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The Department of Religious Studies continues our very first scavenger hunt this week! Again, below are the details and rules for our scavenger hunt. Good luck! Details: Beginning every Monday, we will post a set of three (3) challenges (on our website!) that our graduate and undergraduate students can participate in for weekly prizes in […]

Attention! Religious Studies Students! Attention! The Department of Religious Studies begins our very first scavenger hunt…today! Below are the details and rules for our scavenger hunt. Good luck! Details: Beginning every Monday, we will post a set of three (3) challenges (on our website!) that our graduate and undergraduate students can participate in for weekly […]

“My research pulls in multiple directions, but it’s also all driven by a fascination with how religious people have thought about the wild and expansive possibilities of language and literature. My first book, which should be published next year (knock on wood), is about a sixteenth-century Sufi Muslim community in what is now Afghanistan who […]

David Flaherty, a Master’s student in the Department of Religious Studies, as well as Vice President and Secretary of the Religious Studies Graduate Organization, is organizing a virtual, informal study group. He will be hosting a virtual reading and writing group every Monday from 5pm-6:30pm that is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. “This […]

Congratulations to Dr. Barbara Thiede on her recent publication of Male Friendship, Homosociality, and Women in the Hebrew Bible: Malignant Fraternities. Routledge, 2021. Brief summary: “Male alliances, partnerships, and friendships are fundamental to the Hebrew Bible. This book offers a detailed and explicit exploration of the ways in which shared sexual use of women and […]

Annie Burchill has distinguished herself at UNC Charlotte as she completed majors in Religious Studies and Criminal Justice and a minor in Urban Youth and Communities, graduating in May 2021 with ambitious plans to make a difference in the world. “I recently submitted my intent to enroll at UNC Charlotte for my M.A. in Religious […]

Congratulations to David Flaherty, a Master’s student in the Department of Religious Studies, who was awarded a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (FLAS) scholarship to continue his Hindi studies at the South Asia Language Institute (SASLI) at UW-Madison this summer. This summer, David will also present his research virtually at the University of Cambridge’s […]

“Myanmar Musings (opens in new browser window) is the world’s leading podcast with researchers and thinkers on issues relating to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.” “Who were the Baptists and why are they important to Burmese history? In our 50th episode we talk about the nineteenth-century American Baptist mission to Burma with Dr […]

Congratulations to David Flaherty, a Master’s student in the Department of Religious Studies, for winning “Best Graduate Paper” at the 2021 North Carolina Religious Studies Association (NCRSA) Conference. David presented his paper, “Strike A Pose: How Hijras Pose on Digital Religious Platforms,” in which he explores the ways hijras, a group of individuals in India […]

RELS class descriptions for fall and summer are here! Summer 2021 RELS courses (opens in new window) Fall 2021 RELS Undergraduate courses (opens in new window) Fall 2021 RELS Graduate courses (opens in new window)

A round table of Black Muslim scholars and activists speaking on areas of expertise to highlight the varied Black Muslim experiences within the US. This event, hosted by the Women’s Studies Program, and co-sponsored by the Religious Studies Department, is intended to draw attention to the ways in which Black Muslims are very much a […]

“George Floyd’s death has caused many people to demand new laws that reform American policing tactics. However, laws must be backed by genuine conversations between police and the communities they serve. Floyd’s death exposes the unhealed wounds of America’s racial past and until entire communities—non-Whites and Whites—discuss this past, reform measures will not be enough […]