Queue 'News Queue'

Jamal J. Elias and Justin McDaniel awarded 2012 Guggenheim Fellowships

We are proud and excited to announce TWO 2012 Guggenheim awardees in our department!

Ann Matter wins TCPW/Provost Award

Congratulations to Prof. Ann Matter on having been chosen to receive the 2012 TCPW/Provost Award. The annual award, issued by the Trustees' Council of Penn Women and the Office of the Provost, recognizes significant contributions in advancing the role of women in higher education and research at Penn.

Jamal J. Elias wins AIPS "Best Senior Book" Prize

Congratulations to Prof. Jamal J. Elias, whose newest book On Wings of Diesel: Identity, Imagination and Truck Decoration in Pakistan (Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2011) has been awarded the "Best Senior Book" prize by the American Institute of Pakistan Studies.

Talya Fishman wins Jewish National Book Award

We are excited to announce that Talya Fishman has won the 2011 Nahum M. Sarna Memorial Award (National Jewish Book Award) for best Scholarly book in Jewish Studies for: Becoming the People of the Talmud: Oral Torah as Written Tradition in Medieval Jewish Cultures (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011).

Anthea Butler named among "Five Women in Religion to Watch"

"Anthea Butler models what engaged scholarship looks like in the 21st century.... [She] brings a scholar’s eye to contemporary politics and decodes the work religion is doing in the public square." - Excerpt from "Five Women in Religion to Watch" by Sarah Sentilles,  CNN Belief Blog.

Glenn Greenwald gives Boardman Lecture *Audio Now Available*

This year's Boardman Lecture (22 March) featured Glenn Greenwald, one of the most influential political commentators in the country, speaking on "Endless War and the Erosion of Civil Liberties in the Age of Terrorism." The event attracted more than 200 attendees.

RELS 356 makes international news

An AP article on Justin McDaniel's course this semester, "Living Deliberately," has been picked up by newspapers and websites around the world, including NPR, CBS, ABC, and the China Post, as well as Economic Times, boston.com, and SFChronicle.

Art on Wheels

Religious studies professor Jamal J. Elias explores the culture of truck decoration in Pakistan.