The Department of Religious Studies invites all interested students to attend our monthly RELS Student Lunch with guest Prof. Marie Dallam on Friday, Nov. 15 at 12:30 p.m. in the RELS Conference Room (Robertson 118). Lunch is provided. Prof. Dallam, Professor of American Religion and Culture in the Dept. of Religious Studies and the Honors College at OU, will discuss on "Religious Studies Classes in Prison: The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program."
You are invited to a featured scholars panel hosted by the Arts and Humanities Forum on Monday, November 4th from 5 - 6 p.m. on the 9th floor of Dale Hall Tower in the Community Room. The event will be moderated by Department of Religious Studies Assistant Professor Wendy Mallette with guest speakers Dr. Janet Jakobsen (Claire Tow Professor Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Barnard College, Columbia) and Dr. Melissa Wilcox (Professor and Chair of the Religious Studies Department at the University of California, Riverside) and is titled "Parody and Possibility: Feminist, Queer, and Trans Studies in Religion."
This event is free and open to the OU community.
Congratulations to our very own Religious Studies senior Caroline Perkins for presenting research-in-progress at the OU UReCA (Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity) Forum last Friday!
UReCA provides financial support, mentorship, and presentation opportunities to undergraduate students of all disciplines who wish to engage in research and/or creative activity. You can find out more here: https://www.ou.edu/ureca
The Department of Religious Studies invites all interested students to attend our monthly RELS Student Lunch with guest Prof. Alan Levenson on Friday, Sept. 20 at 12:30 p.m. in the RELS Conference Room (Robertson 118). Lunch is provided. Prof. Levenson is the Schusterman/Josey Chair of Judaic Studies with the Dept. of History at OU, and he will speak on "Teaching the Bible in Public Schools: Issues of Pedagogy and Constitutionality."
Read all about RELS: where we've been, what's happening, and what's to come in 2024-25!
Apply for sponsorship to attend this year's American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting.
The Department of Religious Studies is excited to announce that we will again offer student sponsorships to attend the American Academy of Religion's annual meeting to be held in San Diego this year. The Annual Meeting takes place Nov. 23-26. Students who attend will be able to experience everything the meeting has to offer, including attending academic sessions, receptions and tours. A limited number of sponsorships are available to current OU students.
Students may apply online here: https://ousurvey.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8e6Ty6RPowyj04C
Applications are due by 11:59 p.m., Sept. 4.
All interested OU students are encouraged to apply.
Welcome back, Religious Studies! RELS students and RELS-curious students - Help us kick off the academic year on Friday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m. in Robertson 118 with some free Hideaway pizza and good conversation. Come find out about all of the good things that will be happening this year in Religious Studies. đ
RELS Welcome Back Student Lunch
12:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 23
RELS Conference Room - Robertson 118
The department celebrated our students and their amazing achievements over the course of the year in our annual End of the Year Celebration on Saturday, May 11, following the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences commencement. Guests enjoyed lunch from Kebabish Bites in Norman, celebrated our student graduates and scholarship recipients and generally enjoyed each otherâs company. We are extremely proud of our studentsâ accomplishments over the past year, and we cannot wait to hear what they achieve in the future.
The Department of Religious Studies is proud to announce that Camille Carlington, a University of Oklahoma multidisciplinary studies spring 2024 graduate with a focus on religious studies and psychology, has been awarded the Council on Undergraduate Research arts and humanities scholarship for 2024. The CUR supports undergraduate student research and creative inquiry projects at any stage of development up to and including presentation. The goal of the funding is to encourage diverse, innovative, and engaged undergraduate research in arts and humanities. (You can find out more about the CUR arts and humanities student scholarships here: https://www.cur.org/.../arts-and-humanities-student.../ .)
Camille's project is called 'Reverence Reimagined: Opening The Pews For Diversity.' It aims to highlight how marginalized communities, specifically Black queer communities, navigate traditional religious paradigms and cultural resistance within normative spaces. This exploration underscores the importance of Black performance art as both a beacon of defiance and a vivid display of art imitating life. Congratulations, Camille and well done!
OU Giving Day is coming on Tuesday, April 2! đ§âđ
Support Religious Studies at OU by visiting: one.givesooner.org/religiousstudiesprogram
You can learn more about OU Giving Day at givesooner.org.
The Department of Religious Studies invites all interested students to attend our monthly RELS Student Lunch with guest Morgan Brammer on Friday, April 5 at noon in the RELS Conference Room (Robertson 118). Lunch is provided.
Morgan Brammer is a RELS alum who is now the assistant vice president and executive director of enrollment management at the Office of Admissions and Recruitment at OU, and she will speak regarding Religious Studies and higher education.
The Department of Religious Studies invites you to a public lecture, "Branding Bhakti (Devotion) for a (More) Global Audience: A Case Study," on Thursday, April 4th by Nicole Karapanagiotis, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Religion at Rutgers in Camden, at 1:30 p.m. in Gaylord Hall 2030.
The Department of Religious Studies and the University Buddhist Association invite you to the 2024 Oklahoma Buddhism Conference. Registration is free, but an RSVP is required. The conference will feature Bhante Piyaratna, the founder and abbot of the Oklahoma Buddhist Vihara; Jianhu Shifu, the former dean of Chung Tai Buddhist Institute in Taiwan and the founder of Prajna Dharma; and keynote speaker Ann Gleig, Professor of Religion and Cultural Studies at the University of Central Florida. Visit here for more information.
The Department of Religious Studies is proud to announce that Caroline Perkins, a University of Oklahoma junior majoring in Religious Studies and English, has been awarded the American Academy of Religion Undergraduate Research Grant for 2024. This grant program supports undergraduate students conducting research on religion under the supervision of an AAR member. (You can find out more about the grant program here.) OU's Department of Religious Studies Associate Professor and Chair Deonnie Moodie will supervise Caroline's research project, and Caroline will conduct ethnographic research at four different megachurches in the American south in the summer of 2024. Congratulations, Caroline and well done!
Coming soon from Religious Studies:
On March 30th, the Department of Religious Studies will co-sponsor the Oklahoma Buddhist Conference hosted by the University Buddhist Association - focusing on âBuddhism in the 21st Century." The keynote speaker will be Ann Gleig. More details to come soon.
On April 4, 1:30 - 2:45 p.m. in Gaylord Hall room 2030, Nicole Karapanagiotis will present a public lecture on her book: Branding Bhakti: Krishna Consciousness and the Makeover of a Movement.
A few weeks ago, Prof. Wendy Malletteâs Introduction to Religious Studies (RELS 1113) class took a field trip to the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Aly Vettese, the Learning and Engagement Assistant, introduced students to Menashe Kadishman's (1932-2015) sculpture, "The Sacrifice of Isaac," and students explored the OUâs âArt of the American West and Native American Artâ collection as well as the âPicturing Faithâ exhibit.
Photos courtesy of Sophia Armoudian.
Hello Religious Studies community,
Please see this thoughtful tribute to Tom Boyd posted by the Dodge Family College of Arts.
Also, the OU Department of Religious Studies has received a few inquiries on how to donate to the scholarships in Dr. Boyd's name as a memorial to Tom and to his dedication to teaching and his students. If you would like to make such a contribution, The University of Oklahoma Foundation has established a giving page dedicated to Dr. Boyd.
RELS students, RELS-curious students, and friends: Are you curious about applying to graduate school? RELS professors are here for you! Come join us for the RELS student monthly lunch - we will discuss all things grad school: what itâs like, what you need to do to prepare, the application process, etc. Come with your appetite and questions! Pizza will be provided.
Fri., March 1
Noon
Robertson 118 (RELS Conference Room)
Dear OU Religious Studies community,
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Emeritus Tom Boyd. Prof. Boyd was a David Ross Boyd Professor of Philosophy at OU and was an integral part of building the Religious Studies Program at OU along with his partner, Rev. Barbara Boyd. Our deepest condolences go to Rev. Boyd and their family.
In memory of Dr. Boyd's legacy,
The Department of Religious Studies
Prof. Malletteâs Christian Traditions class spent a week in OUâs Special Collections to view bibles and other artifacts. Their visit was guided by Dr. JoAnn Palmeri who shared about how bibles have intersected with the history of manuscript and print culture.
RELS students curated mini-exhibits for the class with titles including: âPicture Perfect Bible?â, âTranslating Divinity: Unraveling the Linguistic Tapestry of the Bible,â and âDestruction of Divine Women: Depictions of Biblical Violence.â
Thank you to Sophia Armoudian for the photos included here.
Congratulations to Prof. Vishanoff and his colleagues for receiving a grant from the Templeton Religion Trust!
David Vishanoff is part of a team of scholars at OU, the University of Kansas, and Pepperdine who have been awarded a quarter-million-dollar grant from the Templeton Religion Trust. The grant will provide extra research time throughout 2024 to read, consult with specialists, and hold a conference on the relationship between the virtue of intellectual humility, the virtue of courage, and interreligious understanding. This interdisciplinary teamwork will bring new perspectives to Dr. Vishanoffâs long-term project on Sacrificial Listening.
We had a great time speaking to everyone at the OU Majors and Minors Fair! Thank you to Profs. Mallette and Vishanoff, and our Religious Studies students who helped us talk to interested majors and minors. Thank you also to everyone who stopped by to say "hi" and speak to us about Religious Studies.
The CASH scholarship application deadline is on Thursday, February 1. We have a number of scholarships that are dedicated to current RELS majors and minors and you all are strongly encouraged to apply.
If you'd like to check out our scholarships, there's a list on our website here:
Make sure to access CASH and apply ASAP:
Thank you to former director of outreach for the Religious Studies Program, the Rev. Barbara Boyd, for meeting with our students at the December RELS Student Lunch, and thank you to our students for attending. We loved seeing you all, and it was nice to catch up with Rev. Boyd. Have a great end of the fall semester!
This semester, four Religious Studies students were awarded travel grants to attend the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting in San Antonio on November 17-20. This opportunity was made possible by the generous support of the Rev. Barbara Boyd and Rev. Larry Angus. Students were able to engage more deeply in academic discourse, attending panel sessions on a diverse array of issues from women and the bible to religion and film. We would like to extend a huge thank you to Rev. Boyd and Rev. Angus for providing our students with an academic experience they will never forget!
RELS students, RELS-curious students, and friends: Come close out the fall semester with our special guest the Rev. Barbara Boyd, MDiv, former Director of Outreach for the Religious Studies Program at OU. The Rev. will lead us in a discussion about your experiences with Religious Studies and the history of religious studies at OU. Pizza and drinks will be provided.
Fri., Dec. 1
Noon
Robertson 118 (RELS Conference Room)
Chris Hoklotubbe, "Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: Indigenous Interpretations of the Bible"
The Department of Religious Studies invites you to join us for a lecture with Chris Hoklotubbe, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Classics at Cornell College and Director of Graduate Studies at NAITS, titled "Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: Indigenous Interpretations of the Bible" on Tues., Nov. 14, 2023 at noon in Gaylord College room 2020.
The Department of Religious Studies at the University of Oklahoma invites you to join us for a presentation by Jill Hicks-Keeton titled "Making the Bible Benevolent" on her most recent publication, Good Book: How White Evangelicals Save the Bible to Save Themselves.  Snacks will be provided.
4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Wed.., Nov. 8, 2023
Farzaneh Hall, Room 145
RELS students,
Please join us for the Religious Studies November student lunch featuring Matt Brim on Fri., Nov. 3 at 12:30 p.m. in the RELS conference room (Robertson 118). Brim will have to conversation with you all about his encounters with queer studies as an undergrad, in grad school, and beyond. See you there!
The Dept. of Religious Studies with the Dept. of Women's and Gender Studies will host guest Matt Brim on November 2-3 to lead a pedagogy workshop on teaching queer studies.
There will be two categories of events - one slate of events for teachers, faculty, and graduate/teaching assistants, and another slate of events for undergraduate students. The schedule is as follows:
We have two events open to all faculty, staff, and graduate teaching assistants:
A Conversation about resources and opportunities available at CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies at CUNY with Matt Brim, who serves as the executive director of CLAGS.
Thursday, November 2, 3:30-4:30p
Dale Hall Tower, Seminar Room 905
Queer Pedagogy Workshop for Instructors
Friday, November 3, 9:30-11:30a
Dale Hall Tower, Community Room 906
We have two events open to all interested undergraduate students:
Engaging Queerness in the Classroom: Undergraduate Workshop
Thursday, November 2, 1:30-3:00p
Carson Engineering Building, Room 438
Free Pizza Lunch and Conversation with Dr. Matt Brim
Friday, November 3, 12:30-1:30p
Robertson Hall, Room 118
Matt Brim is professor of queer studies in the English department at the College of Staten Island, Staten Island, New York and an affiliate faculty in the Women's and Gender Studies M.A. Program at the CUNY Graduate Center. He teaches courses in LGBTQ literature, women's studies, queer/feminist research methods and queer higher education. Brim is also the executive director of CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center. Founded in 1991, CLAGS is the first university-based research center in the United States dedicated to the study of historical, cultural and political issues of vital concern to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals and communities.
Harvard Divinity School at OU
Join Harvard Divinity Schoolâs Assistant Dean for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Steph Gauchel, to learn more about HDS and the relevance of graduate study in religion in a complex world.
12:00 â 1:00 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 16
Robertson Hall 118
Pizza lunch will be provided!
October JuSt Brown Bag Lecture with Rangar Cline
Wed., Oct. 4 at noon, Dale Hall Tower Community Room
Please join us for the October JuSt Brown Bag Lecture with Rangar Cline on "Pilgrimage Souvenirs from the Holy Land: From the Roman Period to the Early Middle Ages" at noon on Wed., Oct. 4 in the Dale Hall Tower Community Room.
Please join us in congratulating Associate Professor Jill Hicks-Keeton for her new book, Good Book: How White Evangelicals Save the Bible to Save Themselves, now available from Fortress Press.
A smart, fearless deconstruction of evangelical attempts to "save" the Bible, Good Book is compellingly written, persuasively argued, and brillantly feminist. Jill Hicks-Keeton has written a necessary book for our moment.
-Rhiannon Graybill, Rhodes College
Congratulations Prof. Hicks-Keeton!
Learn more about the book here.
"Advancing International Religious Freedom" with Rehman Chishti, MP U.K.
Mon., Oct. 2, 1:30 p.m., Dale Hall 200
The Department of Religious Studies, along with the Departments of Sociology, Economics, and Political Science invite you to hear U.K. MP Rehman Chishti to speak on "Advancing Religious Freedom." The lecture will be held on Monday, Oct. 2, at 1:30 p.m. in Dale Hall 200.
RELS Sept. 29 Student Lunch featuring Myo Win
"Social Justice for Religious Minorities in Myanmar"
Join us for the Sept. 29 RELS Student Lunch with featured speaker Myo Win, a human rights activist and visiting scholar at OU, who works for social justice for ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar.
RELS Student Lunch
"Social Justice for Religious Minorities in Myanmar"
Myo Win
12:30 p.m., Sept. 29
Robertson Hall 118
True Family Lecture with Shannen Dee Williams
"Still Mining the Forgotten: The Hidden History and Legacies of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States"
True Family Lecture:
"Still Mining the Forgotten: The Hidden History and Legacies of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States," by Shannen Dee Williams
Wed., Sept. 20 at 5:30 p.m., Sam Noble Museum of Natural History
The Department of Religious Studies is excited to announce that we will again offer student sponsorships to attend the American Academy of Religion's annual meeting to be held in San Antonio this year. The Annual Meeting takes place Nov. 18-21. Students who attend will be able to experience everything the meeting has to offer, including attending academic sessions, receptions and tours. A limited number of sponsorships are available to current RELS students.
Students may apply here:Â AAR Student Funding Application.
Applications are due by 11:59 p.m., Sept. 7.
All interested OU students are encouraged to apply. The selected students will receive full funding to attend. Priority will be given to applications from majors and minors, but non-majors and minors will still be considered. Thank you to Revs. Boyd and Angus for creating such an amazing opportunity for our students!
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Front page of RELS Fall 2023 newsletter
Read all about RELS: where we've been, what's happening, and what's to come in 2023-24!
Welcome back, RELS! Help us kick off the academic year with some free Hideaway pizza and good conversation. We will catch up with you all and you can hear about all of the good things that will be happening this year in Religious Studies.
12:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1
Robertson Hall 118
RELS End of Year Celebration
The Department of Religious Studies had the honor of celebrating our students â including our scholarship recipients and graduates. đ Congratulations on all of your achievements! We are incredibly proud and canât wait to see what you do next! đ
Join us for the RELS End of Year Celebration to celebrate our amazing students and their accomplishments over this past academic year.
RELS Featured in Dodge Family College of Arts & Sciences Student Success Center May Newsletter
Check out the feature on the Department of Religious Studies in this month's Dodge Family College of Arts & Sciences Student Success Center newsletter: SSC May Newsletter
April's Religious Studies Student Lunch will feature RELS alumna, Stacy Minnick, an attorney with DeBee Clark and Weber, PLLC. Join us on Friday, April 28 at 12:30 p.m. in the Religious Studies Conference Room (Robertson 118) for free lunch and to listen to Stacy speak about "Life after a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies: Choosing the Study of Law."
Pujari Foundation Lectureship in Religious Studies with Tulasi Srinivas
"The Fiery Lake: Water, Caste and Gender in a Climate Apocalypse"
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RELS students! You are invited to the RELS spring semester student lunches the last Friday of each month at 12:30 PM in the RELS conference room (Robertson 118). The first lunch is on Friday, January 27. Can't wait to see you there!
A big thank you to Tulasi Srinivas and to all who attended our first Pujari Foundation Lecture in Religious Studies yesterday evening. Prof. Srinivas spoke on her current research during the talk titled "The Fiery Lake: Water, Caste, and Gender in a Climate Apocalypse." It was an enjoyable and educational evening.
The Department of Religious Studies invites you to join us for the Pujari Foundation Lectureship in Religious Studies with Tulasi Srinivas, "The Fiery Lake: Water, Caste and Gender in a Climate Apocalypse."
Tuesday, March 28
6 - 7 p.m.
Beaird Lounge, Oklahoma Memorial Union
Please join us and the OU Gender + Equality Center, the OU Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Division of Architecture, International Student Services, and Department of African and African-American Studies in celebrating International Womenâs Day on March 8 at the Embracing Equity Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. in the Beaird Lounge in Oklahoma Memorial Union. RSVP is required.
Thank you to Prof. Jill Hicks-Keeton and to all who attended yesterdayâs New Horizons event "White Evangelical Bible." Prof. Hicks-Keeton gave an engaging presentation on her newest publication *Does Scripture Speak for Itself?* followed by some thoughtful questions from the group. It was a great event!
The Department of Religious Studies invites you to join us for a presentation by Jill Hicks-Keeton on her most recent publication co-authored with Cavan Concannon, Does Scripture Speak for Itself? The Museum of the Bible and the Politics of Interpretation. Snacks will be provided.
We had a great time speaking to everyone at the OU Major Minor Fair! Thank you to everyone who helped organize the event and to those of you who stopped by to say "hi" and discuss Religious Studies.
The theme for this year's fair was "How Sweet Finding Your Major Can Be!" đ, and we couldn't agree more! đ
On February 10, the Center for Social Justice at OU will host a Teach OUt on Race and Religion in the Heartland on Zoom.
Prof. Deonnie Moodie will give introductory remarks with Rodney Bates, and Prof. James Hill, Jr. will be a featured panelist with J.T. Snipes.
Center of Social Justice Teach OUt on Race : Race and Religion in the Heartland
February 10th Friday, 10:30am-1:30pm,
The WGS Center for Social Justice is excited to announce the 2023 Teach OUt on Race will be held on February 10th from 10:00am-:30pm. This event will be held virtually via Zoom and registration is required. Designed for a range of participants from budding allies to experienced activists, Teach OUt is an opportunity for attendees to intentionally consider what it means to practice anti-racism across the spaces where we teach, learn, and lead.
The OU Arts & Humanities Forum podcast, *Staying with the Question* features our own Prof. Rangar Cline on the subject of maps. Give it a listen!
"Can you tell a story with a map? Host Kim Marshall talks to OU Scholars Rangar Cline, Farina King, and Asa Randall about the possibilities for learning, teaching, and building community using digital, interactive maps that help us make meaningful connections."
Congratulations, Wendy Mallette!
Congratulations to RELS Prof. Wendy Mallette and her colleagues Profs. Mike Sladek (Psychology) and Melinda Chen (Women's and Gender Studies) on receiving the Ed Cline Faculty Development Award. Their approved project will be a Queer Pedagogy Workshop entitled âTeaching Queer Studies at Public Universities: A Workshop on Queer Pedagogy and Socioeconomic Class." Congratulations, Wendy! đ
CASH Scholarship Applications Due February 1
The CASH scholarship application deadline is on Wednesday, February 1. We have a number of scholarships that are dedicated to current RELS majors and minors and you all are strongly encouraged to apply.
If you'd like to check out our scholarships, there's a list on our website here:
Make sure to access CASH and apply ASAP:
Get to Know...Wendy Mallette
Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences Newsletter
Check out the December 2022 Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences Newsletter with a feature article on our own Prof. Wendy Mallette: Get to Know... Wendy Mallette.
This semester, four Religious Studies students were awarded travel grants to attend the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado on November 18-21. This opportunity was made possible by the generous support of the Rev. Barbara Boyd and Rev. Larry Angus. Students were able to engage more deeply in academic discourse, attending panel sessions on a diverse array of issues from Greek mythology to contemporary bioethics. They also had a chance to explore downtown Denver and shared a meal with Rev. Angus. We would like to extend a huge thank you to Rev. Boyd and Rev. Angus for providing our students with an academic experience they will never forget!Â
Thank you, Professor Alan Levenson and to all who attended our New Horizons event for the engaging lecture and discussion on Professor Levensonâs new publication, *Maurice Samuel: Life and Letters of a Secular Jewish Contrarian.* It was a great event!
The Department of Religious Studies invites you to a New Horizons lecture titled *Is Jewish Secularism a Possibility? Maurice Samuel: Life and Letters of a Secular Jewish Contrarian* by Alan Levenson on his most recent publication. Please join us! Heritage Room, Oklahoma Memorial Union 4:30 - 5;30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 Snacks will be provided.
Thank you to Prof. Vishanoff for sharing his work in his thoughtful New Horizons lecture yesterday, "More Like a Tree or a Buidling? How to Think about Islamic Law," and to all of those who attended. The lecture was followed by an engaging discussion and we appreciate everyone who attended.
The Department of Religious Studies invites you to a New Horizons lecture titled "More Like a Tree or a Building? How to Think about Islamic Law" by our own David Vishanoff on his new publication, *Islamic Legal Theory: A Critical Introduction.* Please join us!
Farzaneh Hall, Room 145
4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 27
Snacks will be provided.
The OU Department of Religious Studies is so grateful to the Hindu Temple of Oklahoma for hosting our students at their Diwali festivities last night. Here, Prof. Moodie is pictured with just a few of those in attendance.
Please join us in congratulating Associate Professor Jill Hicks-Keeton for her new book, *Does Scripture Speak for Itself?*, co-authored with Cavan Concannon.
Professor Leigh Eric Schmidt is calling it a "tour de force both for biblical studies and American religious history."
Congratulations Prof. Hicks-Keeton!
Learn more about the book here.
RELS students & RELS-curious students! Join us for lunch every second Friday of the month throughout the fall semester!
Kristin Dobes Du Mez Public Lecture and Panel Discussion, "Jesus and John Wayne and the Evangelical Reconing," Sept. 8, 2022
Thank you, Kristin Kobes Du Mez and our panelists Jill Hicks-Keeton, James Howard Hill, Jr., and Sam Perry for an engaging lecture and discussion.
This year, the department is excited to announce that we will be sponsoring four students to attend the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting in Denver on Nov. 19-21. It's an amazing opportunity that will broaden your religious studies horizons (and look great on your resume!)
The selected students will receive full funding to attend. Priority will be given to applications from majors and minors, but non-majors and minors will still be considered. Any interested students are encouraged to apply.
Students may apply here:Â AAR Student Funding Application. The deadline is midnight on September 9.
This exciting opportunity is made possible through our Student Enhancement Fund with generous donations from former Director of Outreach for the Religious Studies Program Rev. Barbara Boyd and Rev. Larry Angus. Thank you to Rev. Boyd and Rev. Angus for creating such an amazing opportunity for our students!
The Department of Religious Studies at the University of Oklahoma presents a public lecture and panel discussion featuring Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Ph.D. titled "Jesus and John Wayne and the Evangelical Reckoning" in Meacham Auditorium at Oklahoma Memorial Union at the University of Oklahoma on Thursday, September 8, 2022 from 5:30 - 7 PM. Panelists include Sam Perry, Ph.D., Jill Hicks-Keeton, Ph.D., and James Howard Hill, Jr., Ph.D. The event is co-sponsored by Department of Sociology, the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Honors College, the Arts and Humanities Forum, the Department of History, and the Department of Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
Thank you to everyone who attended our Religious Studies Welcome Back Open House on Friday afternoon. It was great to see you all! Here's to an amazing academic year! đ
The Department of Religious Studies is excited to welcome Wendy Mallette to our religious studies faculty this fall. Mallette comes to us from Yale University, where she earned her Ph.D. in Religious Studies as well as a graduate certificate in Womenâs, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Mallette also has a master of arts in religion degree from Yale Divinity School and a bachelor of arts degree from Valparaiso University. She is currently working on a book manuscript that draws on the archives of lesbian feminist public cultures of the 1960s through the 1980s to intervene in conversations in queer studies and religious studies. Mallette mentored students at Yale, and she is eager to work with our students. She will diversify our course offerings and help us forge connections with units across campus. Come introduce yourself at our Fall Welcome Back Week Open House. Welcome to the department, Wendy Mallette!
Read all about RELS: where we've been, what's happening, and what's to come in 2022-23!
The Department of Religious Studies is excited to welcome back our students, faculty, and staff to campus for the new academic year! We would like to invite you as well as interested students and alumni to our RELS Welcome Back Open House on Friday, August 26 from 3 - 4:30 p.m. in our offices on the first floor of Robertson Hall. Snacks will be provided.
Congratulations to our graduating Class of 2022! We are incredibly proud of your accomplishments. You are what makes us great! đ©âđđ§âđđšâđđ Ÿïžđđ
The Department of Religious Studies would like to extend a hearty congratulations to our scholarship recipients for this academic year! Your achievements are exemplary & we are proud. Well done! đ
The Reverend Larry & Gloria Angus Endowed Scholarship:
Menna Elsayed
The Bernita L. Thompson Endowed Scholarship for Undergraduate Research & Writing:
Chris Dixon
The Timothy Cole Stephenson Scholarship:
Ambie Nicholson
The Heather Nicole Stephenson Scholarship:
Chris Dixon
The David D. LeNorman Scholarship for Religious Studies:
Ezra Koenig
The Make a Difference Scholarship:
Amy Hotchkiss
The Tom W. Boyd Endowed Scholarship:
Ben Bernard
RELS had an amazing time together celebrating the accomplishments of our students and our department at our End of Year Celebration. Thank you to all of those who attended. We love to see you!
Congrats to our faculty members Jill Hicks-Keeton & David Vishanoff who received Dodge Family College of Arts & Sciences Senior Faculty Summer Fellowships for 2022! Well done!
The Department of Religious Studies is excited to announce that we are broadening our social media outreach! Please give us a follow on your favorite social media platforms here:
Instagram: oureligiousstudies
Twitter: @OUReligStudies
YouTube: OU Religious Studies
The Department of Religious Studies is pleased to announce the publication of *Islamic Legal Theory: A Critical Introduction," by Associate Professor David Vishanoff. Along with a critical edition and English translation of a classic handbook of Islamic legal theory, it offers a novel commentary that highlights the significance of medieval debates for the contemporary concerns of both students and specialists. You can find out more and pre-order print copies here.
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Congratulations, Dr. Vishanoff!
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Some reviews include:
"In this brilliant, innovative, and engaging book, Vishanoff guides readers through some of the most fundamental questions Muslims have debated, and struggled with, for centuries. Most Muslim scholars' books on these topics are dense and difficult. But here Vishanoff takes one such bookâal-JuwaynÄ«âs classic Waraqatâand explains, with lucidity and precision, its complex and obscure arguments. Through this book, readers will reach a better understanding of why such debates mattered to Muslims in the past, why they matter now, and how they affect the ways in which the ShariaâGodâs lawâmight be understood in the future."
âRobert Gleave, University of Exeter
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"A gem! David Vishanoff âs translation of, and commentary on, al-JuwaynÄ«âs short treatise on legal theory is cleverly conceptualized, clearly organized, and lucidly presented. It will engage and instruct those new to the study of Islamic law while inviting specialists to appreciate, reflect on, and perhaps question its comparative and interpretive choices. Highly recommended."
âKecia Ali, Boston University
Donald S. Lopez Phi Beta Kappa Lecture:
When Buddha Was an Idol: European Encounters With an Ancient Asian Sage
April 11, 2022
The Department of Religious Studies and the Phi Beta Kappa Society Visiting Scholars Program would like to thank Donald S. Lopez, Ph.D. for his lecture on Monday, April 11, When Buddha Was an Idol: European Encounters With an Ancient Asian Sage.
The lecture was engaging and well-attended, and a healthy question-and-answer session followed. We greatly extend our thanks to Dr. Lopez for his time with us at OU!
The Department of Religious Studies and the Phi Beta Kappa Society Visiting Scholars Program Present:
When Buddha Was an Idol: European Encounters With an Ancient Asian Sage
A Lecture by Donald S. Lopez, Ph.D.
Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the Department of Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan
5 p.m. Monday, April 11
Heritage Room
Oklahoma Memorial Union
The Department of Religious Studies would like to invite you to the 26th Annual Conference of The Western Jewish Studies Association from March 27-28, 2002 hosted by the Schusterman Center for Judaic & Israel Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
The conference will feature keynote speaker Andrew Porwancher, and the plenary lunch speaker will be our own Jill Hicks-Keeton speaking on History and Heritage at the Museum of the Bible.
For more information, please visit the WJSA at OU page.
The Department of Religious Studies is pleased to announce Princeton University's The Crossroad Project recently named Acting Assistant Professor James Howard Hill, Jr. as a fellow. Congratulations!
For more about The Crossroad Project and Hill's research, please visit their website here.
The Clara Luper Department of African and African American Studies presents: "I'll Be Grotesque Before Your Eyes:" Religion, Race, and the Michael Jackson Cacophony by James Howard Hill, Jr., Ph.D. on Thursday, Feb. 24 at Noon via Zoom
Access by Zoom here.
This talk takes up James Baldwin's thesis on Jackson by analyzing the "Michael Jackson Cacophony" as nothing less than a national haunting braided by the discourses of religion and race in the United States of America. Beginning with the advent of the Jackson 5 in the late 1960s and culminating with Jackson's disidentification with the Jehovah's Witnesses in the late 1980s, this talk evinces the constitutive role religion and race played in producing one of the most gifted, enigmatic, and troubled figures in the history of the modern world.
For additional information or accommodations, please contact the Clara Luper Department of African and African American Studies (405) 325-2327. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo
The Department of Religious Studies presents: Understanding Indigenous Religions: Insights from Religious Studies and Indigenous Studies by Abel Gomez, Ph.D., Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Native American Studies
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Thursday, November 11; noon to 1 p.m.
Heritage Room, Oklahoma Memorial Union
Pizza and snacks will be provided.
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Accommodations on the basis of disability are available by contacting Rebecca Hall-Davis at rebeccahd@ou.edu as soon as possible.
The Department of Religious Studies welcomed our students, faculty, staff, and alumni back to campus at our RELS Welcome Back event on Friday, August 27th. It was good to see faces new and old come together and celebrate the department. Here's to an amazing academic year to come!
Introducing James Howard Hill, Jr. -Â Meet the Newest Addition to the RELS Faculty
The Department of Religious Studies is excited to welcome James Hill to our faculty this fall. Hill is finishing his Ph.D. at Northwestern University and is scheduled to defend his dissertation, titled âTransgressive Witness: Religion, Race Governance and the Michael Jackson Cacophony.â
He is the author of several published and forthcoming articles and essays dealing with such topics as hip hop theopoetics, kneeling and Black athletic protest, Black politics and religion and religion in HBOâs Watchmen.
You can find an example of Hill's work on the African American Intellectual History Society website - aaihs.org - "Watchmen, Haunting, & the Religious Imagination" from February 2020.
Hill will design and offer new courses inspired by his own research and interests, and he will utilize his own expertise and approaches to courses that make up the core religious studies curriculum. Hill comes to us with a rich background in mentorship programs and is eager to work with our students.
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