AREA FACULTY

VOLNEY P. GAY
Professor of Religious Studies; Professor of Psychiatry; Professor of Anthropology
Graduate School, College of Arts and Science, School of Medicine

JACO HAMMAN
Associate Professor of Religion, Psychology, and Culture
Director of the Program in Theology and Practice

BARBARA J. MCCLURE
Assistant Professor of Religion, Psychology, and Culture
Graduate School, Divinity School

BONNIE J. MILLER-McLEMORE
E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Religion, Psychology, and Culture
Graduate School, Divinity School

 

AFFILIATED FACULTY

DALE P. ANDREWS
Distinguished Professor of Homiletics, Social Justice and Practical Theology
Graduate School, Divinity School

SANDRA BARNES
Professor of Sociology of Religion, Professor of Human and Organizational Development
Graduate School, Peabody College

PAUL R. DOKECKI
Professor of Psychology
Graduate School, Peabody College

KEITH MEADOR
Professor of Preventative Medicine, Professor of Psychiatry
Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society

GRAHAM RESIDE
Executive Director and Assistant Professor of Sociology of Religion,
Cal Turner Program in Moral Leadership for the Professions;
Graduate School, Divinity School

 

CLINICAL FACULTY

EVON FLESBERG
Assistant Professor of the Practice of Pastoral Counseling
Divinity School

BRUCE VAUGHN
Assistant Professor of the Practice of Pastoral Counseling
Divinity School

 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Revised 09/2012
 
PURPOSE

The objective of the program in Religion, Psychology, and Culture (RPC) is to provide advanced study for students in religion and the psychological sciences in preparation for careers in teaching and scholarship. The program includes the study of theories and dynamics of personality, the praxis and theory of pastoral theology and care, and critical and constructive reflection on the methods and substance of both theology and psychology. Students are expected to develop competence in understandings of the human person in the social sciences and religion. Students pursue a variety of vocational interests in academic, ecclesial, and public agency settings. In order to pursue work in RPC, students must have general knowledge in religion, history of religious thought, scriptural study, systematic and contemporary theology, ethics, and philosophy, either through prior course work (B.A., M.A., M.Div., or M.T.S.) or courses taken after enrollment in the Ph.D. If students enter with 24 hours or less of such work, they should expect Ph.D. course work to be somewhat lengthened.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

Successful completion of the program requires work in four areas. Students must 1) satisfy course work; 2) satisfy language examinations; 3) pass qualifying examinations; and 4) complete and defend a dissertation.

Students are assigned an advisor who meets with them during registration, oversees transfer credit and annual review of progress, and arranges pre-exam and oral exam meetings. As students prepare for exams and organize their Ph.D. committee, they are free to choose a new advisor as first reader and dissertation director based on research interests.

COURSE WORK

Courses require students to gain knowledge and competence in three areas: empirical or hermeneutical social scientific study of religious experience; practical and pastoral theology, care, and counseling; and interdisciplinary studies in religion, personality, and culture. As part of the 72 hours of course work completed over approximately five semesters, students must take 24 hours in RPC. Students must also have a minimum of 12 hours total in two minor areas, one internal to the Graduate Department of Religion (GDR) and the other outside the GDR in a social science, such as psychology, anthropology, or sociology (6 hours minimum in each area). RPC works closely with other areas of study and departments (e.g., Ethics, Theological Studies, Historical Studies, and History and Critical Theories of Religion within the GDR and social science departments of Vanderbilt University and Peabody College of Human Education and Development).

Exposure to clinical pastoral psychotherapeutic practice is another distinctive component of the program. A clinical seminar for 6 hours credit, involving clinical practice, reading, and presentation of clinical work in rotation with peers, is required during the first four semesters of residency, directed by qualified clinicians and faculty. Students make their own arrangement for clinical work based on interests and desires. Further training can be pursued through a variety of area institutions, such as the Peabody College of Human Education and Development (M. Ed. in Counseling), Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee (American Association of Pastoral Counseling certification), Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program (co-sponsored by the Nashville Psychoanalytic Group and the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute). Work in chaplaincy and medical ethics can be pursued through area health care institutions and Clinical Pastoral Education programs and through Vanderbilt's Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society.

During the first two years, students take 9-12 hours each semester, often comprised of two RPC courses, one course in a minor area, and the Clinical Seminar. All GDR students are required to take The Study of Religion in their first semester and the Practicum in the Teaching of Religion before serving as a Teaching Assistant in their second year. The remaining hours for completion of the degree (approximately 30 hours) are met through additional course work as needed, transfer credit, or dissertation hours.

In the spring semester of the first and second year, students meet with RPC faculty to review their progress and future plans. Prior to meeting, students prepare and circulate among faculty a list of courses taken, research papers, clinical work, and other information relevant to progress. By the second semester of study, students must have met one language requirement, begun course work in at least one minor area, and explored dissertation topics. By the fourth semester, students must have met second language requirement; they should also identify faculty willing to oversee the minor area exams and an initial dissertation topic and question.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

The GDR requires research competence in two languages, the first demonstrated upon matriculation and the second demonstrated by first day of 3rd semester. At least one of these must be a modern language (normally French, German, or Spanish). RPC students often meet the second language requirement through a social science research method, such as statistics or qualitative research (e.g., a graduate course passed with a B or better) but this can also be met through a second modern language, a biblical or ancient European language, a non-European language, or the student's native language (if not English). For research method courses offered on the university campus, see http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/research_methods/

QUALIFYING EXAMINATIONS

RPC qualifying examinations are usually taken in the summer or fall after the third year of study and must be taken within four years from admission. They are administered over a period of two weeks three times a year (October, March, and August; the GDR publishes the specific dates). Prior to taking exams, students must have completed four semesters of study and at least 36 hours of course work, satisfied the language requirements, and completed the minor area exams.

Six months prior to exams, students petition to take them, meeting with RPC faculty to review preparation, discuss required bibliography, and finalize the Ph.D. Committee.

Prior to the meeting, students circulate to faculty:

1. An account of preparation (e.g., courses, research papers, clinical work)
2. A brief abstract on the two minor area exams
3. If desired, an initial list of additional books, themes, and questions for each exam

Item 3 is optional and can be submitted any time up to one month prior to exams and might include the following:

1. A brief list (5-7) of scholars and books for each exam area that you have read that are not on the current exam list but you know well and would like to include (this allows you to include books used in doctoral courses not on current lists)
2. Themes in each exam area for which you have particular interest/expertise
3. Sample questions for each exam from which faculty might draw to write their exam questions

Exams are given in five areas: (1) Pastoral and Practical Theology; (2) Religion, Personality, and Culture; (3) Methods in Religion, Psychology, and Culture; (4) GDR minor; and (5) Social Science minor. Requirements for the first three are met through three written exams taken during the exam period. Requirements for the minor area exams are met through work approved by a faculty in the minor area of study prior to the exam period. Minor exams are negotiated by the student with particular faculty in each minor area (often a major research paper or written exam that builds on course work in the minor area and that may contribute to dissertation research). Minor exam grades are due in the GDR office and to the area director prior to the written exams.

An oral exam with the Ph.D. Committee occurs within two weeks after the written exams and focuses on the written exams and on a draft of the dissertation proposal submitted to the PhD committee prior to the meeting.

NOTE: There are two Ph.D. committees that are not always the same: the first oversees exams (minor exams and RPC exams) and the second oversees the dissertation. Final decisions about the latter do not have to be made until you are in the process of submitting your dissertation proposal after exams. Prior to exams, we simply need to have a general idea about who you anticipate will serve on your dissertation committee, especially as first and second readers.

DISSERTATION

After passing exams, students develop a final proposal for the dissertation according to GDR standards. The proposal is prepared in consultation with first reader, reviewed in a meeting of the Ph.D. Committee, and then submitted to the GDR for approval. Once the GDR approves the proposal, a student becomes a candidate for the degree.

Important questions to consider in defining the proposal are:

1. What is the problem addressed by the dissertation?
2. What is the primary question and thesis?
3. What is the methodological approach to the problem and project?
4. Is the project sufficiently focused?
5. Are there ample resources for pursuing the project in a reasonable time?
6. Does the dissertation make a significant contribution to the field?
7. Does the dissertation have prospects for future publication?

The dissertation must be completed within four years from exams. An oral defense before the committee and open to the public is conducted upon completion of the dissertation.

NOTE: These guidelines supplement The Bulletin of Vanderbilt University Graduate School and "The Guidelines of the Graduate Department of Religion." Students are expected to meet the common requirements of the program in these publications.

Students in Religion, Psychology, and Culture are eligible for fellowships in Theology and Practice.

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