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 concentration trains students in the religious histories of the Americas in order to prepare them for professional careers in Religious Studies. The curriculum is designed to serve a variety of student intellectual interests and research methodologies. Students are expected to pursue an interdisciplinary research program within one of the geographical fields of Latin America and the Caribbean or North America, develop teaching competency in the other geographical field, and work within two additional historical and/or theoretical fields, one of which may be outside of Religious Studies.