Religious Studies Capstone Research Presentations

When
11 a.m., May 5, 2016
Where
Modern Languages Building Room 371

The Department of Religious Studies and Classics invites you to attend a public presentation of the Religious Studies capstone student’s research.

When: Thursday, May 5th from 6-7:50 pm

Where: Modern Languages Building, Rm 371

These presentations mark the culmination of the Religious Studies Capstone course. As part of the course requirement our majors pursue a research topic of their own design. This requires them to pick a topic of interest, conduct intensive research, and write a formal paper. These presentations are the result of this semester-long project. Please come support our majors as they share their research!

Presenters:

Samantha Stacey Balber, “Hybrid Holidays: The Appropriation of Judaism in Y'Shua's Name”

JJ Bercel, “Imperial-Way Zen: A Means For Propagation”

Kat Hermanson, “Deployments and Disruptions of the Secular/Religious Binary in LDS Rhetoric”

Regina Sue Laine, “Christian Mysticism: Contemporary Thought on Medieval Female Mysticism”

Samir Madden, “Disability: A Sign of Sanctity or Sin or Neither?”

Kirah Mueller, “How Philosophical Changes Affect Popular Religion: A Look at Faith and Reason”

Zachary Yee, "Honoring Our Ancestors: Developing Asian American Protestant Theologies" 

2016 Donna Swaim International Awardees

April 21, 2016

This year, the Donna Swaim International Award for Religious Studies will fund two Religious Studies majors participating in the 2016 Arizona in India study abroad program, led by Religious Studies Professor Caleb Simmons. The two Swaim Award recipients are Religious Studies majors JJ Bercel and Alejandra Fisher.

To donate to the Donna Swaim International Award for Religious Studies, please click here. 

Naked in the Garden of Eden: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Perspectives

When
9 a.m., April 27, 2016
Where
UA Poetry Center

Naked in the Garden of Eden: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Perspectives

Institute for the Study of Religion and Culture (ISRC) Abrahamic Family Reunion Series (Free and Open to the Public)

Dr. Karen Borek, Dr. Scott Lucas, and Rabbi Sanford Seltzer, moderated by Dr. Alison Jameson

Wednesday, April 27, 4:00pm

UA Poetry Center

1508 E. Helen St.

AAR/WR Plenary Address

When
12 p.m., April 2, 2016
Where
Modern Languages Building 350

Haunted America: Reading the Spiritual Turn

Plenary Lecture for the American Academy of Religion-Western Region Annual Conference (Lecture Free and Open to the Public)

Dr. Tracy Fessenden, the Steve and Margaret Forster Professor of Comparative Mythologies on the Faculty of Religious Studies at Arizona State University

Saturday, April 2, 7:00pm 

UA Modern Languages Building 350

  • Anyone who would like to attend the full conference of the American Academy of Religion-Western Region, to be held on the campus of the University of Arizona on April 1-3, can register at https://www.aarwr.com/annual-meetings.html.  

AAR/WR Plenary Address Flyer

The University of Arizona Religious Studies Faculty’s Response to the Vandalism of the Islamic Center of Tucson (ICT)

Feb. 18, 2016

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

2015-16 Rombach and Bretall Scholarships Awardees

Jan. 7, 2016

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). 

2016 Robert A. Burns Lecture - "A Divine Dilemma"

When
12 p.m., Feb. 25, 2016
Where
UA Holsclaw Hall, Fred Fox School of Music (1017 N. Olive Rd.)
You are cordially invited to attend the 2016 Burns Lecture on Thursday, February 25 at 7:00 p.m.:
 
A Divine Dilemma: Dante’s Representation of Jewish People
Speaker: Professor Fabian Alfie
In March 2013, the Italian Human Rights Group Gherush92 called for Dante’s Comedy to be banned from the schools because, they argued, Dante was anti-Semitic. This may be an unfair judgment processed through a modern day logic. For medieval Christians, the presence of Jewish communities within Christendom provoked contradictory reactions: Jewish holy books were also Christian holy books, and their rites were sanctioned by the God of Israel; at the same time, the Jewish people rejected Christ as the Messiah, and did not follow the New Law. Join us as we explore Dante’s paradoxical views about Jewish people of medieval Europe.
 
Due to severe weather conditions in North Carolina, our originally scheduled speaker for tomorrow’s Robert A. Burns Lecture, Dr. Jonathan Hess, has had to cancel his trip.

In his place, we are delighted that Dr. Fabian Alfie will be able to present for this year’s Burns Lecture. Dr. Alfie is a Professor of Italian and faculty affiliate of Religious Studies and Judaic Studies at the University of Arizona. He has lectured extensively for the Tucson community through the Humanities Seminars program and Humanities Week presentations. The title of Dr. Alfie’s presentation tomorrow night will be “A Divine Dilemma: Dante’s Representation of Jewish People.”

Religious Studies to launch Study Abroad Program in India, Summer 2016

Feb. 15, 2016

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. Foley Receives Slater Fellowship (April 2015

Jan. 15, 2015

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.

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