Center on Religion & the Professions

Improving religious literacy among professionals.

Talk: American Christian missionaries in China after Mao

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Assistant Teaching Professor and MU Chinese Studies Program Coordinator Michael Volz will be giving a talk entitled “American Christian Missionaries in China After Mao.” From the organizers: Since his first study abroad experience in China as a student in 1989, Michael Volz has returned to China 12 times either as student or teacher, including 2 years as an English teacher at a college in Sichuan Province.  He earned a BA with a dual major in History and East Asian Studies from Valparaiso University.  After earning an MA in Second Languages and Cultures from the University of Minnesota, he taught ESL in the U.S. for 8 years, before returning to school to earn his MA in East Asian Studies at Stanford in 2005, with a focus on Chinese Language.  He has been teaching Chinese at MU since 2006, has led MU students to China in 2008 and 2009 and plans to take a group in the summer of 2013.  Michael’s knowledge and interest in the topic of this discussion derives from his own experiences working for an American Christian organization in China, and was also the subject of his Master’s thesis at Stanford. 

Time/Date: Noon-12:50 p.m., Thursday, March 21

Location: N201/202 Memorial Union (Mark Twain Ballroom)

Cost: Free (remember to bring your lunch!)

F0r more information: Contact Rebecca A. O’Neal at the International Center by calling (573) 882-6008 or emailing onealr@missouri.edu.

Talk: Digging the Divine? Female Figurines and the Archaeology of Israelite Religion

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From the organizers: Female figurines in ancient Israel are often identified with goddess worship, but this interpretation is based primarily on iconography. In contrast, this lecture will discuss the role archaeological context should play in the interpretation of female figurines, especially those from Jerusalem in the 8th through 6th centuries B.C.E. Archaeological data suggest that these figures were used for a wide range of purposes and by a cross-section of the population.

Dr. Erin Darby’s research and teaching interests include Biblical Studies, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Archaeology, Anthropology, Art History, Judaic Studies, Ritual Studies, and Gender Studies. Her forthcoming book focuses on female figurines from southern Israel and their role in Judean ritual life. Erin is also co-director of the Ayn Gharandal Archeological Project in southern Jordan.

Time/Date: 5 p.m., Tuesday March 19

Location: 310 Middlebush Hall

Cost: Free

For more information: Contact the Department of Religious Studies by calling (573) 882-4769 or emailing rsinfo@missouri.edu.

Religion: Articles

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  • Bell, Catherine. “Culture: What Does One Do With It Now?” Method and Theory in the Study of Religion. Vol. 18, No. 4 (2006):315-24.
  • Feuchtwang, Stephan. “On Religious Ritual as Deference and Communicative Excess.” Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. Vol. 13, No. 1 (2007): 57-72.
  • Khalil, Mohammad Hassan and Mucahit Bilici. “Conversion Out of Islam: A Study of Conversion Narratives of Former Muslims.” Muslim World. Vol. 97, No. 1 (2007): 111-24.
  • Leming, Laura M. “Sociological Explorations: What is Religious Agency?” Sociological Quarterly. Vol. 48, No. 1 (2007): 73-92.
  • Lloyd, David. “Rage against the Divine.” South Atlantic Quarterly. Vol. 106, No. 2 (2007): 345-72.
  • Orsi, Robert A. “When 2 + 2 = 5.” American Scholar. Vol. 76, No. 2 (2007): 34-43.
  • Wills, Lawrence M. “Ascetic Theology Before Asceticism? Jewish Narratives and the Decentering of the Self.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion. Vol 74, No. 4 (2006): 902-25.
  • Yelle, Robert A. “To Perform, or Not to Perform? A Theory of Ritual Performance Versus Cognitive Theories of Religious Transmission.” Method and Theory in the Study of Religion. Vol. 18, No. 4 (2006): 372-91.

Religion: Codes of ethics

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Religion: Professional associations and groups

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Religion: Recent research

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  • Healey, Kevin. “The spirit of networks: new media and the changing role of religion in American public life.” Doctoral Dissertation, University of Illinois. 2011.
  • Moran, Gabriel. “Religious Education in United States’ States Schools.” International Handbook of Inter-Religous Education. Vol. 4, No. 1 (2010): 141-53.
  • Roux, Cornelia. “Religious and Human Rights Literacy as Prerequisite for Inter-religious Education.” International Handbook of Inter-Religious Education. Vol. 4, No. 4 (2010): 991-1015.
  • Skirbekk, Vegard; Eric Kaufmann and Anne Goujon. “Secularism, Fundamentalism, or Catholicism? The Religious Composition of the United States to 2043.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Vol. 49, No. 2 (June 2010): 239-310.
  • Volpi, Frederic. “Framing Civility in the Middle East: alternative perspectives on the state and civil society.” Third World Quarterly. Vol. 32, No. 5 (2011): 827-43.
  • Watson, Jacqueline. “Dialogue and conflict on religion: studies of classroom interaction in European countries.” International Journal of Children’s Spirituality. Vol. 16, No. 1 (Apr. 2011): 59-60.

Religion: Journals

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Religion: About the discipline

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Religion has shaped much in the way of world history on every continent, from the beginning of recorded time. It impacts the public and private lives of people around the world every day. The Center on Religion & the Professions focuses on improving religious literacy among professionals to help them serve an increasingly diverse public. [Read more…]