What's an English undergrad to do?

[Marcone]

Hello everyone,

I registered on this website in the hopes of getting some advice on what looks to me to be a challenging endeavor. I received my BA in English Studies in 2007 and since have not been able to stop reading about religion in its innumerable contexts. I have become particularly fascinated with the so-called "New Atheists", their academic reception, and the growing Humanist movement as it relates to the entrenched religions it rejects. More generally, I'm interested in how religious skepticism operates within modernity. I have no coursework to my name in either quantitative or qualitative research let alone anything with the word "religion" in it at all. My experience with the subject is relegated to either personal experience or personal reading. It's clear to me, however, that to take the next step I must apply to either a "religious studies" or "sociology of religion" PhD program. As for the distinction between the two, it seems to me that depends almost completely on the program although "sociology of religion" will generally deal with societal interactions with religion whereas "religious studies" might call for a more textual or historic approach. It seems clear to me that "sociology of religion" programs would be more up my alley.

To get to the point, my question is how my lack of applicable coursework will hurt my application. Can I redeem myself with good GRE scores, an obvious familiarity with current academic discourses and a good writing sample or is it absolutely necessary that I fill in these gaps in coursework before applying? How receptive are these programs to applicants with no sociology background? Are there programs especially receptive to the types of topics I'd like to explore?

Thank you in advance for any help!

-Marcus

[aselfmadewinter]

Might I suggest that you think about an M.A.? I know alot of people, especially in the U.S., treat the M.A. with disdain, but it not only teaches you how to do academic research, but also primes you on the current academic scope of your field. I'm Canadian, and all of our major universities here require an M.A. for PhD admission in Religious Studies, and I personally like that. My thought would be that having no academic bakground in your subject area and only a B.A. in something other than your field will probably hurt your chances of acceptance substantially, but I can't be sure if it would be the same in the U.S., and I might have no idea what it's really like.

It's quite possible, however, to get into an M.A. without much academic experience in your field, particulalry if your field is Rel Stud. I know dozens of people who have managed that. Of course, finding a funded M.A. is alot harder than finding a funded PhD, but if you find yourself unable to get into PhD programs, I'd suggest you consider an M.A.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, I'm open to it.

[Trin]

To get to the point, my question is how my lack of applicable coursework will hurt my application. Can I redeem myself with good GRE scores, an obvious familiarity with current academic discourses and a good writing sample or is it absolutely necessary that I fill in these gaps in coursework before applying? How receptive are these programs to applicants with no sociology background? Are there programs especially receptive to the types of topics I'd like to explore?

I agree with the previous poster that you should consider an MA or similar degree. I know that Harvard Divinity has some folks who are Humanist/Atheist identified doing work in that area. After all religious pluralism includes atheists. :-) I also think of UChicago as a bastion of sociological approaches, though that may be outdated. For an MA program, I would think that your statement of purpose is going to be a big factor in explaining where you've come from, what background you have, and what you plan to do within the field. The MA (or MAR, or MTS) would then give you the firepower to be admitted to a PhD program.

Edited January 19, 2011 by Trin

[pippwu]

To put it eloquently, "ditto", lol. Seriously, one of the pluses (and minuses) of our field is that many Ph.D. programs require or at least strongly recommend an M.A./M.Div., etc. I personally don't know of any current Ph.D. candidates without a masters (I'm at Duke), and could only imagine that those who are the exception were brilliant religion majors who had already studied languages, etc.

Just using my personal life and seminary experience as an example, I am a psych / poli sci major with almost zero background in religious studies, am about to finish up my M.Div. and have applied to NT programs. Similarly, many--if not most--of my peers didn't have a religious studies background. While, I'm assuming the breakdown might be somewhat different for M.A.s, it still is more than possible to go the long route (i.e. Masters then Ph.D).

YES, it will take a while, but that is the sacrifice that almost all religious studies Ph.Ds have to make unfortunately.

Good luck

ETA: I would try to be VERY sure, however, that getting a religious studies Ph.D. is your only path. Since your interests seem so interdisciplinary, I would try to take the time to sit down with advisers and professors in prospective fields, and see if there's any other type of program you might be able to apply to more easily, etc.

Edited January 19, 2011 by pippwu

[Marcone]

Wow, the people have spoken! Thank you everyone for the advice and it seems pretty clear to me now that a Masters degree is definitely the way to go. Thanks again!