GTU Voices - A Crossroads of Interreligious, Interdisciplinary Solutions

My research lies at the intersection of a number of different disciplines within religious studies and the environmental humanities—from environmental justice and philosophy, to critical race theory and postcolonial studies—and so the access to so many fields of study and faculty resources through the member schools and centers of the GTU is truly unparalleled.

One of the things I have valued most about my time at the GTU is constantly being surrounded by a wide range of diverse and exciting scholarship. When I began looking at doctoral programs (a few years ago now) I remember being drawn to the GTU’s focus on interdisciplinary research and learning. From class discussions with fellow students doing broad and dynamic work in religious and theological studies to one-on-one conversations with professors whose expertise includes many different areas of concentration, I constantly find myself growing in my scholarship and challenged in my own studies. In short, a graduate education with an interdisciplinary focus and interreligious learning is exactly what I have found at the GTU.

My own research lies at the intersection of a number of different disciplines within religious studies and the environmental humanities—from environmental justice and philosophy, to critical race theory and postcolonial studies—and so the access to so many fields of study and faculty resources through the member schools and centers of the GTU is truly unparalleled. Similarly, the GTU’s proximity to UC Berkeley’s campus and access to courses and library materials at one of the top public universities in the country—and one engaged in  some of the most dynamic work being done in environmental studies—is an important and useful resource. With new programs in development at the GTU such as the Sustainability 360 Initiative, few institutions are as well positioned to be at the forefront of a growing discourse looking to interreligious solutions for the global ecological crisis.

There is a need now more than ever for rigorous and compassionate scholarship that is both interreligious and interdisciplinary. That the GTU continues to advance this kind of research makes it an exciting time to study here.