A colleague at another school sent me the email that recently went out to all program unit chairs for the American Academy of Religion (AAR), our field’s largest professional association. Because the president sets a theme for the upcoming year’s annual meeting, our incoming president has written the following text to explain her choice of theme for 2016 — one that all program units are then invited to focus on, to whatever extent, in their own calls for papers. […]
Month: December 2015
It’s Been a Busy Fall for the RSSA
The life of a student does not revolve, only, around which classes to take, what books to read, writing papers and taking exams–important elements, no doubt–but the life of a student is also about meeting people, sharing ideas and, yes, having fun. The Religious Studies Student Association (RSSA) knows how to do all these and here is the proof. […]
“And Yet They Thought That We Had an Organic, Genetic Loyalty to the Emperor…”
Still wondering about the relevance of a liberal arts degree, in general, or of taking a course in the academic study of religion in particular — where, among other things, we examine the various ways that people define religion, such as essentialism, which posits a necessary and universal inner identity to all things defined as religious…? Well, if you are, then take a look at the headlines these days and maybe you’ll see some application of the skills you’ve acquired […]
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The Long Argument Over Religious Freedom
One of the major themes in my REL 241: American Religious History course this semester has been “religious liberty.” What our class has seen over and over again is that religious freedom isn’t really about religion or freedom. More often, arguments over “religious liberty,” “religious freedom,” or “freedom of conscience” are really arguments about governance, structures, and the individual. […]
You Ain’t No Conservative, Bruv
Did you see the video of the man arrested after he attacked people in a London subway with a knife? “You ain’t no Muslim, bruv!” declared an onlooker. Or, did you hear how Paul Ryan responded to Donald Trump’s call to ban Muslims from entering the United States? “This is not conservatism,” he said into the cameras. I think Amber Phillips is right in her analysis of these two statements in her blog post at The Washington Post. These moments of […]
Exam Week
A “Hipster’s” Introduction to the Study of Religion
I’m writing this post during the office hours of my first REL100 course, “Introduction to the Study of Religion.” During the term, my 150 students were introduced to something they clearly did not expect: the study of religion. What did they expect? Something about this… […]
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No More Pencils, No More Books…
Fall classes are over today–congrats! So good luck on your essays and exams. […]
Advice on Successful Essay Writing
Given that we’re once again on the verge of exam time, and many REL students are now beginning to write their end-of-term papers, we thought we’d offer this helpful 11-step plan for crafting the ideal essay. 1. Get Inspired […]
A Word with Our Majors
The REL film crew recently caught up with a few of our majors around Manly Hall. We talked a bit about the classes they’re taking now, as well as what’s in store for them next semester. Watch the video to find out what they had to say! A Word with Our Majors from UA Religious Studies. […]