Yes, the annual Manly Cup — said by some to have begun as a tag-team baking competition sometime in the late 1800s but revived only as recently as 2009 — took place last night and, while keen to maintain our journalistic objectivity, we’re sorry to report that it was a sad day in Professorville. […]
Category: Student Blog
Posts in this category are written by, or are about, undergraduate students in the Department.
Borderlands and Disenchantment: A Case Study of Assumptions
Jamie Bowman is a senior English major at the University of Alabama. She has two minors, Creative Writing and Religious Studies. She is the current President of the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society and Editor of Dewpoint, the society’s literary magazine. Beginning in the fall, she will be attending Durham University, England, to work on a Master’s of English in Literary Studies. Attending academic conferences is fun. You get to present papers, explore new places, eat great local food, […]
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Honors Day 2015
Last Friday, 3 April 2015, the Department hosted our annual Honors Day ceremony, now in its fourteenth year. The event was again held in Alumni Hall, so a big thanks to the Alumni Association for letting us use their space. As usual, our event immediately followed the Arts & Sciences Honors Day Convocation in Moody Music Hall, but with time for families and faculty to mix and mingle before the awards presentations. […]
Out in the Open: We All Fit a Certain Category
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. She is currently enrolled in an independent study with Dr. Simmons where she is analyzing the popular HBO series “True Detective.” “You know I’ve seen all the different types. We all fit a certain category.” – Marty Hart One of the great things about the Religious Studies department here at UA […]
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Advising Season Soon Arrives
Now that spring break is here, we know our students have only one thing on their minds — Fall classes! So, when classes resume after the break, we will begin our advising period in the Department; REL majors and minors, and JS minors, will need to set up a meeting with Dr. Trost (filling in for Dr. Jacobs, who is on sabbatical this semester) on the clipboard in the main office. Wondering what classes we’re offering? Well take a look […]
What We Claim to Be
Mark Ortiz is a senior double-majoring in Religious Studies and New College with a depth study in Political Ecology. He is especially interested in climate politics and that bundle of things and stuff we call “nature.” Continuing a project I recently blogged about, I decided to make use of the American Academy of Religion’s (AAR) online “Syllabus Project”: a database of syllabi submitted voluntarily by professors and teachers in the field. I was looking for “Introduction to Religious Studies” course […]
Excuse Me, You Have Something on Your Forehead
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. To get you started for some Ash Wednesday talk, enjoy some GloZell: Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten Season – the days leading up to Easter, meant to symbolize Jesus’s 40 days of temptation in the wilderness. By now, you probably have seen people with ashes on their […]
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Our Interpretive Introductory Courses
Mark Ortiz is a senior double-majoring in Religious Studies and New College with a depth study in Political Ecology. He is especially interested in climate politics and that bundle of things and stuff we call “nature.” As part of an independent study this semester, I’ve been very busy chatting to professors in the department about their approaches to teaching the introductory course in our discipline. I found this assignment especially timely, as I am slated to begin a graduate program […]
Everyone Should Major in Religious Studies (Or At Least Take the Intro Class)
Emily Vork is a sophomore from Ojai, California triple-majoring in History, Religious Studies, and American Studies. Her hobbies include eating and reading Internet comments. After declaring my second major in Religious Studies, I got asked a lot of questions from home. Whenever I’d tell someone about my new major, I’d always—without fail—receive one of two responses: “Oh, Religious Studies? That makes sense. You’re pretty religious,” or, “Religious Studies? That doesn’t make sense—I thought you were religious!” […]
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The Artistic Avenger
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 […]