Justin Mutter: Rhodes Scholar
Name: Justin Mutter
Graduation Date: May 2003
Major: B.A. in Modern Studies and Religious Studies
What activities did you participate in while you were at the University?
Echols Seminar facilitator, Sigma Chi fraternity (Vice-President), Raven Society
Why did you decide to pursue a Rhodes Scholarship?
Mostly through the encouragement of mentors—academic and otherwise—as well as of family and friends. UVa has always been a richly supportive community, and I was deeply grateful for the help and advice of Nicole Hurd and Bill Wilson before and during the process of application. At the time of my decision to pursue the Rhodes, I had begun a second year of work in rural Haiti for Partners in Health (PIH). My experience in Haiti had extended my desire to further explore issues in global religion, international politics, and social justice in postcolonial settings. Oxford University provides an excellent academic milieu in which to engage these interests, and the Rhodes was an exciting means of trying to achieve those ends.
What do you plan to pursue after completing your masters degree at Oxford?
I have applied to expand my masters work (a one-year degree) into the doctoral program in Oxford’s Faculty of Theology. My proposed doctoral studies will focus on questions in comparative religion, political theory, and socio-economic human rights, with an eye especially to the writings of central religious figures in postcolonial movements in political Islam and in Latin American liberation theologies. After finishing my D.Phil, I hope to attend law school, with the intent of eventually working in international political bodies on issues concerning religious pluralism, international law, and human rights.