Religious Studies Blog

REL Students, Faculty Attend Midwest AAR Conference

Three of our graduate students, one undergraduate, and two faculty members attended the Midwest American Academy of Religion Conference at Ball State University, Muncie, IN, this past weekend.

by

Third from left is MSU REL graduate student Cameron Enochs and, at right, REL Assistant Professor Dr. Vadim Putzu.
Third from left is MSU REL graduate student Lindsey Argo.
At left is MSU REL graduate student Kayla Jenkins.

This past weekend, Dr. Matt Kuiper (Professor of Islam), and Dr. Vadim Putzu (Professor of Judaism), accompanied three of our graduate students, Lindsey Argo, Cameron Enochs, and Kayla Jenkins, and one undergraduate student, Brooke Matejka, to the annual American Academy of Religion Conference – Midwest region.

As chair of the Study of Judaism section, on Friday afternoon Dr. Putzu moderated two panels of faculty and graduate students, including our own Cameron Enochs’ paper on early Christian rhetorical constructions of Judaism.

As chair of the Islam section, on Saturday Dr. Kuiper moderated two panels of faculty and graduate students.

Despite the chilly and icy weather in Muncie, IN, MSU Religious Studies students managed to shine: Lindsey Argo presented two papers – one on modern readings of the Bhagavad-Gita and one on Hesychasm and Yoga. Kayla Jenkins spoke about beer and gender in Tantric Buddhism, while senior Brooke Matejka discussed the history curriculum among evangelical homeschoolers.

Some 200 people attended the conference, including some MSU alumni, Rachel McBride Lindsey and Adam Park, who are now professional scholars of religion, and – hopefully – prospective students for our MA program!