Religious Studies at Lawrence University

05/21/2024

Our department is always finding ways to connect with the wider Lawrence community. This term, students in Connie Kassor's Buddhism in North America course have collaborated with Catherine Kautsky's piano studio across the street in the Conservatory of Music to put together this concert that's happening tonight. Together, the groups are exploring the ways that American and European composers have interpreted, understood, and sometimes misunderstood Asian religious traditions since the late 19th century. Come listen to some incredible piano performances, accompanied by art, poetry, and a little bit of education about orientalism.

8pm in Harper Hall.

04/25/2024

Congratulations to the latest Fulbright recipients from Lawrence! We're especially proud of Religious Studies alum Miri Villerius ('23), who is heading to Italy.

Lawrence University senior Jonathan Bass and 2023 graduates Gunner Bauer, Miri Villerius, and Ayla Walther have been named 2024 Fulbright Scholars, a prestigious honor that provides funding to study or teach abroad.

04/16/2024

Check out RLST senior Maddy Tevonian! She's managed to pursue a double major in religious studies and art history, AND a concentration in museum studies. Did we mention that she has also managed to study abroad in India and Nepal?

Maddy Tevonian, a senior religious studies and art history double major, studied in India and Nepal. She is now preparing a capstone analyzing Buddhist art through the lens of religious studies.

01/02/2024

Hey Lawrentians -- looking to switch up your schedule this winter? Check out these two recently-added courses that you might have missed last spring during advance registration! No prerequisites for either of these!

- Yoga: Theory and Practice (RLST 228), meets TR 8:30-10:15am, taught by Prof. Kassor

- Buddhism (RLST 156), meets MWF 1:50-3:00, taught by Prof. Foote

09/29/2023

Check out these NEWLY LISTED courses for winter term!
- Buddhism!
- Q***r & Trans Studies in Religion!
- Yoga!
Change up your schedule. Take a Religious Studies class. You know you want to.

09/11/2023

Welcome to the fall term, Lawrentians! It's not too late to register for a Religious Studies course this year. We're excited to welcome Dr. Learned Foote to the department this year, who will be teaching several courses, including RLST 100 Understanding Religion (formerly called "Intro to Religious Studies") this fall, and RLST 312 Q***r and Trans Studies in Religion this winter!

06/08/2023

Senior Spotlight: Olivia Hoekstra

Olivia is a Religious Studies major AND will be one of Lawrence's first graduates in our new Business Major!

Her senior capstone was titled, "Apple Inc. and the religion of the Self." According to Olivia, "It explores the appearance of Apple’s marketing efforts (specifically in Apple’s “1984” Macintosh Commercial and “Dear Apple” 2022 Apple Watch Commercial) towards appealing to cultural trends, such as the metaphorical religion of the Self, which goes hand in hand with the rising trend of individualism in America."

About getting into religious studies, she says: "I decided to study RLST at Lawrence because I’ve always been interested in spirituality and religion. Professor Carr just happened to be my advisor and when I was trying to find a new major after being a double degree voice student in the conservatory. She advised me to take a few RLST courses and after taking an independent study with her, I realized how interesting learning about religion was. I wanted to learn more about other people’s beliefs, as well as further understand my own. Also, being an RLST major allows me the ability to have many potential career options in the future where I can (hopefully) make at least a small difference in the world."

After walking in commencement this weekend, Olivia will spend some time in Iceland (through a program funded by the LU Career Center), and then she will return for the fall tem to complete the new Business and Entrepreneurship major.

Congrats, Olivia!

06/02/2023

RLST Senior Spotlight: Brock Daumler

In addition to minoring in Religious Studies, Brock is a major in Music Composition. (If you missed hearing about the award he won for composition earlier this year, you can read about it here: https://www.lawrence.edu/articles/brock-daumler-finds-musical-path-through-composition )

When asked what drew him to Religious Studies, here's what Brock said: "It kind of took me and my family and friends by surprise. I spent much of my life before LU as a boring atheist, but when I discovered nontheistic religion, it completely changed how I thought about religion as a whole, which led to wanting to learn about all religions as much as I could and how they might coexist together."

After graduation, he'll be heading back home to Green Bay. In the future, Brock hopes to study gamelan music in Bali and eventually go to graduate school to study composition and Indian classical music.

Congrats, Brock!

05/30/2023

RLST Senior Spotlight: Madeleine Meade

Madeleine is a psychology major and a religious studies minor. She's studying how to understand people better! After graduation, she's planning to work in outdoor education and do some traveling.

Here's what she has to say about her journey through Religious Studies at LU: "It started as an elective credit class, after I took my first religious studies class on Hinduism I was hooked. I love learning how people perceive the world and about unfamiliar world views!"

Congrats, Madeleine!

05/24/2023

RLST Senior Spotlight: Miri Villerius

Miri is majoring in Religious Studies and Music. Her Music BA capstone is on klezmer music and memes (and she's a member of the LU-famous klezmer band, The Klezmommies).

Her capstone project is titled, "Regina Spektor's Incurable Humanism: Economic Anxiety and Filling the Religious Void." She says: "It's basically breaking down the interplay in the music of Russian-American singer-songwriter Regina Spektor between anti-religious dogmas and lived human realities, especially as they relate to the political-economic systems of American capitalism and Soviet communism."

On why she became a Religious Studies major: "Came for the the interdisciplinary nature of the field, stayed for the faculty!"

After graduating, Miri will be interning for the summer at the Center for Deep Listening, and then looking for a job in media, journalism, or communications.

Congratulations, Miri!

Check out all of our senior's capstone presentations this afternoon at 4:30 in Main Hall 201. And stay tuned for more senior spotlight posts.

05/23/2023

This Friday! Learn about pilgrimage! Get a free lunch!

The honors convocation will happen this Friday at 12:30pm in the Chapel. Free bagged lunch will be provided for you to grab afterwards and take to your next class.

Religious Studies professor Connie Kassor and Spanish professor Madera Allan will be this convocation's speakers. They'll be talking about pilgrimage and its connection to community. (They'll also talk about the Packers, their moms, and Taylor Swift.)

Did we mention free lunch?

05/15/2023

We are excited to announce a new addition to our department next year! Learned Foote will be joining us from Rice University after completing his PhD in the Department of Religion with a focus on Buddhist Studies. We are in the process of adding Learned's course offerings to our schedule, and if you'd like to sign up for any of these, it's not too late to add a RLST course to your schedule next year.

Here's what he'll be offering:
Understanding Religion (Fall)
Intro to Buddhism (Winter)
Q***r and Trans Approaches to Religion (Winter -- will be added to the catalog over the summer)
Hinduism (Spring)