Religious Studies is going through a time of exciting changes. E. Ann Matter , the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Religious Studies is now the Associate Dean for Arts and Letters. Despite her busy schedule as a dean she is continuing to be an active member of our departmental life and plans to continue teaching at least one course a year.
Professor Jamal Elias is the Chair of the Department. He is assisted by Professor Talya Fishman as Graduate Chair and Professor Justin McDaniel as Undergraduate Chair.
This year we have welcomed Professors Anthea Butler and Justin McDaniel to our department. Professor Butler is our new professor of American Religions and focuses on the history of African-American religion, Pentacostalism, and Gender and Religion. Professor McDaniel specializes in ritual and magic, as well as Southeast Asian Buddhism and Thai, Lao, Sanskrit, and Pali literature.
Three of our colleagues, Professors Robert A. Kraft, Stephen Dunning, and Guy R. Welbon have retired after being integral to the life of the department for many years. They have agreed to continue participating in our intellectual lives.
There has also been a growth in our Graduate Group with the addition of four new faculty members, Professors Eve M. Trout Powell , Melissa J. Wilde, Rupa Viswanath, and Daud Ali .
Together we are all adding new courses, new research projects, and renewed energy to the study of religion at Penn.