A core mission of Religious Studies at the University of Arizona is to foster deeper understanding of the complex religious traditions in our community and around the world. Over the years, many of our students have visited the Islamic Center of Tucson (ICT) in order to learn more about the religion of Islam. The people of the ICT have graciously welcomed our students and faculty, sharing their time and space with generosity and kindness. 

The ongoing vandalism experienced by our friends at the ICT must stop. In 2014, a petition objecting to this anti-Muslim activity near campus received over 450 signatures (and additional signatures are still welcome). Yet the harassment of our friends at the ICT has continued, and this now has received national attention with an article in the New York Times, University of Arizona Students Hurl Insults, and Litter, at Mosque in Tucson (February 16, 2016).

We encourage students and community members to engage in community and University events to learn more about the ICT and the religion of Islam. With 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, Islam is the religion of many of our students, coworkers, neighbors, and friends. 

The University of Arizona offers numerous courses through which students can learn about the diverse religion of Islam. There also are UA campus events and forums where the larger Tucson community can learn about this major world religion. For example, the UA Institute for the Study of Religion and Culture has been hosting an “Abrahamic Family Reunion” series, which is free and open to the public; the next installment of this series, focusing on Jewish, Christian, and Muslim perspectives on the Genesis story of Adam and Eve, will be held on April 27, 2016 at 4:00pm in the UA Poetry Center’s Rubel Room (1508 E Helen Street).

Photo Credit: Caitlin O'Hara for The New York Times

Professor Andrea McComb Sanchez will present "The Role of Religion in the Colonization and Consolidation of the American Southwest" at the Colonial Conquest in the Nazi East and the American West: Value and Limits of Comparative Approaches Symposium Sunday, October 11 - Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ.

The Religious Studies Program is pleased to announce the recipients of the Lionel Rombach and Ora Bretall Scholarships for 2015-2016. The scholarship amounts range from $1,000-$2,000 and are applied to the educational expenses of Religious Studies majors.

This year's awardees are (in alphabetical order by last name): John J. Bercel, Alysha Frias, Samir Madden, Kirah Mueller, Breanne Purcell, Eli Ramirez, and Mary Semon. 

These scholarships were made possible by the generous gifts of Lionel Rombach and Ora Bretall, to support students pursuing degrees in Religious Studies. 

For more information on these scholarships, including application instructions, visit https://religion.arizona.edu:443/scholarships/rombach-and-bretall-scholarships. Applications are due every November.

Photos (from left to right): Alysha Frias, JJ Bercel, Samir Madden, Mary Semon, Eli Ramirez and Breanne Purcell (Kirah Mueller not pictured). 

In Summer 2016 Religious Studies will launch "Arizona in India," a study abroad program in Mysore, India. The program will be led by Religious Studies professor Caleb Simmons and offer two courses for 6 units of UA credit.

To see program and application details see: https://international.arizona.edu/study-abroad/program/arizona-india-religion-and-life-mysore

For more information see: https://uafamily.arizona.edu/newsletter/10/2/meet-religious-studies-professor-caleb-simmons 

Dr. Peter Foley, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Director of the Institute for the Study of Religion and Culture (ISRC), and Faculty Associate in the Division for Late Medieval and Reformation Studies has been elected to the Slater Fellowship at the University of Durham in England. He will spend the Fall 2015 semester in residency at Durham Castle and working in the Cathedral Library. Specializing in the history of ideas in early modern Europe, Dr. Foley will spend his time in Durham concluding his research project on the liturgical and other sacramental theology of the Nonjuring movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Through situating the Nonjuring movement in its historical and political context, Dr. Foley will shed new light on what were to become the present day liturgies of the Episcopal Churches of Scotland and the United States.

Thomas (T.J.) Mitchell Jr., a double major in Religious Studies and PPEL (Philosophy, Politics, Economics & Law), has been awarded a full-tuition scholarship by the ASU Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. He will begin law school there in Fall 2015. T.J., who will graduate from the University of Arizona in May, has valued his experience as a Religious Studies major: “The Religious Studies program at the University of Arizona doesn’t only teach you about religion; it teaches you about people . . . . I also have gained so much more from my Religious Studies courses than just political understanding. The more cultures I studied within the Religious Studies department, the more understanding and respect I gained for the many diverse religions of the world. This respect and understanding has made me a better human being.”

In addition to double-majoring in Religious Studies and PPEL, T.J. made the most of his time as an undergraduate at UA through pursuing a wide range of leadership and work experiences, including serving as the President of Take Charge Cats, President of the University of Arizona’s Toastmasters International Chapter, and working as a law clerk for Kinerk, Schmidt & Sethi PLLC.

Tiffany Lee, a pre-med undergraduate triple majoring in Religious Studies, Creative Writing, and Nutritional Sciences, is the first recipient of the Donna Swaim International Award for Religious Studies. This award will provide funding for her to travel to Costa Rica during the summer of 2015 to participate in the Global Medcats International Program.

The Donna Swaim International Award for Religious Studies was created in honor of Dr. Swaim’s life-long service to the University and dedication to her students. The purpose of this scholarship is to enable academically-prepared Religious Studies majors to study abroad. Dr. Swaim is passionate about the life-changing experience of study abroad: "At the university we learn academically–but travel gets beyond the academic. It lets students live and experience the things they've learned in class." To donate to the Donna Swaim International Award for Religious Studies, please click here.

“I aspire to one day become a physician who practices Integrative Medicine. . . . Religious studies has helped me better critically listen to and respect the stories of cultures other than my own.” – Tiffany Lee