Panel: The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Panel Discussion on The Jewish Annotated New Testament Tuesday, October 3, 4:30pm--Duke Divinity School, Westbrook 0014 In this panel discussion about the publication of the second edition of The Jewish Annotated New Testament, editors Marc Brettler, Bernice and Morton Lerner Professor of Judaic Studies at Duke University and Amy-Jill Levine, E. Rhodes and Leona B. […]
Screening of “Before God: We Are All Family”
Hanes Hall, Room 125 204 E Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill, NCA screening of the film: Before God, We Are All Family A Documentary Followed by a Latinx Trans Panel Wednesday, Oct 4th, 12:00pm-2:00pm Hanes Hall 125 Reception at 12:00pm / Film at 12:30pm For a trailer of the film, see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ek864phwOY For a poster of the event, click here.
Nag Hammadi and Gnosticism Network Annual Meeting
Chapel Hill, United StatesThe 2017 Meeting of the Nag Hammadi and Gnosticism Network will take place October 5-7, 2017 at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Nag Hammadi and Gnosticism Network (NHGN) is an international group of scholars dedicated to study of the Coptic treatises contained in the famous Nag Hammadi Codices discovered in 1945, as well as significant related Coptic […]
Bhavayami: An Evening of Indian Classical Dance (Oct 5 and 6)
Swain Studio Six Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesBhavayami: An Evening of Indian Classical Dance By Akhila Takkallapalli, student of Smt. Sasikala Penumarthi Academy of Kuchipudi Dance (Atlanta, Georgia) Thursday, October 5, 6:00pm and Friday, October 6, 6:00pm Swain Studio Six, UNC-Chapel Hill For more information, please contact Harshita Kamath (hkamath@unc.edu) For the event poster, click here.
Translating Islam: A Conference in Honor of Carl Ernst
Hampton Inn & Suites 370 E. Main St., Carrboro, United StatesProfessor Carl Ernst has devoted his academic life to translating Islam, linguistically and culturally. From his first book, Words of Ecstasy in Sufism (1985), to his most recent book, co-edited with Fabrizio Speziale, Perso-Indica: An Analytical Survey of Persian Works on Indian Learned Traditions (2017), he has focused on how Islamic concepts have traveled across […]
Religious Freedom and Hypocrisy in Iran: An Activist’s Guide to Changing the World
FedEx Global Education Center, Room 1005 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesA talk by Amir Soltani, an Iranian-American writer, journalist, and human rights activist who has worked in business, media, nonprofits, and philanthropy. What is religious persecution? What forms does a modern inquisition take? Who enforces it and how? What is the role of language? What does it mean to be changed as a heretic, to […]
RELI Course Fair
Carolina Hall, Room 124 220 E. Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesAll students are invited to our undergraduate Course Fair on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 11:30am-1:00pm (Carolina Hall 124), where flyers for all our Spring 2018 courses (see below) will be available to browse around the room, and professors representing the different subfields in our department will be present to speak with students about specific courses. Our […]
2017 AAR/SBL Annual Meeting in Boston, MA
Boston, MA Boston, MA, United StatesThis year, the Annual Meetings of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature will be held in Boston, MA, from November 18-21. Numerous faculty and graduate students in UNC's Department of Religious Studies will be participating in a variety of capacities. For more information, see the descriptions on the AAR or […]
Sound, Architecture, and Islamic Reform (Michael Frishkopf Lecture)
Person Recital Hall, Person Hall Chapel Hill, United StatesSound, Architecture, and Islamic Reform: The Attenuation of Ritual Resonance in the Built Environment of Cairene Saint Veneration with Dr. Michael Frishkopf Dr. Michael Frishkopf is Professor of Ethnomusicology in the Department of Music and Adjunct Professor in both Religious Studies and the Division of Community Engagement, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University […]
Spring 2018 Classes Begin
UNC-Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesSpring 2018 classes begin for all students on January 10, 2018. For more information, see registrar.unc.edu.
Coffee, Carbs, and Conversation
Carolina Hall, Room 124 220 E. Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesDuke-UNC Graduate Middle East and Islamic Studies Conference
Sanford Rubenstein Hall, 200 at Duke University 201 Science Drive, Durham, NC, United StatesThe 15th Annual Duke-UNC Graduate Middle East and Islamic Studies Conference “Map, Territory, and Boundary” The conference will take place February 9-10, 2018 at Sanford Rubenstein Hall, 200 at Duke University. Geography and territoriality are not only the subjects of ongoing contestation, but also compelling paradigms to engage with broader interrelated questions pertaining to the modern makeup of […]
Religious Studies Faculty at PlayMakers
PlayMakers Repertory Company 120 Country Club Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesReligious Studies Faculty will participate in discussions of performances at PlayMakers Repertory Company this month! On February 18, Professor Brandon Bayne will take part in a free post-show discussion of Lucas Hnath's “The Christians” with members of the creative team, cast, and community members, and on Feb. 25, Professor Evyatar Marienberg will take part in a free post-show discussion of […]
Bart Ehrman at Bull’s Head Bookshop
Bull's Head BookshopOn Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 3:30 pm, at Bull's Head Lounge (3rd floor UNC Student Stores), Bart Ehrman, James A. Gray Distinguished Professor, will be reading from his just-published book, "The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World." Shortly after Jesus’ death, a small group of his followers came to believe he had […]
Religious Studies Faculty at PlayMakers
PlayMakers Repertory Company 120 Country Club Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesReligious Studies Faculty will participate in discussions of performances at PlayMakers Repertory Company this month! On February 18, Professor Brandon Bayne will take part in a free post-show discussion of Lucas Hnath's “The Christians” with members of the creative team, cast, and community members, and on Feb. 25, Professor Evyatar Marienberg will take part in a free post-show discussion of […]
RELI CCC: What can I do with a RELI major?
Carolina Hall, Room 124 220 E. Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill, NC, United States
“Faith in Our Lives: Why We Follow” at Playmakers
Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre 120 Country Club Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesPlayMakers Repertory Company will host a FREE symposium with two national luminaries in the world of religious scholarship: FAITH IN OUR LIVES: WHY WE FOLLOW The program will offer a rare opportunity for substantive exploration of how our beliefs and faith serve us both personally and collectively. We will also explore what is at risk when […]
Sorcery, Celebration, and Religious Life in Rural Cuba
Chapel Hill Public Library 100 Library Dr, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesHow do scholars become fascinated by their subjects? What is it like when they make a new discovery? How do the processes of research, analysis, writing, and teaching change their perspectives of the world? "Sorcery, Celebration, and Religious Life in Rural Cuba" with Todd Ochoa: Associate Professor, Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel […]
Duke and UNC Center of Late Ancient Studies Symposium
Rubenstein Rare Books and Manuscript Library 411 Chapel Dr, Durham, NC, United StatesThe Duke and UNC Center of Late Ancient Studies (CLAS) Graduate symposium on March 19 will feature Professor Zlatko Pleše speaking on the question of God's culpability for evil in the context of Hellenistic rhetoric and philosophy. Increasingly, studies of late antiquity have problematized easy boundaries between religion and philosophy and between labels of identity such as "Neoplatonic," "Christian," and "Gnostic." The goal of the […]
RELI CCC: An Introduction to Hindu Traditions
Carolina Hall, Room 124 220 E. Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesLecture: Make Evangelicals Great Again?
Murphy Hall 104Science Vs. Religion: What Religious People and Scientists Really Think about One Another and Why it Matters
Toy Lounge, Dey Hall Chapel Hill, United StatesNCSC-ElaineEcklund-Poster (6)
Make Evangelicals Great Again? The Trials and Tactics of Progressive Evangelicals in the Age of Trump
Murphy Hall 105 NC, United StatesWhat is a Christian? Representation, Essentialism, and Christian Variation in the Southern Caribbean with Dr. Brendan Jamal Thornton
Murphey 314 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesAcademic Freedom Day
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesThe Muslim Ban & US
FedEx Global Education Center, Room 1005 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesIslamization in the Golden Horde and Communal Identity among the Türkmens: The Subtle Social Legacies of a Fourteenth-Century Saint with Dr. DeWeese
FedEx Global Education Center, Room 1009 Chapel Hill, United StatesIntimate Spirits: Men, Sex, and the Anthropology of Supernatural Seduction (Prof. Brendan Thornton lecture)
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesProf. Brendan Thornton will be speaking at the Duke on Gender Colloquium on Friday, January 25 (see details below):
RELI Majors Dinner
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesThe dinner will be held on Tuesday, February 5, 5:30pm in Graham Memorial 039. As part of this event, we will be hearing from Brigid Grabert, a doctoral candidate at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a former RELI major who will be speaking on how her Religious Studies background has informed […]
The Jewishness of Jesus: Between Memory and Forgetting (Prof. Annette Yoshiko Reed)
Howell Hall 115 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesHuqoq Excavation Application Deadline (Study Abroad) for Summer 2019
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesClick here to download a PDF flyer. For the Study Abroad application, click here.
Free Screening of “Echoes from the Plantation” (Documentary)
Hamilton Hall 100 Chapel Hill, NCThe general public is invited to attend a free screening of "Echoes from the Plantation," a documentary drama about the history of Indians in Guyana. During 1838, after the British ended the transatlantic slave trade, Indians, contracted as indentured servants, were sent to Guyana to work on the sugar cane plantation. This film will shed […]
Cave 10: Myth, Mystery, and the Artisans of Ellora (Prof. Kirin Narayan)
FedEx Global Education Center, Room 3009 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesThe Lives & Legacy of Billy & Ruth Graham
Pleasants Family Assembly Room, Wilson Library Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesWhen Work is Worship: Technology, Labor, and the Figure of Vishwakarma (Prof. Ken George)
FedEx Global Education Center, Room 3009 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesMulatto·Outlaw·Pilgrim·Priest: The Legal Case of José Soller (Dr. John K. Moore, Jr.)
Toy Lounge, Dey Hall Chapel Hill, United StatesMulatto·Outlaw·Pilgrim·Priest The Legal Case of José Soller, Accused of Impersonating a Pastor and Other Crimes in Seventeenth-century Spain A talk by Dr. John K. Moore, Jr. (Associate Professor of Spanish, University of Alabama at Birmingham) Tuesday, March 26, 2019 5:00pm, Toy Lounge (Dey Hall) Co-sponsored by the Departments of Romance Studies and Religious Studies
Alexander in Jerusalem: A Brief Survey (Dr. Ory Amitay)
Murphey Hall, Room 104 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesPlease join the UNC Department of Religious Studies, the UNC Center for Jewish Studies, and the UNC Classics Department for a lecture on Monday, April 8 by: Ory Amitay, University of Haifa (Department of General History) Alexander in Jerusalem: A Brief Survey The extensive body of research on the story of Alexander's visit to Jerusalem, […]
Moments of Enlightenment (Jonathan M. Hess Symposium)
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesThe Carolina Center for Jewish Studies and the Department of Germanic and Slavic languages and literatures are co-organizing a symposium honoring Professor Jonathan Hess and his work. The symposium is titled "Moments of Enlightenment: German Jewish Interactions from the 18th Century to the Present," and brings together colleagues, collaborators, and former students of Jonathan Hess. […]
RELI Honors Thesis/Society Event
Murphey Hall, Room 118 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesReligious Studies Department Event Join us on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 3pm in Murphey 118 for a celebration of our majors who have written an honors thesis this year and for the induction of Religious Studies majors into Theta Alpha Kappa, the national honor society for religious studies and theology. Honors research presentations Kristen […]
Departmental Awards Ceremony
Hyde Hall, University Room 176 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NCReligious Studies Spring Graduation Reception
Courtyard between Carolina and Murphey Halls Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesCarolina Public Humanities’ Sustainable Food Symposium
The Culture Mill 1616 Jordan Dr., Saxapahaw, NC, United StatesFor the registration link, click here.
Maymester and Summer Session I Classes Begin
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesMaymester and Summer Session I classes begin Wednesday, May 15. For more information, see here. For more on Maymester and Summer courses offered in our department, see here (course posters) and here (schedule).
Summer Session II Classes Begin
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesSummer Session II classes begin Monday, June 24. For more information, see here. For more on Maymester and Summer courses offered in our department, see here (course posters) and here (schedule).
Fall 2019 Classes Begin
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesFall 2019 classes begin Tuesday, August 20. For more information, see here. For more on courses offered by our department in the Fall semester, see here (course posters) and here (schedule).
How Biblical Poetry Works (Prof. Jacqueline Vayntrub)
Hill Hall, Moeser Auditorium Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesBeyond Abortion Shaming: Christianity, Justice, and Trusting Women
Bingham Hall 103 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesJoin us for this fall's main event for the minor in the Study of Christianity and Culture. Professor Toddie Peters from Elon University's Department of Religious Studies will be giving a lecture on "Beyond Abortion Shaming: Christianity, Justice and Trusting Women."
North Carolina Religious Studies Association- Annual Meeting
Carolina Hall 220 E. Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesThe Annual meeting of the North Carolina Religious Studies Association (NCRSA) will be held Saturday, October 5 at Carolina Hall on UNC Chapel Hill's Campus. The program is now available on the NCRSA website. Registration for the meeting is also open. The registration fee for the 2019 conference is $20 if you register by September […]
When Sacrifice Began: Sacrifice and Narrative in Biblical and Mesopotamian Literature (Prof. Joseph Lam)
Carolina Hall, Room 204 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesIslam and Feminism: A Difficult Conversation (Prof. Juliane Hammer)
FedEx Global Education Center, Room 4003 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesAnimality After The Shoah (Prof. Andrea Cooper)
Carolina Hall, Room 220 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesFeminisms Here and Now: Difficult Attachments (Conference)
UNC-Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC, United States"Undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows are invited to submit abstracts to the fourth meeting of Feminisms Here and Now, an interdisciplinary conference organized by PhD students in the Departments of Communication and Geography at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This year’s theme – “Difficult Attachments” – draws from discussions around […]
2019 AAR/SBL Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA
San Diego, CA San Diego, CA, United StatesThis year, the Annual Meetings of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature will be held in San Diego, CA, from November 23-26. Numerous faculty and graduate students in UNC's Department of Religious Studies will be participating in a variety of capacities. For more information, see the description on the AAR […]
IAH Fellows Celebration 2020
Hyde Hall, University Room 176 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NCWe invite you to join us for the 2020 Fellows Celebration! Come and show your support for Religious Studies faculty who will have new books represented at this event.
Majors and Minors Dinner
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesCome to our catered dinner! Students considering the major or minor are welcome to join as well. Don't forget to RSVP.
New Light on the Arabic Writings of Omar Ibn Said (Profs. Carl Ernst and Mbaye Lo)
Pleasants Family Assembly Room, Wilson Library Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesResearch Forum: “New light on the Arabic writings of Omar ibn Said” A presentation by Carl Ernst and Mbaye Lo The enslaved African Muslim scholar Omar ibn Said, who wrote an autobiography in Arabic in 1831 while enslaved in Bladen County NC, has attracted attention as a striking example of the presence of Muslims in […]
“On Embedding the Bible in the Human Past: The Beginnings of Historical Criticism” (Dr. Michael Legaspi)
Toy Lounge, Dey Hall Chapel Hill, United StatesRELI 501 and the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies will be hosting a guest lecture: “On Embedding the Bible in the Human Past: The Beginnings of Historical Criticism.” Michael Legaspi, Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and Jewish Studies at Penn State University, is giving the lecture. Anyone with an interest in the […]
Who Speaks for Islam? (Duke-UNC Middle East & Islamic Studies Grad Conference)
FedEx Global Education Center, Room 1005 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesUpdating Ur: Mesopotamian Households in Light of New Excavations (CANCELLED)
Murphey Hall, Room 116 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesThis event has been cancelled due to COVID-19 related travel and gathering restrictions. We hope to re-schedule in the Fall. On Tuesday, March 17, there will be a Public Lecture by Elizabeth Stone and Paul Zimansky (Stony Brook University). Here is a description: "Beginning in 2015, a Stony Brook University expedition directed by Elizabeth Stone […]
Hip Hop, Black Aesthetics, and the Unordinary Sacred (Dr. Joseph Winters) (CANCELLED)
Bingham Hall 103 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesThis talk has been postponed; we hope to re-schedule in the Fall. The Christianity and Culture Minor presents: "Hip Hop, Black Aesthetics, and the Unordinary Sacred"
Race, Racism, and Racial Equity (R3) Symposium
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesThe University Office for Diversity and Inclusion is hosting a series of symposiums on Race, Racism, and Racial Equity (R3) throughout the year. The first symposium, “The Historical Exploitation of Black and Brown Bodies at UNC: Learning from the Past to Change the Present,” will be held on Thursday, Sept. 10, 1:30–3 p.m. REGISTER HERE Panelists: […]
MCLESTER LECTURE: Hip Hop, Black Aesthetics, and the Volatile Sacred
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesDr. Joseph Winters Alexander F. Hehmeyer Associate Professor of Religious Studies and African & African American Studies Duke University September 23, 2020 3:30 PM Click to Register Dr. Winters' talk examines hip hop at the intersection of black studies and theories of the sacred. While hip hop exhibits different kinds of religiosity, his project situates […]
The Overwhelming Event and Black Testimony from the Immanent Divine
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesDr. Youssef Carter, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, will be a key note speaker in the Department of African, African American, & Diaspora Studies' Colloquium series! The talk is titled: "The Overwhelming Event and Black Testimony from the Immanent Divine". "Within the past year, two prominent hip-hop artists — Kanye West and Jay Electronica — […]
Melancholic Redemption and the Hopelessness of Hope: From Kafka to Dylan
Zoom Chapel Hill, NC, United States"Since late antiquity, a connection was made between Jews and the psychological state of despondency based, in part, on the link between melancholy and Saturn, and the further association of the Hebrew name of that planet, Shabbetai, and the Jewish Sabbath. This depiction seemingly contradicts the common assumption that Judaism is a life-affirming religion that […]
Schochet Lecture: Jewish Studies Today
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesSchochet Family Lecture – remote lecture organized by Carolina Public Humanities and hosted by Wake Tech Community College. Co-sponsored by the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies. With Andrea Cooper, Department of Religious Studies
Heaven and Hell: Ancient Ideas about the Afterlife
Zoom Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesA Distinguished Scholar Webinar featuring Bart D. Ehrman Bart D. Ehrman, James A. Gray Professor of Religious Studies, is the author or editor of more than 30 books, including the forthcoming Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife. According to the most recent Pew Research Poll, 72 percent of all Americans believe in a literal heaven […]
“Menashe” Netflix Party
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesInterested in Jewish Studies? Undergrad or Grad student? Want to meet like-minded students? Join the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies for their "Menashe" Netflix Party! Join this GroupMe for the link or scan this QR: tinyurl.com/MenasheNetflixParty
Alone Again in Fukushima, A documentary screening and conversation
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesProf. Barbara Ambros will be taking part in the following documentary film viewing, which is also co-sponsored by our department and moderated by Ph.D. candidate, Joanna Smith. Alone Again in Fukushima A documentary screening and conversation This spring will mark the tenth anniversary of the triple disaster that on March 11, 2011, brought an earthquake, […]
Undergraduate Research Symposium / Spring 2021
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesThe Department of Religious Studies is pleased to hold its inaugural Undergraduate Research Symposium on Wednesday, April 13, 2021, 5:00PM-7:00PM. For the Zoom link, click here. Meeting ID: 967 6706 6005 Passcode: religion
2021 Graduation Ceremony
Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesOn Friday, May 14, 4:00-5:30PM, the Department of Religious Studies is pleased to hold its Graduation Ceremony via Zoom. You are cordially invited to attend. The Zoom link is here Passcode: 290786 During the ceremony, we will announce the honor society recipients in each subfield, then participants will be invited to informal student-faculty-friends meet-and-greet breakout […]
Reli Fall Semester Film Screening 2021 “Two Gods”
Howell Hall 115 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesWebinar: Dune & Islam
Zoom & YouTube EventSee a preview of the webinar here! Register here. The webinar is free. $10 suggested donation: https://go.unc.edu/PeckFundDonation
Unravelling the Ṭawāsīn of Ḥallāj, A conversation
FedEx Global Education Center, Room 1005 Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesJoin us for a conversation between Nomanul Haq (Dean, University of Management and Technology, Lahore) and Carl Ernst (Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Islamic studies, UNC Chapel Hill). The Kitāb al-Ṭawāsīn of the Sufi al-Ḥallāj (d. 922 CE) is a fascinating versified mystical treatise of a monumental and intriguing figure in the history of Sufism. Ḥallāj was mercilessly executed by […]
Reli Club Introductory Meeting, Join us!
Carolina Hall, Room 104 220 E Cameron Ave, Chapel HillCurious about Religious Studies at UNC? Love pizza? Join us on Thursday, 9/29 at 6:30pm for an introduction to Religious Studies at UNC (and yummy pizza, of course). Please email Adam Tatum (agtatum@live.unc.edu) for more information.
Emerging Scholars Lecture: “Breathing Out Violence”
Zoom Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesEmerging Scholars Lecture with Emily Branton, department of religious studies. Remote event via Zoom. Registration will be required, please check back in early November for registration link. Monday, November 14, 2022, 5:30pm, remote event: Zoom “Breathing out violence:” Fake News and other dangerous speech in Ancient Israel In the era of social media, we are […]
Trivia Night, all invited
Carolina Hall, Room 220 220 Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesJudith Weisenfeld, speaker for Mclester Seminar
UNC Campus Y, Anne Queen Lounge 180 E Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill, United StatesWebinar: More Than Just Mosaics: The Ancient Synagogue at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee
Zoom & YouTube EventWebinar by Professor Jodi Magness Hosted by Prof. Bart D. Ehrman (This event will not be recorded) Time: Wednesday March 1, 2023 6:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Registration Link https://unc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_P-QfyEAKQhOgfDwl54T6ng https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ5TWcKl-pw Since 2011, Professor Jodi Magness has been directing excavations in the ancient village of Huqoq in Israel's Galilee. The excavations have brought […]