Have you seen this article, from Canada’s National Post…? It opens as follows: A London, Ont., university is defending its decision to restrict access to a course that teaches Muslims how to proselytize. The Huron College course — The Muslim Voice: Islamic Preaching, Public Speaking and Worship — was, according to the syllabus, “open to Muslim men and women who offer religious leadership and/or speak publicly about Islam on behalf of their communities.” While I have no doubt that there’s […]
Dispatch from a UK Classroom
A friend in the UK on Facebook just posted this newspaper article for what seems to be a new series, “Academic Anonymous” — “where academics can tell it like it is”– entitled: Teaching Religion: My Students are Trying to Run My Course Not a few academics in the UK now feel rather frustrated, what with a variety of changes in higher education funding brought about recently by the government there — issues not unfamiliar on this side of the Atlantic, […]
Backstory: Prof. Michael J. Altman
“Backstory” is a series that asks the REL Faculty to tell us a little bit about themselves, to explore how they became interested in the academic study of religion and their own specialty, elaborating on their current work both within and outside the University. Where are you from? I moved around a few times when I was a kid but always in the South. I was born in Virginia and lived in Florida and Georgia briefly growing up. But most […]
Backstory: Prof. Sarah Rollens
“Backstory” is a series that asks the REL Faculty to tell us a little bit about themselves, to explore how they became interested in the academic study of religion and their own specialty, elaborating on their current work both within and outside the University. Where are you from? This is a great question! Whenever anyone asks me this, I always wonder what they hope my answer will clarify for them about me, because it’s not a simple answer. I was […]
Backstory: Prof. Merinda Simmons
“Backstory” is a series that asks the REL Faculty to tell us a little bit about themselves, to explore how they became interested in the academic study of religion and their own specialty, elaborating on their current work both within and outside the University. Where are you from? Tampa, FL. I grew up celebrating what I took to be my “Southern heritage” of strong coffee, palm trees, and red beans and rice. When I moved to Alabama after a stint […]
Making Cents
Every now and then you hear about a really large, anonymous tip that’s been left for a server — here’s a story (including video) from the other day on this very topic, from nearby Knoxville, TN. Of course, it’s hard for a scholar of religion not to hear things we commonly call religious scattered all throughout this story, like the Jesus has blessed us and we were led to give it to you. God Bless! note that accompanied the tip, […]
Backstory: Prof. Steve Jacobs
“Backstory” is a series that asks the REL Faculty to tell us a little bit about themselves, to explore how they became interested in the academic study of religion and their own specialty, elaborating on their current work both within and outside the University. From where do you hail? I was born in Baltimore, MD., grew up in Silver Spring, MD, just outside of Washington, DC, and lived ~ 7 minutes from the University of Maryland, which is why I […]
But Was It Worth It?
A new report has just been released by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAUP) — the press release opens as follows: […]
Personalized Reading Experiences
Like a lot of academics, I’m sure, I got this email the other day, from a textbook publisher doing its best — like all those MOOC providers and other eBook developers — to create the impression of a need. Funny, but I thought we’d already invented a way to have an individualized reading experience. […]
What Does “Omaha!” Mean?
Photo: Craig Hawkins via Flickr Peyton Manning loves Omaha. Or at least the Denver Broncos quarterback loves to yell “OMAHA!” just before the start of a play. Omaha is just one of the many words he and other quarterbacks yell just before the ball is snapped. Sometimes these words are audibles, quick changes of the play the team is about to run. Sometimes they are meaningless verbiage meant to confuse the other team. […]