News and Events
Dissertation Defense: Mohamed Lamallam, “Religion and Secularity in Classical Islam: The Formation and Functions of the Dīn/Dunyā Differentiation in the Practical Philosophy and Cultural Context of Abū L-Ḥasan Al-Māwardī (D. 450AH/1058CE)”
Monday, May. 6, 11:00–1:00pm, New North 107 (Seminar Room) and Zoom. Come out and support Mohamed!
Dissertation Defense: Shelton Nalley, “Holy Friendship: A Comparative Theology Of St. Thomas Aquinas And Muḥyiddīn Ibn Al-ʿarabī”
Friday, April. 26, 12:30–2:30pm, New North 107 (Seminar Room). Come out and support Shelton!
Prof. Mohammed Rustom, “Evil and Suffering in Islamic Theology: An Anthropocentric Perspective”
Thursday, April. 25, 5:00–6:30pm, New North 107 (Seminar Room) and by Zoom. Prof. Rustom (Carleton University) will offer this lecture in our PhD program’s lecture series. More information on Prof. Rustom is available here: www.mohammedrustom.com.
Methodology Seminar: Prof. Jonathan Ray, “Centering Marginal Communities: How to Write the History of Religious Minorities”
Thursday, Feb. 29, 3:30–5:00pm, New North 107 (Seminar Room) and by Zoom. Prof. Ray will discuss methodological concerns surrounding the history of religious minorities, as well as approaches to the selection and treatment of sources.
Publishing Workshop: Prof. Chris Steck, editor of the journal Theological Studies, “Getting your Article Published”
Wednesday, Feb. 14, 5:00–6:30pm, New North 107 (Seminar Room) and by Zoom. Come to learn and to get advice about all the steps of the process of publishing your article in a top-tier, peer-reviewed theology journal.
Methodology Seminar: Prof. Erin Cline, “The Goals and Challenges of Translation”
Thursday, Nov. 9, 4:00–5:30pm, New North 107 (Seminar Room) and by Zoom. Prof. Cline will discuss the process involved in her recently-completed translation of the Confucian Analects–one of the most influential texts in East Asia–from classical Chinese into English.
“Madness and/as Divine History: Sign, Symptom, and Sovereignty in Contemporary Chinese Mediumship and Charismatic Christianity”
Prof. Emily NG (U Penn), Thursday, October 26 from 5:15–6:45 PM, New North 204. Co-sponsored with the Department of Anthropology, the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, and the Medical Humanities Initiative.
PhD Program Work-in-Progress Seminar: Mohamed Lamallam, “Theorizing Religion and Politics in Classical Islam”
Tuesday, October 24 from 3:30 to 5 PM, New North 107 and Zoom. This presentation offers an overview of the political thought of al-Māwardī (d. 450/1058), a pivotal and prolific figure in the classical period of Islam (approx. 800-1200), who is often cited in the debates on Islam and politics.
Departmental Conversation with Luke Timothy Johnson
Thursday, October 19 from 4 to 5:30 PM in the Baker Scholars Room. This is an opportunity for faculty, graduate students, and majors in the department–as well as some friends of the department–to have an extended conversation with our visiting Costan Lecturer, Luke Timothy Johnson about his life as a scholar, his methodology, and his body of work. Prof. Johnson is a world-renowned New Testament scholar and a dynamic speaker and pedagogue.
PhD Program Work-in-Progress Seminar: Shelton Nalley “The God-Human-World Relationship as Conceived of by Ibn al-‘Arabī and his Disciples”
Thursday Oct. 5, 3:30–5pm, by Zoom
Shelton Nalley will present a chapter of his dissertation that queries the function and nature of the Muḥammadan Reality (ḥaqīqa muḥammadīya) in the God-Human-World relationship as conceived of by Ibn al-‘Arabī and his disciples
Methodology/ Ideation Seminar: Prof. Elizabeth Antus “Of Monsters and Men: ‘The Making Of’”
Wednesday Oct. 4, 3:30–4:45pm, New North 107 (Seminar Room) and by Zoom
Prof. Antus will be speaking about how she generated the ideas that resulted in her recent article, “Of Monsters and Men: A Feminist Political Theological Approach to Male Perpetrator Shame over Patriarchal Violence.”
PhD Program Work-in-Progress Seminar: Arunjana Das “The Nonviolent Resistance Theology of the Mayamara Vaisnava Guru in Medieval Assam”
Thursday Sep. 28, 3:30–5pm, by Zoom
Arunjana Das will present on a chapter of her dissertation, a project project that compares some of the key theological categories drawn from case studies of four medieval and modern religious communities (two Hindu and two Christian).
Incoming PhD Student Symposium
Thursday Sep. 14, 3:30–5pm, THRS Seminar Room and Zoom
Come and meet our four incoming PhD candidates, Francis Afu, Halil Avci, Elsa Immer, and Haoyue Yang. They will introduce themselves and their research, followed by Q&A and discussion. You can find their profiles on our graduate students page of the department’s website.
Theology and Religious Studies Junior Awarded Kalorama Fellowship
Lin Henke (’23), a junior at Georgetown majoring in Theology and Religious Studies, was awarded the Kalorama Fellowship, which funds independent undergraduate research under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Her fieldwork in the summer of 2022 will provide the core of her senior thesis, which will explore the relationship between religious beliefs and the rapidly-growing phenomenon of Community Supported Agriculture, including how spiritual values manifest in and are influenced by agricultural practices and a commitment to sustainability.
Theology: More than Just a Core Requirement
Theology and Religious Studies student, Priyasha Chakravarti, published this article in the August 5, 2022 GU Review highlighting the THRS Department.
College Academic Council Recognizes Scholastic Tenacity and Independent Thought
Professor Erin Cline was honored by the College Academic Council for being a distinguished faculty member who has meaningfully shaped the lives of her students. Read more here.
WalletHub Coronavirus Easter Survey
Professor Chester Gillis was featured in WalletHub’s recent survey about Coronavirus Easter. Read more here.
Job Market Trends For Recent Grads
Experts panel featuring Professor Frederick Ruf. Majors and prospective majors in Theology and Religious Studies might find this discussion of job prospects for majors of interest. Learn more here.