After Spring break there’s plenty happening in REL.

Apart from the American Examples workshop, mentioned in a post yesterday, on the first Monday back, starting at 10 am, we have our annual button event, just in time for the upcoming registration for Fall classes (which opens on Mon, Mar. 25). Once again, Prof. Newton is at the helm and he’d love to see you stop buy, hand out a few buttons and some info on classes. The REL tent will be set up adjacent to Manly Hall, in the usual spot.

On March 27, from 7-9 pm, Grad Tales returns, with REL grad Chris Hurt being interviewed by REL grad Justin Nelson (and member of REL’s Alum Liaison Committee). Chris, a 2008 grad, has a day job, sure, but is also actively pursuing a career in music, out in LA, with the Jamestown Pagans. More info about our event here. Or catch him on lead vocals and keyboard here:

Then, on Friday, April 5, we have our annual Honors Day ceremony on the second floor balcony of Manly Hall; it begins right after A&S’s convocation, in Moody Music Hall, ends, so we’ll start things around noon. All majors and minors in the Department are invited; there’ll be food, awards (including a new annual award), some grads will be attending, and faculty will all be there. So we hope you can join us. (Yes, we made a video back in 2016…)

And the week after that we have our annual Aronov Lecture, with Prof. Tim Jensen visiting Alabama from Denmark. He’s the President of the International Association for the History of Religions, the only international academic society in the field, so come hear his public lecture, at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 9, and you may see him in one of your classes as well, visiting as a guest lecturer. More info here. Or listen to Tim, below, discussing the role played by the IAHR’s scholarly journal, Numen (published in The Netherlands)

There’s also some coffees planned, an RSSA dinner, and, of course, the annual Manly Cup competition with students facing off against faculty (what will it be this year…?), so stay tuned for more info.