News

Donna Swaim, a revered teacher and mentor whose 50-year University of Arizona career stretched broadly across campus, from humanities to medicine to athletics, and included trips to dozens of countries for student study abroad, has passed away. She…

Professor Daisy Vargas was interviewed by the Religion News Service for the following article about the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court.   Amy Coney Barrett nomination fight leaves progressive Catholics…

The Department of Religious Studies and Classics is excited to offer support to students who would like to begin their study of Ancient Greek this winter!   Greek 101- Elementary Classical Greek I will be available fully online…

Fulfill some of your General Education with Religious Studies. Tier I Traditions and Cultures, Diversity Emphasis RELI 160A1 Gods, Goddesses & Demons RELI 160D4 Intro to World Religions   Tier II Humanities, Diversity Emphasis RELI…

In June 2020, Religious Studies lecturer Konden Smith Hansen won the “Best First Book” prize from the Mormon History Association for his recent book, Frontier Religion: Mormons and America, 1857-1907. Frontier Religion examines the dramatic…

Professor Kristy Slominski was recently interviewed by the podcast Straight White American Jesus in an episode called “Sexless Ed: The Orange Wave.” In it, she describes the role of evangelical leaders from southern California, such as Tim LaHaye,…

In Fall 2020, Corey Wegwert, a former University of Arizona Religious Studies major, joined the Master of Arts in Religious Studies Program at Duke University. He will be pursuing study on the intersection of race, gender, and class within American…

Three professors in the Department of Religious Studies and Classics have been promoted, demonstrating excellent performance in teaching, service and research.  Courtney Friesen is promoted from Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and…

By Caleb Simmons, Associate Professor of Religious Studies To say the least, this year has been difficult. COVID-19 and the restrictions that have resulted because of the pandemic have certainly changed all of our lives. Many have lost and…

Caleb Simmons, an internationally recognized scholar in South Asian Studies, is receiving a University of Arizona Early Career Scholars Award.   Simmons, just promoted to tenured Associate Professor of Religious Studies, joined the faculty…

The Department of Religious Studies and Classics is happy to announce the winners of the Lionel Rombach and Ora Bretall Awards for the 2019-2020 academic year.  Awardees for the Ora Bretall Award are (alphabetical by last name): Crysta Lynn…

The Fred and Barbara Borga Award was established in honor of Fred and Barbara Borga through the generosity of their son Ross Schwartzberg. The award supports outstanding undergraduate students at the University of Arizona who are…