Philosophy of Religion

The program is designed to offer students the opportunity to study across a range of issues, thinkers and literatures encompassing both the philosophy of religion and philosophical theology. Students are expected to develop scholarly expertise in three different areas: the philosophy of religion thus broadly conceived, the history of philosophy in the West, the religious thought within a particular tradition.

Proficiency in two modern scholarly languages, normally French and German, must be shown, one before the end of the first year, the other before the beginning of the third; this may be done by passing an examination administered by the department, by accreditation from a Yale Summer School course designed for this purpose, or by a grade of A or B in one of Yale’s intermediate language courses. Mastery of the languages where needed in certain fields of study (e.g., Chinese, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese) is an additional requirement.

Students are required to take twelve courses, and this is normally done during the first two years of study. A minimum quality requirement, set by the Graduate School must be met. This stipulates that a student must earn a grade of Honors in two graduate courses. Students are expected to have the equivalent of a philosophy major in courses before entering the program. The purpose of Ph.D. course work is to solidify and deepen knowledge of the philosophy of religion, history of philosophy, and theology or thought of a religious tradition, as a foundation for taking the qualifying examinations and doing dissertation work. Students will be expected to have some familiarity with both analytic and continental traditions, although they may emphasize one more than the other. In addition to attending regular courses offered by the Department of Religious Studies, the Department of Philosophy, and other departments, students may remedy gaps in knowledge through directed readings or by auditing appropriate courses.

Courses

The teaching interests of Faculty in this field include contemporary analytic philosophy of religion (especially topics in epistemology and metaphysics), African American philosophical and religious thought, philosophical traditions of South Asia, medieval philosophies and philosophical theologies, moral theology, and modernity. Courses are offered which reflect these interests. Other areas supported by the wider faculty at Yale include Jewish philosophy, historical and systematic theology, and the history of modern philosophy.

Nature and Purpose

The qualifying examinations in Philosophy of Religion are normally taken after the conclusion of required course work and must be completed before admission to candidacy. Ordinarily, students take the examinations in their third year of residence. Preparation for the qualifying examinations is comprised of a combination of course work and supplementary individual readings. As a general rule of thumb, the student should strive for a level of knowledge and expertise such as would be required to compose and deliver advanced undergraduate lectures on the subject. The examinations are not meant to test the students’ ability as a research scholar. Course work, research papers, and the dissertation will do that. Passage of the qualifying exams is one requirement demanded of all students seeking the Ph.D., but it is not the only requirement, nor is it the most important. The dissertation is. Therefore, the exams should be kept within their proper proportions, and the following guidelines are designed to help with this.

Descriptions and Procedures

The qualifying examinations in Philosophy of Religion consist of three field examinations (in philosophy of religion; history of philosophy; and the theology/religious thought of a particular tradition) and one oral examination on the dissertation prospectus.

The field examinations may be oral or written. They are intended to be general, allowing the student to exhibit understanding of a range of literature, thinkers, and problems in three different areas.

For all three field examinations, two faculty members will work with the student to develop questions of focus and a reading list for each question. The reading list for each exam should include modern/contemporary sources as well as sources from at least two other periods (ancient, medieval, or early modern). On the history of philosophy and philosophy of religion exams, the contemporary sources should include works from both the continental and analytic traditions.

The dissertation proposal is prepared in preparation for the fourth exam. It is worked out in consultation with the faculty and submitted to the teaching group in Philosophy of Religion, several of whom will meet with the student for a colloquium to assess the scope, significance, and feasibility of the topic and the student’s preparation to accomplish it in a reasonable time. After approval by the teaching group, a two-page, single-spaced summary of the proposal is submitted to the entire graduate faculty in Religious Studies and thence, if none object, to the Dean of the Graduate School. Once accepted this prospectus becomes the basis for the eventual assessment of the completed dissertation. After acceptance of the prospectus, the student is admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. Students must be admitted to candidacy by the beginning of their seventh semester in the program.

Students normally begin writing their dissertation in the fourth year and normally will have finished by the end of the sixth. The completed dissertation must be evaluated in writing and approved by a committee of three readers and the departmental faculty. There is no oral examination on the dissertation.