Graduate Program in ReligionPhD candidate in American Religion Brenna Keegan successfully defended her dissertation today, which was titled "After Eden: Religion and Labor in the American West, 1868-1914." Chair of Religious Studies, David Morgan, chaired her exam committee, and Kate Bowler, Joe Winters, Betsy Olson (UNC-CH), and Robert Orsi (Northwestern) were the other committee members. Keegan recently announced that she has accepted a two-year position as the Ainsworth Visiting Scholar at Randolph College in Lynchburg, VA. She will teach in the… read more about Keegan Defends Dissertation »
PhD candidate Torang Asadi won a Graduate Student Training Enhancement Grant, which she plans to use to take human-computer interaction courses to learn different research methods for studying religion and technology! She was also selected to present her dissertation research at an all-expenses paid Buffett Institute (Northwestern University) conference. read more about Torang Asadi Wins Grant »
Jamie Brummitt successfully defended her dissertation "Protestant Relics: Religion, Objects, and the Art of Mourning in the American Republic" March 29, 2018. Her committee was chaired by David Morgan, and other committee members included Annabel Wharton, Grant Wacker, Kate Bowler and Lauren Winner. Andrew Coates, alumni of the Graduate Program in Religion and Jamie's husband, was in attendance. read more about Brummitt Defends Dissertation »
Stephanie Gehring Ladd (Christian Theological Studies) successfully defended her dissertation Tuesday, March 27, 2018. Paul Griffiths was her advisor and Toril Moi, Jeremy Begbie, David Morgan, and Laurie Patton were her committee members. Best wishes to Stephanie from the Graduate Program in Religion. read more about Stephanie Gehring Ladd Defends Dissertation »
Jamie Brummitt (PhD candidate in American Religion) accepted the position of Assistant Professor of American Religions in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She will start her new position in Fall 2018. More information about Jamie can be found here. read more about Jamie Brummitt Secures Position »
Next year Erin Galgay Walsh will be a junior fellow in Byzantine Studies at Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Museum in Washington, D.C. Erin says, "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to finish my dissertation and prepare my book manuscript with such resources and surrounded by an incredible community of scholars. I look forward to developing and growing in my research." Find out more about Erin here. read more about Walsh Announces Future Plans »
Alex McKinley successfully defended his dissertation Wednesday, March 21. His advisor and chair was Leela Prasad, and committee members were Hwansoo Kim, Richard Jaffe, Anne Blackburn, and Laurie Patton. We wish all the best for Alex as he enters the job market. read more about McKinley Defends Dissertation »
Mark Goodacre has been chosen for a Bass Chair. Beginning July 1, he will be the Frances Hill Fox Professor of Religious Studies. This is a great honor for Mark, for the department of Religious Studies, and for the Graduate Program in Religion. Congratulations, Mark! read more about Mark Goodacre Chosen for Bass Chair »
Several fellowship awards have been announced recently for the 2018-2019 academic year. Mike Grigoni and Chris Howell have each been given Domestic Dissertation Travel Awards to help cover anticipated research expenses. Torang Asadi and Josh Young have both been selected as Julian Price Graduate Fellows for next year. The Price Fellowship is a high honor, awarded on the basis of a university-wide competition. It is rare that a program have two students receive the award in the same year. All of these awards and fellowships… read more about Duke Graduate School Announces Fellowship Awards »
American Religion Doctoral Student Scott Muir has accepted a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at the National Humanities Alliance. Scott will be applying the survey design and quantitative analysis skills acquired through the program to support the NEH For All project. With a grant from the Mellon Foundation, the NHA has launched this initiative to demonstrate the value of the National Endowment for Humanities for all Americans at this pivotal time when it is under threat of elimination as proposed by the current… read more about Congratulations to Scott Muir on His Post-Doc Fellowship! »
Check out David Morgan discussing images. read more about David Morgan and Images »
The Chronicle published "Dear Old Duke: The Meyers" on February 13, 2018. The article celebrates Duke's history by doing a "then and now" feature with Drs. Eric and Carol Meyers, who have long been a part of it. We are grateful that the Meyers have been a part of Duke, the Department of Religion/Religious Studies, and the Graduate Program in Religion for some decades now. read more about Celebrating Duke and The Meyers »
Sam Kigar successfully defended his dissertation February 2, 2018. His committee was co-chaired by Dr. Ebrahim Moosa and Dr. David Morgan, and committee members were Dr. Mona Hassan, Dr. Cemil Aydin (UNC-CH) & Dr. Winnifred Sullivan (Indiana U, Bloomington). Sam's dissertation topic was "lslamic Land: Muslim Genealogies of Territorial Sovereignty in Modern MoroCco, c. 1900-1990." Congratulations to Sam! read more about Sam Kigar's Dissertation Defense Was Successful »
David Morgan talks about his new book Images at Work: The Material Culture of Enchantment in this video. Congratulations to Dr. Morgan on his latest publication. Check it out! read more about Dr. David Morgan's New Book »
Graduate Program in Religion professor Kate Bowler in her January 26, 2018 article for the NY Times, “What to Say When you Meet the Angel of Death at a Party,” gives her insights on how to communicate appropriately to those suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Dr. Bowler has been living under the shadow of a diagnosis of stage IV colon cancer for two and half years, and is currently in “durable remission.” Bowler categorizes those who respond insensitively in one of three ways – minimizers, teachers or solvers.… read more about Angel of Death or Angel of Life? »
Scott Muir, a doctoral student in the American Religion track, successfully defended his dissertation today! Muir's dissertation "Eruditio et Religio: A Comparative History of Religious Life on Four Campuses," was well-received by his exam committee. His committee was comprised of Duke professors Mark Chaves, chair; Grant Wacker and Russ Richey (attending remotely), as well as Professor Alyssa Rockenbach from North Carolina State University and Professor Yaakov Ariel from University of North… read more about Scott Muir Successfully Defends Dissertation »
On November 29, a group of Duke University graduate students abandoned their work in protest of the proposed tax bill and its implications for them and others like them. Several Graduate Program in Religion students joined the protest, including PhD candidate Joseph Longarino. You can see an article and video clip of the walk-out here. Longarino can be seen at -1:15 of the video clip. read more about Duke Graduate Students Protest Proposed Tax Plan »
For weeks, PhD candidate The Rev. Kara Slade has been hinting at her upcoming move. Due to waiting for the job offer to be finalized, she hadn't revealed the details of her new post - until now. The big news - Trinity Episcopal Church Princeton and The Episcopal Chaplaincy at Princeton (ECP) have partnered to appoint The Rev. Kara N. Slade as a Theologian in Residence and associate priest/chaplain at Trinity and ECP. In the new joint appointment, Slade will serve in the historic Princeton parish and… read more about The Rev. Kara Slade's Big Reveal »
Click here to watch Marc Brettler, Bernice and Morton Lerner Professor in Judaic Studies, discuss his new book “The Jewish Annotated New Testament, Second Edition.” read more about Duke Faculty Reads: Marc Brettler »
Click here to watch Curtis Freeman, research professor of theology and director of the Baptist House of Studies at Duke Divinity School, discuss his book “Undomesticated Dissent: Democracy and the Public Virtue of Religious Nonconformity.” read more about Duke Faculty Reads: Curtis Freeman »
On Oct. 19, Assistant Professor of Christian Theology Edgardo Colón-Emeric had an audience with Pope Francis as part of a delegation from the Methodist-Catholic Dialogue. The Methodist delegation presented the pope with a Spanish translation Colón-Emeric was asked to create of the dialogue’s latest bilateral statement. This news was featured on the Duke Divinity School's website on September 29, 2017. As of now, we do not have information regarding last month's visit; however, you can learn more about the delegation's… read more about Professor Colón-Emeric Meets with Pope Francis »
Congratulations to Associate Professor Richard Jaffe and Assistant Professor Joseph Winters! Their respective projects, "Mindfulness Across the Disciplines," and "Race, Religion, and Volatile Political Movements," were selected by the Office of the Provost for funding through the Intellectual Community Planning Grant initiative. Jaffe’s “Mindfulness Across the Disciplines” stems from a group of faculty including Jaffe, a specialist in modern Japanese and global Buddhism; Denise Comer, who utilizes mindfulness… read more about Religious Studies Professors Chosen for Together Duke Seed Grants »
First year PhD candidate in World Christianity Erin Zoutendam has won the 2017 Goodwin Prize for Excellence in Theological Writing for her essay entitled, "The Body, the Heart, and Desire: Catherine of Siena's Theology of Tears." Essays that are chosen must demonstrate the following elements: creative theological thinking excellence in scholarship engagement with the Christian tradition commitment to the well-being of the church To read more about the award, click here. Congratulations, Erin! read more about Zoutendam Wins Goodwin Prize »
A number of GPR students and faculty will be presenting in the AAR/SBL to be held in Boston, MA November 18-21. The annual conference of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature is perhaps the most important conference of the year for those in the field of Religion. More than 1,200 events—academic sessions, additional meetings, receptions, tours, and workshops—will be offered at this annual conference. Graduate Program in Religion students who plan to present include: Brenna… read more about Duke is Well Represented at AAR/SBL »
Dr. Jana Bennett, a 2005 alumna of the Graduate Program in Religion, was interviewed by The Chronicle of Higher Education regarding her participation in the Preparing Future Faculty program. Jana is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at University of Dayton, Ohio. Read the whole story here. read more about Chronicle of Higher Education Features GPR Alumna »
Teaching & Learning is pleased to welcome Prof. Randall Styers on November 6th @ 2:30p in 0013W for a conversation about constructing a syllabus to facilitate productive engagement when teaching religion. Prof. Styers is the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Duke University, his Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School, his Master of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School, and his PhD from Duke University’… read more about Teaching & Learning Workshop on Constructing a Syllabus »
Jeff Nicolaisen researches Life Conservationist Association, a Buddhist-founded animal protection group in Taiwan, with a focus on human-dog-monkey interactions. This year he visited the monkeys at Shoushan Mountain in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. At Shoushan, a local group works to educate citizens about how to coexist with monkeys, who they also consider pests that steal food. He also visited indigenous villages in the mountains of Taiwan, where stray dogs are common. Dogs are used by indigenous people for hunting, but they are… read more about Jeff Nicolaisen Isn't Just Monkeying Around »
Dr. Stephen Chapman and Dr. Ross Wagner hosted a kickoff event Wednesday, September 13 for their two-year, $30,000 Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning grant. The grant is designed to promote pedagogical formation, and involves doctoral students and faculty in religion and theology. The Ph.D. program, known as the Graduate Program in Religion (jointly administered by the Department of Religious Studies and the Divinity School), and Th.D. program (offered by the Divinity School) will share this funding… read more about Doctoral Programs Host Dr. Matt Ashley for Kickoff Event »
By Martin E. Marty, Sightings The Monday Sightings is back, after a hiatus occasioned not by any lack of topics or scenes on which to focus but by the academic calendar at the University of Chicago, from which post we do our scanning, skimming, and probing. Surveying the places where “religion” and “public life” come into confluence should not have been difficult in a season of catastrophes—hurricanes and politics and more—but we chose to coast past Labor Day by reflecting on a religio-politico-ethical… read more about Is America Losing Its Religion of Football? »
NPR, All Things Considered MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: We've been checking in on people taking shelter from Hurricane Irma. So we're turning now to Ahmed Youssef. He's a volunteer at the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay. And he's with us now from the mosque's hurricane shelter, which opened earlier this week and is housing some 600 people. Mr. youssef, thanks so much for speaking with us. AHMED YOUSSEF: Oh, thank you for having me today. I really appreciate the coverage. MARTIN: Sure. What is the mood there like? Click here to read… read more about Islamic Society Of Tampa Bay Opened As An Evacuation Shelter »