The graduate program in Religious Studies at the University of Texas is dedicated to the study of religious phenomena within particular cultural and historical contexts. At the same time, we expect research to be driven by theoretical and analytical questions and to employ the methodologies that facilitate them. Although the research agendas of our students need not be explicitly comparative, we recognize that comparison lies at the heart of our discipline and informs our theories and questions. As a result, we expect all of our students to be able to articulate comparisons across traditions, cultures, or regions, to develop knowledge of relevant theories, and to demonstrate a deep understanding of the specific social and historical contexts in which their research questions are embedded. This includes fluency in relevant languages as well as facility in at least two methodological approaches. We encourage our students to draw upon the vast theoretical, historical, and linguistic resources available in our department and throughout the rest of the University of Texas.<br>This area of concentration allows students to study religious traditions in specific historical and cultural contexts. The goal is to examine the historical articulation of religious phenomena in a specific geographical area and in relation to other relevant religious traditions. Students will develop the research methods necessary for their projects: these may include historical, philological, comparative, material, and literary analyses. They also will develop the theoretical and thematic approaches needed to articulate research questions and to explore the role of religion in particular societies and cultures. Each student will develop expertise in a second religious tradition: either religions in conversation within a specific geographical and chronological context or ones that inform a comparative project.