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Modern Thought and Literature
Modern Thought and Literature (MTL) is an interdisciplinary graduate program directed by faculty in art history, English, media studies, comparative literature, and law, among others. The program, which explores critical approaches to modernity, supports research in literature, film, popular culture, technology, ideology, and more.
MTL students are trained in literary and cultural studies as well as disciplines such as anthropology, gender studies, or sociology. The program expects that many of its alumni will go on to become innovative teachers and scholars in all areas of the humanities.
Graduate joint degree offered: JD/PhD
Religious Studies
Stanford’s Department of Religious Studies provides a range of perspectives on the history, literature, thought, and practice of religious traditions. In addition to housing core faculty with strengths in the study of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism, the department collaborates with a number of programs on campus. These include the Department of Philosophy, the Ho Center for Buddhist Studies, the Taube Center for Jewish Studies, the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, and the Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies.
The department also supports the study of languages needed to understand sacred texts and interpretive traditions, as well as research at Stanford’s overseas centers, where religions can be observed and experienced in their appropriate cultural contexts.
View highlights of the religious studies department's undergraduate offerings.