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2023 Russell Jaberg Award

Each year the Department of Religion at the University of Florida awards top student performers in Religious Studies. The 2023 Russell Jaberg Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by a graduating religion major, went to Shiri Abramson. *Photo Credit: Dr. Narayanan

Introducing Professor Yaniv Feller!

The Department of Religion is happy to announce – and welcome – our new addition to its faculty: Prof. Yaniv Feller. Prof. Feller is a scholar of modern Jewish thought and museum studies. His first book, The Jewish Imperial Imagination: Leo Baeck and German-Jewish Thought was supported by an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship and is under contract […]

Launching in Summer 2021: A New Ethics and Society Certificate

As a quick skim through any newspaper or social media feed reveals, contemporary societies face many complex, large-scale challenges that have no easy solutions, such as climate change, police violence, terrorism, and world poverty. While these challenges may all seem very different, they each force us to confront ethical questions: what is morally right and […]

Religion in a Time of Pandemic: A CFP

5th Annual RGSA Graduate Conference Religion Graduate Students Association (RGSA) Department of Religion University of Florida Call for Papers “Religion in a Time of Pandemic” March 6, 2021 You are cordially invited to participate in the University of Florida’s Religion Graduate Students Association annual conference: “Religion in a Time of Pandemic.” Due to the current […]

Beginning Sanskrit

The goal of this course is to instruct students with no prior knowledge of Sanskrit with a systematic introduction to the language. Using introductory textbooks and handouts students will learn to read core narrative and philosophical Sanskrit texts by mastering the grammar and vocabulary. Class time will consist in practicing exercises and reading Sanskrit sentences. […]

Temporary Emergency COVID GRE Waiver

Due to current admission examination testing difficulties amid the COVID-19 pandemic the Department of Religion, in sync with the UF Graduate School, is waiving the GRE requirement for applicants seeking Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer A/B/C 2021, or Fall 2021 admission. This temporary emergency waiver applies only to admission for those four semesters.

Islam in South Asia

The study of Muslims in South Asia—in India, but also in Bangladesh and Pakistan—is crucial for understanding contemporary Islam in our global world. South Asian Muslims are also active in the Arabian Gulf region and in Western Europe and North America, especially in the UK. In this course, we take “Islam in South Asia” as […]

Why Study Religion at UF?

Religion is arguably the most powerful and pervasive force in the world. Majoring in religious studies can help you understand the complex and sometimes volatile relationships between religion and politics, economics, and social structures, as well as the ways in which the past (scripture, tradition, history) has helped shape the present. Fall classes now enrolling! […]

Announcement

Due to the Covid-19 virus, the Department of Religion is temporarily shut down. If you need any assistance please contact our office manager, Annie Newman (annen1@ufl.edu), or our chair, Terje Østebø (ostebo@ufl.edu). If you need to contact any of the faculty, you can find their contact info here: https://religion.ufl.edu/faculty/core/

UF Religion at AAR/SBL 2019 in San Diego, California

The American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting brings thousands of professors and students, authors, publishers, religious leaders, journalists, and interested laypersons to its Annual Meeting each year. Co-hosted with the Society of Biblical Literature, the Annual Meetings are the largest events of the year in the fields of religious studies and theology. Some […]

Becoming American, Keeping My Religion: Religion and Identity Among Second Generation New Immigrant College Students

Pressures from the left and the right are shaping the next generation of American Islam creating new forms of identity and community. This was the argument Haroon Moghul offered in his wide-ranging talk on the Americanization of Islam at the Pugh Hall Ocora on Wednesday, November 6th. In the second Scudder Lecture for this year, […]

Religion and the Paranormal

As many as three-quarters of Americans believe in ghosts. The majority hold other paranormal beliefs as well. What does this tell us about the future of religion? In a “disenchanted” world, why do we continue to be fascinated with the paranormal, as seen in the explosion of the topic in film (horror, superheroes), television, gaming […]

Call for Papers: Protests, Power, and Prayer: Intersection of Activism, Culture, and Religion

4TH Annual RSGA Graduate Conference February 21-22, 2020 This conference will explore the intersections of religion and/or spirituality and activism as we seek to highlight instances of religious resistance, dynamics of power, and instances of socio-cultural change. Historically, religious individuals and communities have engaged with political and social activism in cultural movements including those focused […]

Donald Trump and the Death of Evangelical Christianity

  The Religious Right’s embrace of Donald Trump has fatally transformed American evangelicalism. This was the message Dartmouth Professor Randall Balmer delivered to a packed house of students, faculty and community members at the Pugh Hall Ocora on Tuesday, September 10th.  A prize-winning historian and commentator on religion in American life, Balmer’s lecture was the […]

Q&A with New Faculty in Global Islam

The UF Religion Department is excited to welcome the Izzat Hasan Sheikh Fellow in Islamic Studies and Assistant Professor of Religion Dr. Ali Altaf Mian to Gator Nation! Dr. Mian received his B.A. in Philosophy and M.A. in English from the University of Louisville, and his Ph.D. from the Graduate Program in Religion at Duke University. His research  areas include Islam […]

Religion prof explains the backstory to The Overstory and its “dark green religion”

During an interview in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Richard Powers indicated that in The Overstory, his Pulitzer Prize-winning arboreal novel, there is a lot of what University of Florida religion professor Bron Taylor called “Dark Green Religion” in his own book on contemporary nature spirituality. “Dark Green Religion,” according to Professor Taylor is, “a […]

2019-2020 Scudder Lecture Series Addresses Relevant Topics in Religion

The UF Department of Religion is excited to announce the first three speakers in its 2019-2020 Scudder Lecture series. The speakers, each leading scholars in their respective fields, will bring relevant and deep insight to a range of topics including “Donald Trump and the Death of Evangelical Christianity” with Dr. Randall Balmer, “Religion and Identity […]

Professor Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons’ Retirement: A Look Back

Our very own Assistant Professor Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons devoted her life to civil rights, the public understanding of religion, justice, and international human rights. Now, she is entering into a new exciting phase in her career: retirement. During her distinguished career, her academic work focused on Islamic feminism and the interpretation of shariah and its […]

UF Religion Undergrads Present Research on Catholic Vaporwave Art

What do you get when you mix traditional Catholicism with Vaporwave art? The answer is, “TradWave.” TradWave is a microgenre of “cultural traditionalist themed vaporwave art with Catholic motives.” Vaporwave itself began as a sub-genre of electronic music and morphed into a visual culture of internet memes and digital art in the early 2010s. Samantha […]

New Mellon-funded program led by UF Religion faculty, graduate students

The University of Florida (UF) Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere launched its Intersections Research-Into-Teaching Grants earlier this year, made possible with $400,000 in funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Awards of $30,000 were given to four Intersections Groups of UF faculty and staff working together across disciplines on researching and addressing […]

UF alum elected to Department of Religion’s Advisory Board

Louis Reinstein of the law firm Kelly Kronenberg was elected to serve as a Board Member for the University of Florida’s Department of Religion’s Advisory Board. Established in the 1980s, the Advisory Board promotes the visibility and recognition of religious studies and helps raise awareness for the critical contribution that religious diversification provides to society. The […]

UF Religion at AAR/SBL 2018 in Denver, CO

The American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting brings thousands of professors and students, authors, publishers, religious leaders, journalists, and interested laypersons to its Annual Meeting each year. Co-hosted with the Society of Biblical Literature, the Annual Meetings are the largest events of the year in the fields of religious studies and theology. […]

Islam in Africa in Global Context: Postdoctoral Associate Announcement

The University of Florida, with a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation’s Initiative on Religion in International Affairs, will appoint a postdoctoral associate to begin August 16, 2018. This is a one year position to work within the project “Islam in Africa in Global Context.” The postdoctoral associate will be affiliated with the Department of […]

Student awards go to top performers

Each year the Department of Religion at the University of Florida awards the top undergraduate and graduate student performers in Religious Studies. The 2018 Russell Jaberg Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by a graduating religion major, went to winner Austin Young. The runner-up for the award was Malcolm Devers. Congratulations Austin and Malcolm for your […]

Lies, Lies, and Other Religion News: April 20, 2018

Lies, lies, and other religious news. Religion news isn’t all bad. Nor is it all good. This week’s news tends to lean toward the more scandalous, investigative, and questionable side of things with accusations leveled at a top institutional atheist leader, claims that halal slaughter is inhumane, and the “culture of lies” surrounding Donald Trump. So you’ve been warned, […]

Scholars from U.S., Mexico, Discuss Religion and Power at Conference

The Religion Graduate Students hosted an incredible conference this past weekend that focused on the theme of Religion & Power. Scholars from across the U.S. — and Mexico — as well as those from disciplines outside religious studies including political science and history, gathered Saturday morning to discuss how religion negotiates unequal power relations, aids […]

Of Muslims, Octopuses, & Latin American Saints – Religion in the News: March 9, 2018

The canonization of Latin American Catholic hero Oscar Romero is a big deal and for those who study religions of Latin America (like we do!) it’s a significant moment to take note of. So too are stories about Hindu nationalism and the rewriting of history (especially for our Religions of Asia students) and Muslims saving octopuses in […]

Religion & Power in Côte d’Ivoire

In an increasingly interconnected world, religion continues to play a critical role in the lives of individuals and their relations to society. Processes of colonialism, migration, and globalization have shaped and have been shaped by religion, leading scholars and public intellectuals to rethink traditions, beliefs, and practices and how they mediate power relations within the […]

Hope & Despair, Death & Life – Religion in the News: March 2, 2018

Hope and despair, death and life. Religion explores, navigates, and brings both to its practitioners, observers, and students. This week’s RELIGION IN THE NEWS testifies to the full range of human experiences and emotions, from the good to the bad to the in-between: CULTURAL DISINtegration (SIGHtings) PRAYER & A PACKING PASTOR (RNS) A SHORT HISTORY OF TECH […]

Dancing Siva Never Dances Alone: UF Dissertation Project Receives Tedder Funding

Jodi Shaw (Ph.D. Candidate, Asia) is currently an American Institute of Indian Studies Language Fellow (2017-2018) studying Tamil in South India. This is in preparation for her upcoming research in the fall of 2018 when she will travel to Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu in order to gather oral stories, as well as visit the archives of […]

Religion in the News: February 23, 2018

The graduate program in the Department of Religion at the University of Florida (#UFReligion) is designed to prepare students for careers in academia, public service, non-governmental organizations, and various forms of advocacy work in the popular and public sphere. Our desire to connect our academic study of religion to the real world is helped along […]

Religion in the News: February 16, 2018

Religion unites. Religion divides. Religion takes part in peace. Religion plays a part in violence. Religion is neither wholly positive, despite the prognostications of some evangelists. Nor is religion wholly negative, despite the prognostications of certain evangelists. Religion is. The headlines from this week testify to that fact from the Olympics in South Korea to […]

Religion in the News: January 26, 2018

Despite the overblown claims of some, religion is powerful and persistent, and it shows no signs of disappearing. It provokes heartfelt commitment, eloquent expression, forthright action, and intense debate. For both practitioners and observers—for everyone who wants to be informed about the world around them—religion is an intensely curious phenomenon that calls out for better […]

New Grad Student Coordinator Aware of Tough Job Market, Makes Plans for Professionalization

The UF Religion graduate program is designed to prepare students for careers in academia, public service, non-governmental organizations, and various forms of advocacy work. With students in five tracks — Buddhist Traditions, Global Islam, Hindu Traditions, Religion in the Americas and Religion and Nature — this work requires broad experience, a commitment to collaboration, and […]

Religion in the News: January 12, 2018

New year, new stories…many centering on religion and many more with religion angles. Get ready, because we are kicking off this year’s “Religion in the News” post with a whole slew of religion headlines: Looking back on religion in 2017, looking forward to 2018 (BAYLOR) TOP RELIGIOUS ARcHITECTURE in the world (RNS) Islam could be U.S.’s second largest […]

Religion in the News Recap – 2017

This week’s Religion in the News not only looks back on the week that was in “religion news,” but also to the entire year. Recently, religion reporters voted on the Top Religion News Stories of 2017. Many of these stories were featured in our Religion in the News feature posted each Friday on UF Religion’s RELIGION […]

Religion in the News: December 8, 2017

Religion remains relevant. Just look at the headlines. The discipline of religious studies remains relevant to interpret those headlines. Why? Because religious literacy is severely lacking these days. Check out these “Religion in the News” headlines and see the religion angles abound. Who knows, you might just learn something: The relevance of religious studies (Sightings) cue […]

Religion in the News: December 1, 2017

It’s cold outside…well, maybe not in Florida…but the religion news is heating up. Here are a few headlines from the world of Religion in the News this week: HERe’s where evangelicals are giving money (Christianity Today) every day glory and indigenous american spirituality (RNS) trump tweets unverified videos from anti-muslim far-right political party (the washington post) resisting […]

Religion in the News: November 17, 2017

Remember that ole’ “secularization thesis?” You know the one, that idea that traditional religions would go by the wayside in the industrialised world? Well, anyone who still reckons that’s the case hasn’t read the headlines recently. In fact, this week we’ve almost got too much Religion in the News! From Muslims in South Korea to sausage […]

It’s a Boston Gator Party! UF Religion at AAR/SBL 2017

The American Academy of Religion brings thousands of professors and students, authors, publishers, religious leaders, journalists, and interested laypersons to its Annual Meeting each year. Co-hosted with the Society of Biblical Literature, the Annual Meetings are the largest events of the year in the fields of religious studies and theology. Some 10,000 people attended the […]

Religion in the News: November 10, 2017

Religion and society interact in multiple ways — from politics to pop-culture, fashion to technology. This week’s Religion in the News stories  explore the variety of ways religion and society are all cobbled together for good and for ill. Here are the articles we found below: Bhalla defeats defusco to win hoboken mayoral race (NJ.com) MET Museum […]

Religious literacy, tolerance, and secondary outreach: an interview with Dr. Gayle Lasater Pagnoni

Dr. Gayle Lasater Pagnoni is the Program Director at the Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance at Rice University. She is also a Gator, with a doctorate from #UFReligion. Her background includes degrees in Anthropology and International Relations, and a Master’s in Latin American and Caribbean Studies with an emphasis in Sociology. Her specialties focus on religion […]

Religion in the News: November 3, 2017

This week’s Religion in the News stories focus on the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Don’t know exactly what that is? Check out the stories below. We also have a bonus on why Muhammad Ali converted to Islam… Reformation debate continues in brazil, not germany (Washington Post) GLobal protestantism more “global” than you realize (Gordon Conwell) […]

Religion and Power: A CFP

3rd Annual RSGA Graduate Conference March 16-17, 2018 In an increasingly interconnected world, religion continues to play a critical role in the lives of individuals and their relations to society. Processes of colonialism, migration, and globalization have shaped and have been shaped by religion, leading scholars and public intellectuals to rethink traditions, beliefs, and practices […]

Statistics showcase department’s ongoing commitment to diversity

The University of Florida, and its Religion Department, “are dedicated to increasing college access and providing opportunities for students from all backgrounds.” Furthermore, we celebrate and value a student body with diverse experiences and scholarly perspectives. It is with this in mind that we are excited to share some statistics on diversity within our department’s […]

Religion in the News: October 6, 2017

  This week’s Religion in the News stories emphasize not only the diversity of religious experiences, positions, and practices, but also address how religious individuals, and institutions, are reacting to modern technology, communication, travel, and social issues: On this kenyan Commute, the train becomes a church (RNS) HASIDIC JEWS, AMISH, WRESTLE WITH TECH (ISR Baylor REligion […]

Graduate Program Expanded: Global Islam, Buddhist & Hindu Traditions Added

In the fall of 2017 the department will inaugurate a newly revised and expanded graduate program. While always intended to prepare students for careers both in and outside academia, our program now is more explicitly designed to prepare students not only for academia but also for emerging careers in public service, non-governmental organizations, and various […]

New book explores what it means to “live sustainably.”

What can intentional communities seeking to live sustainably teach the world? Can they lead broader communities in ways of simplicity, democracy, and nonviolence? These are the questions at the center of Dr. Whitney A. Sanford’s new work, Living Sustainably: What Intentional Communities Can Teach Us about Democracy, Simplicity, and Nonviolence. Dr. Sanford received her B.A. […]

What the Women’s March can teach us about the Importance of the Humanities 

*Victoria Machado is a Ph.D. student in UF Religion’s Religion and Nature track. Ms. Machado contributed this blog post in her personal capacity. The views expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Florida Religion Department, University of Florida’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, or the University of Florida. […]

UF religion goes west — Gators at AAR/SBL 2016 in San Antonio, TX

The American Academy of Religion brings thousands of professors and students, authors and publishers, religious leaders and interested laypersons to its Annual Meeting each year. Co-hosted with the Society of Biblical Literature, the Annual Meetings are the largest events of the year in the fields of religious studies and theology. Some 10,000 people attended the […]

News & Upcoming Events: October 7, 2016

Friday Bulletin, October 7, 2016 News and Upcoming Events The American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program (Department of Religion) will be presenting on Native Peoples’ Recognition Day at UF with the Screening of the Film, “The Seventh Fire” on October 10, 2016, at 4:05pm. Place: MCCB G086. “The Seventh Fire” explores the Native American gang crisis and the urgent […]

News & Upcoming Events: September 30, 2016

The Center for Global Islamic Studies presented its Fall 2016 Conference: Islam and Encounters with Secularism: Futural Openings on October 1, 2016, from 9:00am – 3:00pm in The Atrium – Ustler Hall. The conference featured the following speakers: Keynote speaker: Carrie Wickham, Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Emory University. Her talk is entitled“Humanist Islam as a Catalyst of Democratic Transformation: […]

News & Upcoming Events: September 9, 2016

News and Upcoming Events The Department of Religion is pleased to welcome guest speaker Dr. Donovan Schaefer on September 12-14, 2016. Dr. Schaefer will give a public lecture entitled “You Don’t Know What Pain Is: Animal Religion and the Violence of Confinement,” on September 13, 2016 in Anderson 216.  The event will begin at 4:05pm and include a discussion […]

News & Upcoming Events: August 30, 2016

The Department of Religion is pleased to welcome guest speaker Dr. Donovan Schaefer on September 12-14, 2016. Dr. Schaefer will give a public lecture entitled “You Don’t Know What Pain Is: Animal Religion and the Violence of Confinement,” on September 13, 2016 in Anderson 216.  The event will begin at 4:05pm and include a discussion period after the lecture […]

Sexing Sacred Bodies

Bodies shape and are shaped by religious practice—they enact ritual, are fashioned to reflect religious identity, inspire and create devotional objects, and define boundaries of sacredness. How does the gender of such bodies shape experiences of the sacred, and how do devotees perform gender within religious landscapes? What does it mean to “masculinize” or “feminize” […]

A Week of Religion News Blogs

Religion matters. Religion news matters. Every single day a new religion headline hits the press — on blogs and online news agencies, television and in print. And so, there are serious matters to consider when it comes to reporting religion news. Why should we report on religion news? What are the best practices? How do […]

Invoking Francis: Bernie on the Border

By Sarah “Moxy” Moczygemba, written originally for/at Marginalia Religion and the religious language used by candidates and their supporters is a common topic of debate and analysis during most American election seasons. We’re still eight months away from the election, but so far the 2016 Presidential campaign season has featured a significant amount of rhetoric from Republican […]

Spring Digital Media Seminars — Meet n’ Greet, Maps, & More!

The University of Florida Religion Department is excited to announce its Spring Digital Humanities Seminars. The seminars with #UFreligion provide an ideal environment for discussing and learning about new computing technologies and how they are influencing teaching, research, dissemination, creation, and preservation in different disciplines, via a community-based approach. This semester there are three events to take part […]

What It’s Like to Teach Islam 101 When Anti-Muslim Rhetoric Runs High

Our very own Dr. Terje Østebø — Director of the Center for Global Islamic Studies here at UF — was profiled in-depth by The Chronicle of Higher Education about teaching Islam in an environment of tense rhetoric concerning religion and violence. The article begins: Terje Østebø displays a succession of photographs on the screen behind him: a […]

More classes for your Spring schedule!

As you register for Spring coursework in the coming weeks we wanted to make sure you had all the relevant information on courses offered through #UFreligion (you can find the full course listings HERE [PDF] and HERE [Excel]). We may be biased, but we have a great line-up of classes ranging from Religion in Latin America to Islam, Media, […]

UF Graduate student aspires to national association office

In the UF Religion program we place a high emphasis on our graduate students becoming active members of their field of study and in the wider community of religious studies. Through publications, presentations, and leadership services our students emerge in the field as contributing professionals and colleagues. Bhakti Mamtora, a doctoral student in the Religions […]

Blogging like an academic

*This post is shared from one of our graduate students (Ken Chitwood, PhD ’14), who recently led a seminar on “blogging like an academic” as part of our Digital Humanities 2015-2016 Seminars.  When I started blogging I had two readers: my mom and some random dude in Sweden. To say the least, I was a HUGE […]

Single-serving spirituality? Airport chapels & American religion

*This is a guest post from one of our graduate students, Ken Chitwood (PhD, ’14 — Religion in the Americas, Global Islam) who maintains his own blog at www.kenchitwood.com.  “Tyler, you are by far the most interesting single-serving friend I have ever met,” said Edward Norton’s “everyman” character to Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden in the […]

Alumni Profile: Michael Franks

Why did you go into religious studies in the first place? I was originally drawn to Religious Studies because I wanted to go into the ministry to work as a pastor. During the course of my studies, however, I shifted my focus because I could not reconcile my academic work with the silence and lack […]