Department Overview
CIIS’ Women's Spirituality department offers a transdisciplinary, multicultural, and socially-engaged approach to the study of feminism, gender, spirituality, religion, and social justice.
The Women Spirituality programs at CIIS are rooted in deep exploration as a means to create extraordinary change. We help imagine a new way of existing on the planet that centers connection to humans, animals, land, and spirit.
Our curriculum incorporates scholarship from women and gender studies, ethnic studies, religious studies, philosophy, and other related fields. We do not espouse a singular spiritual framework or approach to feminism, rather, we support students in undertaking their own rigorous inquiry both within and beyond these fields.
Our graduates pursue a unique interdisciplinary curriculum which prepares them for professional careers in academia and research, teaching and education, coaching and counseling, media, and entrepreneurship. Our innovative and diverse faculty pursue research interests in the three areas of the curriculum: Women and World Religions; Feminist and Ecofeminist Philosophy and Activism; and Women's Mysteries, Sacred Arts, and Healing.
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Our Approach
Our transdisciplinary coursework combines gender studies and social justice. Students explore spiritual traditions, historical movements, and philosophy from a variety of disciplines to craft a vision for a different world that supports alternative ways of knowing.
We invite students to examine and articulate their spiritual growth and transformation, integrating a reflection of personal spiritual values with a commitment to social transformation. Together we explore collective understanding of the human condition through a facilitated sharing of personal experiences that encourage us to reexamine assumptions of privilege in the dominant paradigm(s).
Our core and adjunct faculty represent and support diverse spiritual traditions, academic disciplines, artistic practices, ethnic and cultural groups, class perspectives, countries of origin, family composition, and sexual orientations and identities.
Upon completion of our doctorate or master’s degree, students will be able to critically articulate their positionality within various communities, histories, and cultures, while analyzing relative privilege, power, oppression, and marginalization within various local and global communities.
Women's Spirituality in Higher Education
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How to Apply
Application Open Dates
Apply for Spring 2023 starting September 15, 2022 - see a list of spring-admitting programs.
Apply for Fall 2023 starting November 15, 2022 - all programs accept fall applications.
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Questions? Contact us.
We are here to help! If you have any questions about applying to a program or registering for an Info Session, please reach out to the Admissions Office.
