At a time when the humanities are often overlooked in favor of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines, Dr. Rachel Wheeler, chair of Religious Studies, proposed an innovative solution to revitalize the humanities: one-credit “co-labs” attached to STEM courses. Dr. Wheeler’s idea seeks to address the imbalance between technical skills and essential humanistic understanding …
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In May 2023, King Charles III was crowned with all the pomp and ceremony that the shrunken British Empire can still muster in the way of symbolic excess. It was a grand spectacle, made even more so by the extravagant regalia and ritual finery on display: the radiant emblems of rule encrusted with jewels, the …
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While I was still writing Muslims of the Heartland: How Syrian Immigrants Made a Home in the American Midwest (NYU Press, 2022), I became determined to take the book back to the places where its stories unfolded from the 1890s to the 1940s. At first, I thought that perhaps I should do one big road trip and …
Read MoreFall Semester is wrapping up and Spring is just around the corner! We’ve got lots of exciting courses on tap for Fall 2023 – and who knows, it could be the start of your journey to being a best-selling author like Indiana resident, John Green, who majored in Religious Studies at Kenyon College. Check out …
Read MorePeter J. Thuesen In the fall of 1989, I arrived as a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with dreams of an eventual career in journalism or the foreign service. I was particularly fascinated by Russia—Mikhail Gorbachev was then pursing the reforms that would end in the Soviet Union’s collapse—but the …
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Dr. Kelly Hayes and Religious Studies major Alondra Arriaga-Rosales are working together on a project to strengthen the Religious Studies department’s ties with religious communities in central Indiana. With funding from IUPUI’s Community Engagement Program, this year-long project explores how the department can institutionalize our relationships with local religious communities in more intentional, enduring, and …
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Since 2018, Religious Studies professor David Craig has partnered with local congregations serving in neighborhoods across the near northside of Indianapolis. As the COVID-19 pandemic began in spring 2020, he co-led a team with Rev. Shonda Nicole Gladden, CEO, Good to the SOUL, to design and facilitate a virtual #HealthyMe learning community for historically-Black and …
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In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Indianapolis was home to a thriving, Arabic-speaking community whose legacy, though not well-known by many Hoosiers, has made a lasting impact on Indiana’s history. IU’s Edward Curtis, IV has spent the last few years working with IUPUI students to document the history of Arab Americans in Indianapolis. Through …
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By Adam Peterson, ’25 Journalism, IUPUI Imperfections across the health care system have long plagued the United States. Costs are high, rules are unclear, coverage is spotty and in flux. IUPUI professor David Craig is working to improve the situation. Ten years ago, Craig wrote a book on health care, enthusiastically hoping that the book …
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An IUPUI professor is part of a new project aimed at amplifying and strengthening efforts to prevent violence and discrimination against Africana religious practitioners, including those in Indianapolis. Edward E. Curtis IV, the William M. and Gail M. Plater Chair of Liberal Arts and professor of religious studies in the IU School of Liberal Arts …
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