Category: Public Events

Posts in this category discuss the Department’s various public events — whether announcing them, providing an excerpt from a speaker’s talk, or commenting on their significance and application.


The 12th Annual Aronov Lecture

On March 4, 2014, Dr. Richard King, Professor of Buddhist and Asian Studies at the University of Kent, UK, delivered his “From Mysticism to Spirituality: Colonial Legacies and the Reformulation of ‘the Mystic East’” as the Department of Religious Studies’ 12th Annual Aronov Lecture, named after the late Aaron Aronov — the founder of Aronov Realty and the person for whom the Department’s endowed chair in Judaic studies is also named. To learn a little more about Dr. King, take a look […]

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Honors Day 2014

This past Friday, 4 April 2014, the Department of Religious Studies hosted its thirteenth Honors Day ceremony. Due to the weather, we had to move the ceremony from its usual venue on the 2nd floor balcony of Manly Hall to Alumni Hall–special thanks to them! Our event began after the Arts & Sciences Honors Day Convocation in Moody Music Hall where Prof. Russell McCutcheon (Chair of REL) recognized Outstanding Student Jared Powell and Silverstein Scholar Maggie Paul (pictured above, left […]

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The Humanities, the UK, and Southern Food

Prof. Richard King, professor of Buddhist and Asian Studies at the University of Kent, sits down to discuss his work, as well as the Humanities, higher education in the United Kingdom, and even veggie corndogs. Dr. King delivered the 12th annual Aronov Lecture, titled “From Mysticism to Spirituality: Colonial Legacies and the Reformulation of ‘the Mystic East,’” so be on the lookout for the posting of the lecture video. Also, check out this lecture getting some press in the UK. […]

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A Great Start to a New Annual Event

Yesterday evening the Department hosted its first annual REL Honors Research Symposium that showcased our undergraduates’ own independent research. Our panelists Andie Alexander (a grad of REL), Jordan Atkinson, Seth Cox, Wesley Davidson, and Katelyn Smith presented their research—most of which was produced as a final paper for different courses in the department—on varying topics ranging from history and narrative, to religious/social identification, redefinition, and inter-generational differences. […]

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Coming Soon…

On March 4, 2014 at 7:00pm in Gorgas 205, Dr. Richard King, University of Kent, will be presenting his “From Mysticism to Spirituality: Colonial Legacies and the Reformulation of ‘the Mystic East” for the 12th annual Aronov Lecture for the Department of Religious Studies. Prof. King’s work focuses on the history of European colonialism and the study of South Asian cultures, histories, and traditions. He also has a particular interest in Indian philosophical thought in the period between 200-900 CE and especially […]

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“Grad Tales” Kicks Off

Last night we kicked off a new speakers series: “There and Back Again: Grad Tales.” We’re inviting back some former REL majors, who have graduated and gone on to some interesting careers. Coz if you think that the study of religion is all about being religious, then you’ve likely never thought it might be a great preparation for being a high school teacher, a lawyer, a doctor, or maybe even starting your own business. Sure, some of them went on […]

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The Challenge of the Humanities

Over the past year, the department’s series of reflections about the relevance of the Humanities and Social Sciences left me with the impression that articulating that relevance is quite difficult. We can discuss specific research topics that we see as being relevant, and we can discuss the translation of particular skills that our students gain for different job markets, but those more immediate payoffs become hard to generalize across the different approaches and assumptions within these varied fields. […]

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Stars Upon Thars

“This so-called real world is the same place we’ve always been, of course….” So said Greg Johnson, in the close to his public lecture the other day (read the conclusion to his paper here). This is an exceedingly important point, I think; the university as a whole, and of course the Humanities in particular, are often accused of being disengaged from this real world; the privileged, “ivory tower” (a phrase we get from the Song of Solomon–hardly a working class […]

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Greg Johnson on the Real World in Real Time

On November 6, 2012, the second lecture in the 2012-13 series was presented by Prof. Greg Johnson, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder. His lecture–entitled, “In the Moment: The Relevance of the Humanities and Social Sciences for the Study of Religion in Real Time”–opened by reflecting on the “Studying Religion in Culture” motto of UA’s Department of Religious Studies and then moved on to examining the manner in which ongoing debates and legal […]

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