way that seminars or lecture courses are graded; the grade of P (in progress) cannot be used for Directed Study 797; it must be graded each semester with a letter grade or an I. No Directed Study is permitted if there is a course in the same subject being offered.

Normally students register for Research 799 in connection with preparation for the preliminary examinations or the dissertation or both. When the registration is for work on the dissertation, the final grade is given when the dissertation is completed. Students may not count Research registration toward the two-semester-sequence of full registration residence requirement, nor may students register for Research 799 before being admitted to advanced standing, completing the 24-consecutive-hour residence requirement, and passing both language examinations.

Students who need to be registered full time (e.g. international students) but who have completed course work should register for Research 799 (Research 599 for M.A. students). A grade of P may be given for such registration. After the dissertation oral, these P's are converted to letter grades.

In order for the Graduate Office to maintain meaningful permanent records on Directed Study, a descriptive title should be given for each Directed Study registration listed on the Master's Clearance and Application for Candidacy forms.