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A friend of mine sent me this call for applications to the Religious Studies Department at UT Austin. As I understand it, they are looking for a diverse set of applicants, and they’re looking to expand the schools from which they typically receive steady streams of applicants. I happen to know there are lots of excellent scholars (who are also excellent people) among their graduate faculty, so I thought I’d post it here since I don’t work with many students looking to do grad work in Religious Studies. Take a look: University of Texas at Austin Ph.D. Application Deadline: December 15, 2018 The Ph.D. Program in Religious Studies at the University of Texas at Austin is accepting applications for the 2019 entering cohort. Our program is dedicated to training scholars for research and teaching in the study of religion, with a distinctive focus on historical and social contextualization of religious phenomena, on broad theoretical fluency in the study of religion, on the interplay of texts and material culture, and on trans-disciplinary approaches to research. Our program works closely with other departments and centers, including the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, the South Asia Institute, the Departments of African and African Diaspora Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Mexican American and Latino/a Studies, Asian Studies, History, and Classics, and the Centers for Asian American Studies and for Women’s and Gender Studies. The campus also provides instruction in a wide range of languages for the study of religions, including Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic, Attic Greek, Bengali, Biblical Hebrew, Coptic, Ethiopic, Hindi, Japanese, K’iche’ Maya, Koine Greek, Latin, Mandarin, Nahuatl, Persian, Portuguese, Rabbinic Hebrew, Sanskrit, Spanish, Syriac, Tamil, Ugaritic, Urdu, and many others. Our placement in academic positions is outstanding, with 90% of our graduates currently employed at institutions such as Washington University in St. Louis; Middlebury College; the University of British Columbia, Vancouver; Amherst College; Rhodes College; Virginia Tech; and the University of Alberta, Augustana. Students work within one of the following four concentrations. • Religion in the Americas: Students pursue an interdisciplinary research program within one of the geographical fields of North America or of Latin America & the Caribbean, and develop teaching competency in the other geographical field. Strengths include training in ethnographic methods, American religious history, secularism, Latin America and the Caribbean, the African diaspora, and indigenous religions. • Ancient Mediterranean Religion: This area of concentration examines the religious traditions of the Mediterranean, including Ancient Israel and its neighbors, Greco-Roman cultures, Second Temple and rabbinic Judaism, and early Christianity. Distinctive features include an emphasis on the use of archaeological data, on training in papyrology, and on canonical and non- canonical literatures. • Religions in History: This concentration allows students to study religious traditions in specific historical and cultural contexts and in relation to other relevant religious traditions. Primary fields of interest include Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain traditions in premodern South Asia, Indo-Persian Islam, and medieval Christian monasticism. • Religion and Society: In this area of concentration students explore the dynamics of religion, culture, and society with a focus on theoretical and social scientific approaches. Strengths include training in ethnographic methods, anthropology of religion, religion and science, and culture and ethics. Contact Us For more information about the program, you may contact Dr. Martha Newman, Graduate Advisor, at newman@austin.utexas.edu or Cyndi Goodson, Program Coordinator, at cyndigoodson@austin.utexas.edu. Or visit our website: www.liberalarts.utexas.edu/rs/