As I sit here making the Spring 2017 class schedule for our department I recall the many times that I’ve heard academics lament being involved in administration. (That they equally complain about no longer being much involved in the governance of their institutions is an irony too rich to overlook.) “My condolences” is the witty […]
continue readingImagination, Morality, and the Value Gap
Bethany Scott is a freshman at the University of Alabama with a major in Human Performance Exercise Science, with a focus on Nutrition on a Pre- PA track. She graduated High School in Augusta, Georgia, but as a military kid she was able to travel and live in many different countries. This post was written […]
continue readingInaugural Department Chairs Workshop
For several years the American Academy of Religion has been the home for a group of public university department chairs, meeting annually to discuss shared challenges. But the 90 minute lunch meeting (such as last November’s) just isn’t enough time to discuss anything in any real detail.
continue readingThe #GradTales Audience: Reflections From Current Students
As you may be familiar one of our events here in RELÂ is the Grad Tales Event: Here and Back Again. The department invites a former REL major to talk about their experience before and after graduation, in hopes that they can help current students think not only about their place in the university but also […]
continue readingShould We Pull at Our (Funding) Strings?
The American Academy of Religion recently held a consultation with its membership about “Responsible Research Practices: A Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct for AAR Members.” A grand total of four scholars responded to the statement on the AAR’s website. A online quick search for responses elsewhere returned […]
continue readingThe Manly Cup: 2015 Edition
Yes, the annual Manly Cup — said by some to have begun as a tag-team baking competition sometime in the late 1800s but revived only as recently as 2009 — took place last night and, while keen to maintain our journalistic objectivity, we’re sorry to report that it was a sad day in Professorville.
continue readingOf Prepositions and Conjunctions
The following is slightly adapted from the REL webpage’s description of the Department motto. Although it may seem to some to be a rather minor thing, and therefore something easily overlooked, our department’s motto — Studying Religion in Culture — italicizes the preposition “in” (not something we’re able to note here in the WordPress blog […]
continue readingA New Series Kicks Off: Grad Tales Extra
Zac Parker graduated with a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Alabama in 2011. Here he helps us kick off our new, ongoing series, Grad Tales Extra, in which grads not able to join us on campus, to discuss the relevance of their degree, can drop us a line instead, to update us […]
continue readingAn Interview with Nathan Loewen
We recently interviewed one of the newest members of our faculty, Dr. Nathan Loewen. Read what he has to say about his interests, background, and new job as Assistant Professor and Faculty Technology Liaison. Q: Where did you train? What are your areas of research and teaching interest? A: My areas of research and teaching interest […]
continue readingThe Dialectics of Identification
Yes, our Department is housed on the second floor of Manly Hall. It’s named after the second president of the University of Alabama, Basil Manly Sr (who held the office between 1837 and 1855). In fact, the president’s office was once in this building, on the ground floor (before the Greek Revival-styled President’s Mansion was […]
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