Department News
Department Congratulates Two Recent Hires
The Department of Religious Studies is delighted to announce that current PhD candidate Jillian Stinchcomb and recent PhD graduate Matthew Chalmers have both accepted new positions for the coming f
Prof. Butler on Religion, Politics, and Mask-Wearing
Professor Butler wrote on political rallies, religious leadership, and the moral obligation to wear a mask over at NBC Think. Here's the way her piece starts:
New Book from Alum Leah Comeau (PhD, 2013)
PhD alum Leah Comeau (2013), Associate Professor of Religion at the University of the Sciences, has a new book with Bloomsbury Press. Here's a description:
Two Religious Studies graduate students win FLAS Fellowships
Two doctoral students in Religious Studies have won Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships for the next academic year (2020-21).
Ali Noori wins Janet Lee Stevens Award
Religious Studies doctoral student S. Ali Noori is a 2020 recipient of the Janet Lee Stevens Award.
Professor Robb at Stanford Conference "Before & Beyond Typography"
Dr. Megan Eaton Robb is speaking at a virtual conference hosted by Stanford University.
Fall 2020 - Fulfilling Undergraduate Requirements
FALL 2020 Religious Studies Courses Fulfilling Sector and Foundational Approaches
Professor Butler on "Becoming Less Racist" at the Religion News Service
Professor Butler featured as the first guest on a new series with the Religion News Service called "Becoming Less Racist: Lighting the Path to Anti-Racism." Host Simran Jeet Singh describe
Professor Thomas Interviewed at the Religious Studies Podcast
Professor Jolyon Thomas was interviewed by Brett Esaki for the Religious Studies Project Podcast.
With particular strengths in the study of Christianity, Judaism, American religions, Islam, secularism, Buddhism, and other Asian religions, the Department of Religious Studies emphasizes descriptive, historical, and theoretical approaches to the study of religion.
Upcoming Events
Dissertation Defense: Chijioke Azuawusiefe, "Nollywood and Popular Religion"
Productions of Prosperity, Gender, and the Supernatural in Nigerian Cinema
Faculty Bookshelf
Feeling Modern: The History of the Emotions in South Asia
A special issue of the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, co-edited by Megan Robb with Elizabeth Chatterjee (Queen Mary, London) and Sneha Krishnan (Oxford).
Religious Affects: Animality, Evolution, and Power
In Religious Affects, Donovan Schaefer challenges the notion that religion is inextricably linked to language and belief, proposing instead that it is primarily driven by affects.
Drawing on Tradition: Manga, Anime, and Religion in Contemporary Japan
Manga and anime (illustrated serial novels and animated films) are highly influential Japanese entertainment media that boast tremendous domestic consumption as well as worldwide distribution and a
Death before Dying: The Sufi Poems of Sultan Bahu
These 115 poems introduce readers in English to Sultan Bahu (d. 1691), a Sufi mystical poet who continues to be one of the most beloved writers in Punjabi.
The Jews: A History
The Jews: A History is a comprehensive and accessible text that explores the religious, cultural, social, and economic diversity of the Jewish people and their faith.
Wisdom as a Way of Life: Theravada Buddhism Reimagined
This wide-ranging and powerful book argues that Theravāda Buddhism provides ways of thinking about the self that can reinvigorate the humanities and offer broader insights into how to learn and how
Gathering Leaves and Lifting Words: Histories of Buddhist Monastic Education in Laos and Thailand
Gathering Leaves and Lifting Words examines modern and premodern Buddhist monastic education traditions in Laos and Thailand.
The Throne Carrier of God: The Life and Thought of ‘Ala’ ad-dawla as-Simnani
This book constitutes a comprehensive investigation of the life and teachings of one of the most famous Sufis of the Iranian world.