Nathan Loewen

Nathan R. B. Loewen

Associate Professor |
A&S Faculty Technology Liaison

Office Hours

Please contact me by email or telephone to arrange an appointment.

Research Groups

Global-Critical Philosophy of Religion

Routledge Research Series in Religion and International Development

Education

  • PhD, Modern Philosophy of Religion, McGill University

Research Areas

  • Philosophy of Religion
  • Digital Pedagogy
  • Modern Religious Thought

Bio

Nathan Loewen, who began in REL as of January 1, 2015, earned his PhD in Modern Philosophy of Religion at McGill University’s Faculty of Religious Studies. Prior to coming to UA he taught at McGill University (2005-2009) and in the Department of Humanities at Vanier College (2009-14), both of which are in Montreal, Canada.

Dr. Loewen has two primary areas of research and publication. One focuses on globalizing discourses within the philosophy of religion, and the other analyzes the emerging confluence between Religious Studies and Development Studies.

A third area of interest for him is critical digital pedagogy–how today’s students might critically analyze the structure and function of digital platforms that are being used in higher education. His work in this area focuses on innovations that enable teachers and classes to reflect upon how they engage not only with each other but also with wider circles of scholars and various publics on both local and global contexts.

It is this last research focus that has led to his role as Faculty Technology Liaison for the College of Arts and Sciences. He assists A&S faculty in the processes of revising or developing online courses, manages the Teaching Hub for College programming in teaching and professional development, supports excellence in teaching and learning (such as Quality Enhancement Planning and the Online Learning Innovation Summit) and participates in technology committees across campus.

Dr. Loewen most recently published Beyond the Problem of Evil: Derrida and Anglophone Philosophy of Religion, where he considers how Derrida’s treatment of evil (le mal) might assist the work of historicizing the discourse on evil within the philosophy of religion.

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Courses Taught

  • REL 100 Introduction to Religious Studies
  • REL 220 Survey of Asian Religions
  • REL 237 Self, Society and Religion: Religious Existentialism
  • REL 490 Problems of Evil

Selected Publications