FAYETTEVILLE – The faculty of the Religious Studies Program in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce an innovative and cross-disciplinary symposium on the subject of the intersection of academics and faith at the University of Arkansas. 

The symposium, “Teaching Religion at the University of Arkansas,” will take place from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, in the Carnall Hall Lecture Room. 

“Teaching Religion” features five top scholars who approach the study of religion from different perspectives, ranging from material culture studies, oral history, the internet, poetry, and ritual practice. Collectively, they represent the fields of African Studies, Evolutionary Studies, Literary Studies, German Studies, Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, and the Anthropology of Religion. The panel members are:

• Timothy Landry (Religious Studies/African and African American Studies), “Teaching Voodoo”
• JoAnn D’Alisera (Anthropology/Religious Studies), “Teaching Islam”
• Lucas Delezene (Anthropology), “Teaching Evolution”
• Sidney Burris (English/Honors), “Teaching Buddhism”
• Jennifer Hoyer (World Languages, Literatures and Cultures/Jewish Studies), “Teaching Judaism”

Each panelist will grapple with their own classroom experience in communicating complex and, at times, controversial subjects in the field of religion within the context of their own disciplinary perspectives. The panelists number among the most dynamic classroom performers at the University of Arkansas. Their presentations on “Teaching Religion” are guaranteed to be compelling and informative. 

A reception to follow the symposium in the West Room of Carnall Hall. The event is free and open to the public. 

For more information on the Religious Studies Program in Fulbright College, please see:  http://rlst.uark.edu/; for an overview of the TEXT Program, consult: http://textprogram.uark.edu/; for the Jewish Studies Program, refer to:  http://fulbright.uark.edu/jewishstudies/