Charge
The Applied Religious Studies Committee seeks to open up discussion of the diversity of career opportunities for scholars of religion, acknowledging that there are many pathways into and out of the PhD. This committee will pay particular attention to discussing the ways in which graduate education in religious studies, theology, and the humanities more broadly prepares scholars for and enhances practice of a variety of non-faculty careers. The committee seeks to foster conversation about diverse career paths outside of the academy within the context of the wide variety of reasons that scholars might choose to pursue such work, acknowledging but also looking beyond the challenging academic job market. It also seeks to explore ways that faculty, institutions, and the AAR can enhance support of scholars both as they explore and after they have entered non-faculty careers. Finally, it also seeks to ask how such scholars may be especially suited to contribute to a broader public understanding of religion.