Category: Faculty

Posted on February 14th, 2024 in Faculty, Research by Sydney Bielefeld

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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VALE DO AMANHECER
Posted on August 18th, 2023 by wheelerr

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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The day after my talk in Cedar Rapids, I visited the home of 94-year-old Aziza Igram whose family is central to the book.
Posted on February 1st, 2023 by wheelerr

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 …

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Posted on October 3rd, 2022 by wheelerr

Peter 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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People gathered at a mosque
Posted on October 2nd, 2022 in Blog, Community Service, Faculty, Featured, Internships, Students, Teaching by wheelerr

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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Man and woman holding an oversized check
Posted on September 25th, 2022 by wheelerr

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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Posted on September 6th, 2022 by wheelerr

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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Posted on August 29th, 2022 by wheelerr

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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Race Justice and Religion in America
Posted on March 1st, 2022 in Faculty by Prabakaran Jayaraman

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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