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January 1, 2018

Message from the Directors, 2018

Dear Friends of BCSR,

2017-2018 has been an extraordinary year for the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion. We’d like to give you a sense of our activities, current, and future, and thank you for helping to make this year such a success.

5 Questions with New BCSR Co-Director David Marno

BCSR is delighted to announce David Marno’s appointment as new co-director. In his research Marno, an associate professor of English, explores the connections between early modern literature and religious practice, with particular focus on the nature and role of prayer in these contexts.

Jordan, Lebanon, London, New York, D.C., Madrid, Florence: BCSR Summer Grant Winners Take Their Research on the Road

BCSR funding will support four graduate students’ research travel this summer. Grants of $1500-$3500, provided with the support of the Frank and Leslie Yeary Endowment for Ethics in the Humanities, will help students from the departments of Anthropology, Near Eastern Studies, and History to conduct fieldwork and archival research in the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S.

December 25, 2017

Directors Discuss BCSR, Public Theology, and the Importance of Studying Religion at Cal with CBS

BCSR Co-Directors Jonathan Sheehan and Mark Csikszentmihalyi recently sat down with CBS San Francisco’s Mosaic program to discuss the role and importance of the study of religion in contemporary experience, particularly at public universities like Cal.

Affiliated Faculty Offer an Array of Religion-Related Courses

Keeping with BCSR’s interdisciplinary breadth and historical reach, this fall affiliated faculty will teach courses related to religion in fields from sociology to comparative literature, covering periods from ancient Egypt to the present. Several examples of such coursework:

BCSR Welcomes Berkeley Postdoctoral Fellow in Public Theology Yunus Dogan Telliel

Yunus Doğan Telliel is the Berkeley Postdoctoral Fellow in Public Theology for the 2017-18 academic year. He recently completed his Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He serves on the steering committees of the “Contemporary Islam” and “Science, Technology, and Religion” program units in the American Academy of Religion.

Religion Courses on Offer by BCSR Affiliated Faculty for Spring 2018

Among the courses on offer next semester are three courses charting the rise and development of western Christianity and its expansion to the Western Hemisphere. These courses, taken together, explore how Christian history has come to shape modern society.

History of Christianity to 1250 CE. HIST 185A. (200 Wheeler, TuTh 9:30-11). Taught by Susanna Elm (History)

BCSR Announces Call for New Directions in Theology Graduate Student Grant Nominations

The Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR) is pleased to announce the New Directions in Theology Graduate Student Grants. Up to four awards in the amount of $5,000 are designated for incoming graduate students in their first year of study in 2018-2019.

Message from the Directors, December 2017

As we wrap-up the semester, we want to take a moment to thank you for your support of BCSR. Whether you participated by attending a lecture, donating, or simply by reading our newsletters, we appreciate your connection to our program.

June 29, 2017

Message from the Directors, June 2017

June 29, 2017

Dear Friends of BCSR,

2016-2017 was an extraordinary year for the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion. We’d like to give you a sense of our activities, current, and future, and thank you for helping to make our year such a success.

June 1, 2017

Summer Grantees to Conduct Research Around the Globe

Funding from the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR) will allow four graduate students to travel to China, Jordan, Germany, and Washington D.C. this summer to further their respective research projects. Support for these grants of $2,000 to $4,000 is provided by the Frank and Leslie Yeary Endowment for Ethics in the Humanities, established to support research and scholarship in ethics.

New Directions in Theology Cohort Will Begin Work in the Fall

The Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR) has selected eight graduate students from six departments to participate in the 2017-2018 New Directions in Theology Program. The participants, listed below, will explore various theological topics and refine their research projects with the guidance of BCSR faculty. The cohort includes incoming first-year and continuing second-year students of UC Berkeley PhD programs.

March 10, 2017

BCSR New Directions in Theology Grants for Second-Year Graduate Students | Call for Applications

February 16, 2017

BCSR Announces Graduate Student Summer Research Grants in Religion

The Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR) is offering summer research grants to advanced graduate students working on topics at the intersection of religion and ethics, broadly construed. The grant is supported by the Frank and Lesley Yeary Endowment for Ethics in Humanities, established to support research and scholarship in ethics. Grants range from $2,000 to $5,000, and are meant for summer research travel and related expenses. Applications are welcome from all UC Berkeley Ph.D.

February 1, 2017

BCSR Announces Graduate Student Summer Research Grants in Religion

The Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR) is offering summer research grants to advanced graduate students working on topics at the intersection of religion and ethics, broadly construed. The grant is supported by the Frank and Lesley Yeary Endowment for Ethics in Humanities, established to support research and scholarship in ethics. Grants range from $2,000 to $5,000, and are meant for summer research travel and related expenses. Applications are welcome from all UC Berkeley Ph.D.

BCSR New Directions in Theology Grants for Second-Year Graduate Students | Call for Applications

BCSR is offering up to four grants in the amount of $5,000 each for graduate students in their second year of study in 2017-18.* New Directions grants are provided by BCSR through the Public Theology Program, a critical three-year research initiative funded by the Henry Luce Foundation.

December 1, 2016

BCSR Hosts Visiting Fellow Jason S. Sexton

Jason S. Sexton joins BCSR as a visiting fellow through June 2017. He is a Lecturer in the Honors Program at Cal State Fullerton, where he teaches a variety of interdisciplinary courses. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews, and has written widely in the areas of California studies, prison studies, religious studies, and contemporary theology.

Recruitment opens for the 2017-2018 Postdoctoral Fellowship in Public Theology

The Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR) opened recruitment for the Berkeley Postdoctoral Fellowship in Public Theology on December 1.

BCSR Welcomes Berkeley Postdoctoral Fellow in Public Theology Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins is the Berkeley Postdoctoral Fellow in Public Theology for the 2016-17 academic year. He is the managing editor of Immanent Frame, the Social Science Research Council’s online religion forum, and recently received his Ph.D. in Modern European History from Columbia University.

Recruitment opens for the 2017-2018 Postdoctoral Fellowship in Public Theology

The Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR) opened recruitment for the Berkeley Postdoctoral Fellowship in Public Theology on December 1.