Ali Hval, the art major behind the Praxis Squad. Have you been reading the weekly Praxis Squad comic strips? (Of course you have.) Ever wonder who creates these academic adventures? (Again, of course.) Our latest video gives you a behind-the-scenes look at Ali, REL’s cartoonist-in-residence, and the steps she takes to bring the Praxis Squad to life. Give it a watch! An Inside Look at the Praxis Squad from UA Religious Studies. Jared precariously perches as he films Ali’s artwork for […]
Category: Religion in Culture
Posts in this category discuss how those aspects of culture known as religion can be studied in a way comparable to all other cultural practices.
“What’s this argument about?”
Yesterday we posted about a current US Supreme Court case concerning a local ordinance in Gilbert, Arizona, that curtails displaying certain signs (in the case before the court, a church sign) but not others — a case that, on first glance, might seem rather uninteresting but which, if you look again, turns out to involve principles that many would see as being at the very heart of a liberal democracy. […]
A Serious Perspective
Brittany Brooks is a senior from Midland City, Alabama, who is majoring in Religious Studies and minoring in Anthropology. She has a beautiful, lovable, four pound sister named “Eva the Diva” and enjoys the “awesomeness” that is taught in the Department. This post was originally written for Dr. Sarah Rollens’ course, REL 360: Popular Culture/ Public Humanities. The Indie film A Serious Man is a work that is fascinating, perplexing, gloomy, and funny all at the same time! It tells the story […]
A Sign of the Good News or an Eyesore?
Have you heard of the case of the church sign that local government in Arizona is trying to regulate? It’s going before the US Supreme Court today… […]
Book Review: Pollution and Religion in Ancient Rome
Pollution and Religion in Ancient Rome. Jack J. Lennon. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014. 229 pages. Mark Ortiz is a senior majoring in Religious Studies and New College with a depth study in Political Ecology. This review was written as a final project as part of Dr. Sarah Rollens’ course, REL 237: Religion and Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean World. In many societies, concepts of social order have been shaped considerably by notions of purity and pollution. According to […]
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A Pleasant Surprise: Lage Raho Munnabhai
Vincent M. Hills is a senior at the University of Alabama majoring in History and minoring in Religious Studies. This post was originally written for Dr. Rollens’ course, REL 360: Popular Culture/Public Humanities. Lage Raho Munnabhai is a prime example of the statement that “appearances can be deceiving.” What at first glance looks like a mediocre comedy ends in a film that not only provokes laughter, but also serious thought. The movie attempts to show that people, regardless of their social […]
The Rabbi and the Lawyer
Khortlan Patterson is a Junior at the University of Alabama majoring in Religious Studies and African American Studies. She is interested in education reform and minority academic achievement. This post was originally written for Dr. Rollens’ course, REL 360: Popular Culture/Public Humanities. A Serious Man is a film detailing a series of unfortunate life events of a Jewish man, Larry Gopnik. Many of us find ourselves in similar messes where we look for or actively commission others, who we consider qualified […]
Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?
How do you know it’s the year end? Well… […]
Zombieland is Your Land
Sarah Griswold is a junior double majoring in Mathematics and Religious Studies. She spends her “free time” analyzing her favorite shows on Netflix, which of course winds up ruining them. This post was originally written for Dr. Sarah Rollens’ course, REL 360: Popular Culture/Public Humanities. Stories about zombies are a fascination for many people in today’s popular culture. Beyond zombie movies and television shows, there are books, games, and even people who are preparing in real life for a threat that […]
Normalizing Surveillance By Critiquing It
So read the headline on The Washington Post‘s style blog — the article argued as follows: Ok. I admit to finding this whole elf on the shelf thing kind’a odd…. […]