Below is a message to this year’s graduating seniors in the Department of Religious Studies from our Chair, Prof. Barbara Ambros. Warmest congratulations to all our graduates!
Posted in Undergraduate Accomplishments on May 9, 2020. Bookmark the permalink.Our department is pleased to announce the following undergraduate awards for 2020:
Alexandra Barnes has been chosen as the recipient of the Bernard Boyd Memorial Prize in Religious Studies, which is a $500 award given annually for academic achievement by a senior religious studies major or double major. Alexandra is a double major in Religious Studies and History (with a concentration in US history) who intends to complete a gap-year internship after graduation with the chaplains at the hospice house in her hometown. She is also considering pursuing further education in religious studies at a divinity school.
Quinn Eury and Olivia Giroux are co-recipients of the Halperin-Schütz Undergraduate Essay Award. This essay competition recognizes outstanding undergraduate scholarship in the study of religion, as evidenced by a paper written in a Religious Studies or Jewish Studies class, or by a part of a senior honors thesis. It also comes with a monetary prize.
Quinn Eury (essay title: “Transgressive Gendered Behavior and the Stability of Ma’at”) is a senior Archaeology and Anthropology double major whose main interests include zooarchaeology, conflict archaeology, and houseplants. Olivia Giroux (essay title: “A Broken System: Redefining Mental Healthcare for Muslim Women in America”) is a junior and a double major in Biology and Religious Studies; her areas of interest range from ancient religions to the intersection of science and religion in the modern world.
While we are disappointed that we will not be able to hold our usual awards ceremony this year, we are keeping open the possibility of recognizing these students at a future event. We extend them our warmest congratulations!
Posted in Undergraduate Accomplishments on April 15, 2020. Bookmark the permalink.On Wednesday, April 17, our department held two events celebrating the achievements of our students and faculty.
The first was an Honors Event that recognized the undergraduate students who completed a Senior Honors Thesis this year as well as those seniors whose academic excellence was sufficient to earn membership into Theta Alpha Kappa, the National Honors Society for students in the fields of religious studies and theology. The Honors Thesis writers each gave a description of their research, while the Theta Alpha Kappa inductees received certificates, pins, and cords to mark their achievement.
Students describing their honors theses: Kristen Roehrig, Brodie Heginbotham, and Ashley Cantu
The presentation of certificates, pins, and cords
The second was our annual Awards Ceremony, in which we acknowledged the various achievements of our undergraduates, graduate students, as well as faculty. This year we had a number of honored guests, including former faculty members in our department, who joined to add special meaning to the ceremony. A great time was had by all.
Our department chair, Barbara Ambros, welcoming everyone
Display table with memorabilia
Time of refreshments afterwards
Posted in Events, Faculty News, Graduate Student News, Undergraduate Accomplishments on April 30, 2019. Bookmark the permalink.
Announcing the winners of the Halperin-Schütz Undergraduate Essay Award:
Named in honor of David J. Halperin (Rabbinic Judaism) and John Howard Schütz (New Testament), former faculty members of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of Religious Studies who were influential on a generation of students through their interdisciplinary and collaborative teaching, this essay competition recognizes undergraduate scholarship in the study of religion.
The winners are Ingrid Kottke, for a Capstone paper in RELI 697: “Witchcraft as Crime in the Treatises of King James VI and I and Matthew Hopkins;” and Sydra Siddiqui, for a selection from the Honors thesis, “Construction of The Body and Personhood: A Comparative Analysis of Religious and Indigenous Healing Practices in India and Tanzania,” Chapter 2: “Narratives of Healing and Personhood in Indian and Tanzanian Society.”
Congratulations to the winners!
Posted in News & Events, Undergraduate Accomplishments on April 23, 2018. Bookmark the permalink.
The 2017 season of the archaeological excavations at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee, led by Professor Jodi Magness, recently concluded at the end of June, and this season’s work uncovered new parts of the unique mosaic floor from the ancient synagogue at the site. Among the new mosaics are a Helios and zodiac cycle, a depiction of the biblical story of Jonah, and a scene of the construction of the Tower of Babel.
For more details on the discoveries, see the official press release here.
For reports from previous seasons of excavations at Huqoq, see here (9/14/2016), here (7/6/2016), and here (7/15/2014). You can also visit the excavation’s webpage at huqoq.org.
Part of the zodiac (Capricorn) from the Huqoq synagogue mosaic (photo by Jim Haberman)
Depiction of a wood carver from the Huqoq synagogue mosaic (photo by Jim Haberman)
We wanted to congratulate all the graduates of our Religious Studies program in 2017. You have inspired us both in and outside the classroom with your enthusiasm, creativity, and critical insight. We wish you every success in your future endeavors!
Posted in Undergraduate Accomplishments on May 19, 2017. Bookmark the permalink.The third of the three winning videos from our RELIxperience Video Contest is titled “Tarheel Religions” and was produced by three students from Prof. Harshita Kamath’s Gender Theory and the Study of Religion class: Mistyre Bonds, Margaret Humble, and Claire Johnson. Their video takes the form of an extended metaphorical reflection on the “religions” that define us here at Carolina:
For a list of all our RELIxperience video contest winners, click here.
Posted in Undergraduate Accomplishments on May 2, 2017. Bookmark the permalink.
On Wednesday, April 19, the department held its annual awards ceremony at which we celebrated the accomplishments of our students and faculty over the past year. The ceremony was held in the University Room at Hyde Hall and was followed by a wonderful time of conversation over refreshments. The many recognitions we noted that day include:
Undergraduate Student Awards:
Phi Beta Kappa inductee: Morgan Ferone
Honors Theses:
Bernard Boyd Memorial Prize: Averyl Edwards
Graduate Student Awards:
Peck Prize for Graduate Student Teaching: Joanna Smith
Religious Studies Department Summer Research Awards: Patrick D’Silva, Brad Erickson, Shannon Schorey, Joanna Smith, and Tim Smith
GSOC Peer Recognition Teaching Award: Micah Hughes
Welcome from Prof. Randall Styers
Prof. Todd Ochoa with Averyl Edwards, winner of the Boyd Prize
Prof. Lauren Leve presents a summer research award to Patrick D’Silva
Joanna Smith and Isaiah Ellis presenting the coveted “ABD” mugs
Books published by our faculty over the past year
Posted in Faculty News, Graduate Student News, News & Events, Undergraduate Accomplishments on April 26, 2017. Bookmark the permalink.
The next of the three winning videos from our RELIxperience Video Contest (titled “Mysticism–What is it?”) was produced by Jessica Coates, Avery Mavroudis, and Marlena Moore, a group of students from Patrick D’Silva’s RELI 165: Mysticism class. The video combines the reactions of various UNC students to the term “mysticism” with reflections on the idea gleaned from the course:
For a list of all our RELIxperience video contest winners, click here.
Posted in News & Events, Undergraduate Accomplishments on April 18, 2017. Bookmark the permalink.The first of the three winning videos from our RELIxperience Video Contest is titled “This is Carolina Religion,” and it features the different members of the group (Devyn Davis, Kalleen Kelley, Rachel McMillen, and Mallory Meek) describing their experiences with religious studies at Carolina. The video stood out for its focused reflections on the importance of religious studies to a well-rounded undergraduate education as well as for its overall production quality:
For the announcement of our RELIxperience video contest winners, click here.
Posted in News & Events, Undergraduate Accomplishments on April 10, 2017. Bookmark the permalink.