We asked the faculty what they were up to this summer; after all, just because the Spring semester is done doesn’t mean they’re all off gardening. And so this is what we learned… Prof. Touna who is already in Thessaloniki, Greece, on a research leave, will spend the summer there where she will continue reading, writing and doing research for her new book project “Locating the Past.” The research (supported by two research awards: the CARSCAand the RGC) involves interviews, archival research […]
Tag: Vaia Touna
REL’s Present Past Book Event
REL had its inaugural faculty book event last night, at Ernest & Hadley Booksellers, here in downtown Tuscaloosa. […]
Pagan Rites in Space
Yes, cosmonauts apparently all pee on the back right tire of the bus that carries them to the launch pad, before they take off. At least the guys do; but the ladies are said to bring a vial of urine to pour on the tire. It’s a ritual. […]
Meet our Peer Mentors
This semester the Department of Religious Studies is proud to announce that we have teamed up with several students from various departments across campus to form our inaugural Peer Mentor Program (coordinated by Professor Touna). Because these students excelled in their REL Core course last semester, they will be available to help students in two of our survey courses this semester: REL 100 (sections 001 and 002) and REL 102. […]
REL Peer Mentor Program Launched
This semester we’re trying something new in REL — we’ve developed a peer mentoring program whereby a small number of students who excelled last semester in a 100-level course are being invited to stay involved in the same course this semester, as a peer mentor. For we tend to think that studying by yourself, especially when you find the course challenging, isn’t the most effective strategy. […]
The #GradTales Audience: Reflections From Current Students
As you may be familiar one of our events here in REL is the Grad Tales Event: Here and Back Again. The department invites a former REL major to talk about their experience before and after graduation, in hopes that they can help current students think not only about their place in the university but also how to make the best out of it; to think creatively about the courses they take in the humanities in general, and how to put […]
Read More from The #GradTales Audience: Reflections From Current Students
Getting to Know RSSA
The REL film crew just caught up with the officers of the Religious Studies Student Association to learn what the club is all about. Watch the video to see what they had to say–trust us, you don’t want to miss out on the fun events going on around here! RSSA Student Video from UA Religious Studies. […]
A Brief Chat with Prof. Touna
The Department recently hired Vaia Touna as a new tenure-track faculty member. As has become our tradition with new hires, the REL film crew sat down for a brief interview with her. Give it a watch to learn about Prof. Touna, and be sure to say hello when you see her around Manly Hall. Have You Met Prof. Touna? from UA Religious Studies. […]
“Welcome Back…”
It’s become a bit of a tradition here in REL to have a Welcome Back video at the beginning of each new school year. You’ve probably seen past years’ videos recently making the rounds on our social media sites; but now the wait for this year’s video is finally over. So, as everyone settles in for another year, the REL faculty have just one thing to say: Welcome Back 2015 from UA Religious Studies. P.S. You’ll surely notice some new […]
REL Announces a New Hire
The Department of Religious Studies is very pleased to announce that it has now finalized another new hire: Vaia Touna, who works on ancient and modern Greek identity, as examples of wider issues in identity studies, will begin as a tenure-track Assistant Professor, in August 2015. Vaia is currently completing her dissertation in the academic study of religion at the University of Alberta, entitled “The Politics of ‘Greek Identity’: Discourses on the Religious Self and Tradition”; she has also earned […]