At Honors Day 2019 the Department first awarded a new annual prize, to recognize the accomplishments of our graduates — the majority of whom go on to succeed in a wide variety of fields, making evident to our current students, we hope, the wide applicability of the skills gained in our classes. Then, this past Spring, it was renamed in honor of the commitment to our student shown by our longtime Administrative Secretary, Betty Dickey, who retired on April 1, […]
Yes, it’s here: the start of another Fall semester. And, yes, we have a new video to mark the occasion, which includes the newest members of the REL faculty. It also includes an important message for this particular Fall semester: #maskup. Don’t hesitate to contact your REL professor if you have questions about your classes. And…, welcome back! […]
The anticipation is palpable, we know, for this year’s welcome back video — which hits the airwaves tomorrow morning, on the first day of the semester. But until then, take a deep breath — inhale…, exhale…, repeat — and enjoy last year’s video: a walk around some familiar spots on campus. And make sure to be checking your crimson email account or your classes’ Blackboard sites, for updates from faculty about how your classes will start off the semester. #TideTogether […]
If you’re new to REL then you may not know much about any of our traditions — such as our annual welcome back videos. Started in 2012, with a drive around town and an TV show theme song from the 1970s, they’ve progressed over the years, both as a way signal the start of a new school year and to tip our hat to the new faculty members who have joined us. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic changing the game last […]
It was indeed an odd summer, for everyone. That we all know. What you might not know is that the REL faculty, despite being home since mid-March — minimizing trips out of the house, shopping carefully, and, in some cases, spending lots of their time either homeschooling children or packing up and moving houses (whether just across town or across the country to join us here in Alabama) — have been busy working. A fair bit of that work has […]
The Department of Religious Studies is very pleased to announce that Dr. Lauren Horn Griffin is joining the faculty, as a full-time renewable Instructor, for the start of the Fall 2020 semester. Earning her Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2016, Lauren has worked full-time at the University of Oklahoma since 2016, as a digital learning designer in their Office of Digital Learning while also being a regular lecturer in their Department of Religious Studies. Her research […]
In mid-June we posted an update about the upcoming Fall classes but with the semester’s start now just two weeks away, it’s time for another update on some specific changes to REL classes. So while we certainly leave major details about re-entry to the University to communicate to students, staff, and faculty (with information found at UA’s health info site, concerning such things as the required COVID-19 testing, new conduct rules, and the required health check every three days [which […]
We’ve been getting some inquiries from friends around the country who have seen news reports on so-called COVID-19 parties hosted by some students in Tuscaloosa (as well as elsewhere in the country, according to reports). The local Fire Department’s Chief reported this to the city council the other day but now we see that it has made the national news — such as this report from yesterday morning: […]
As noted in the previous update on the Fall semester, being nimble and adaptable to changing circumstances is among the key skills students need for success this Fall, whatever university they’re attending; after all, COVID-19 continues to present very real challenges in many U.S. states, let alone countries around the world, significantly affecting the well-being of some age groups as well as people with certain risk factors; in response, such new policies as regular use of masks in classes and […]
In early June we posted an update so that everyone knew that REL’s plan for a safe and productive Fall semester was the main thing now occupying our attention. With the UA System’s recent release of it’s plan for Fall, complete with a variety of recommendations for each of UA’s three campuses, we feel that the time is right to update everyone again on what the Fall in REL may look like. […]