Some students have been asking me about my Fall REL 440/REL 512. The course will enroll both REL undergrads, via a course devoted to Theories of Religion, and grad students, in a course on Debates in Method & Theory. The specific debate that we’ll be focusing on — as the required book above should make clear (click the image to learn more about it) — is how to define religion. And the theories of religion part…? Well, definitions are theories […]
Developing insights into how the world works and skills to engage the digital age are central for student who adds double major in Religious Studies. […]
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What happens when a Criminology and Criminal Justice major takes a Religious Studies class? Well, forDrake Jones, a new major and new perspectives were in store. Drake, one of our majors expecting to graduate this fall (and a trombone player in the Million Dollar Band), came to REL for Dr. Richard Newton’s African Diaspora class in the Spring of 2023. With this class, he contributed significantly to the ongoing effort to digitize and analyze data related to the Decoding Diaspora […]
Read More from Unexpected Paths to Intended Outcomes: Using Digital Tools in Religious Studies
Rhodes Berry learned to analyze and compose arguments as an REL major and those skills have been instrumental in his success as an Air Force lawyer. […]
Read More from From REL Undergrad to an Air Force Major: Learning to Analyze and Construct Arguments
Her MA in Religious Studies helped prepare for working with international students with organizing logistics and promoting education about difference […]
Ellie Dilworth interviewed Maddie Brodbeck about how religious studies is useful on Capitol Hill. […]
Read More from Taking REL to Washington: A student’s experience on Capitol Hill
Digging into information on social media creates a more complicated image about careers and earning potential for various majors. […]
Taylor Swift’s concert tour has generated significant attention with heartwarming stories of supportive parents, marriage proposals, and the like, along with lots of memes. One author compared the experience with group singing in worship settings, calling the concert “The Church of Taylor Swift”. The post certainly touches on an important element within both Taylor Swift concerts and congregational worship, the experience of group singing. However, thinking critically about who creates the comparison, based on what assumptions, and for what ends […]
Why pursue an MA in the humanities when the chances of securing a tenure track position with a PhD are so low? That is a common question that students and faculty grapple with in the current university context. Helping students prepare for both their future and the myriad ways that they can contribute to society needs to be emphasized, which is something that we take seriously in the MA in Religion in Culture program at Alabama. Last Monday in Denver, […]
Judah Siekkinen is a graduating MA student in REL, who earned his BA from Youngstown State University (in Religious Studies & Geography). On March 15, 2022, I had the privilege to advocate for federal funding for the Humanities on behalf of the state of Alabama. The event was organized by the National Humanities Alliance (NHA). The NHA works to fund various Humanities organizations, most notably the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH). I advocated alongside a colleague from Samford University […]