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Religious Studies

Final chapter in a pandemic’s shadow
Person in glasses is surrounded by bookcases.

David B. Ruderman, the Joseph Meyerhoff Professor of Modern Jewish History. (Image: Omnia)

Final chapter in a pandemic’s shadow

Historian David Ruderman was set to publish a new book and celebrate his retirement. Then the pandemic hit.

Kristen de Groot

When Malcolm X came to Penn
Gesturing with his hand, Malcolm X speaks at Irvine Auditorium in January of 1963.

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When Malcolm X came to Penn

On this Malcolm X Day, his 95th birthday, Penn Today reflects on his visit to the University in January of 1963, and his life and legacy.
A unique fellowship for Middle Eastern languages
Five people sit along ancient mud walls at an archeological dig in Iraq.

Katherine Burge, second from right, sits with coworkers at an archeological dig in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2017 .

A unique fellowship for Middle Eastern languages

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the Foreign Language and Area Studies Program (FLAS) offers undergraduate and graduate-level academic year and summer fellowships to Penn students studying Middle Eastern languages.

Kristen de Groot

New study in ‘Science’: Medieval Catholicism explains the differences between cultures to this day

New study in ‘Science’: Medieval Catholicism explains the differences between cultures to this day

Coren Apicella of the School of Arts and Sciences commented on a new study that found a correlation between countries with longer histories of exposure to Catholicism and lower measures of kinship intensity. “This is the only theory that I am aware of that attempts to explain broad patterns of human psychology on a global scale,” she said.

An intimate conversation with a famed Israeli author
Two people facing each other, one whose back is to the camera. The other is holding a water bottle and a folded up piece of paper. They are in a crowded room.

Students speak with Judith Katzir (right), a famous Israeli writer known for works like “Closing the Sea” and “Tzilla,” after her talk in College Hall. (Image: Michele Berger) 

An intimate conversation with a famed Israeli author

Speaking to a packed room, Judith Katzir shared her thoughts about the global literature scene, plus the backstories to some of her best-known—and extremely personal—works.

Michele W. Berger

How genetics paint a picture of the Jewish past

How genetics paint a picture of the Jewish past

Steven Weitzman of the School of Arts and Sciences commented on efforts to study Jewish genetics. While the research is “fascinating,” he acknowledges that it may make some uncomfortable. “There’s a lot of resistance to [genetic research] within the field of Jewish studies,” Weitzman said. “A lot of people remember or have in mind the role of race science in Nazism. So the idea that Jewish scholars would look in any way to genetics to understand Jewish identity or Jewish history and origins can make people concerned.”

Is it a cult, or a new religious movement?
Osho seated with disciples kneeling before him, circa 1980s

Is it a cult, or a new religious movement?

Many religious movements started off as fringe groups, and many modern-day cults have no religious doctrine. Why are cults and new religious movements conflated, and what makes them different?
An affirmation tree grows on campus
Elana Burack hangs cards on chicken wire tree Elana Burack, left, hangs an affirmation notecard, as Julia Magidson looks on from a distance.

An affirmation tree grows on campus

Through a Penn Wellness and Sachs grant, Elana Burack, a senior religious studies major, is touring the ‘Affirmation Tree’ around campus, soliciting reflections from the University community at large.
How Islamic feminism could shape gender equity
Islamic women in marketplace

How Islamic feminism could shape gender equity

Ahead of a lecture as part of the Religion and the Global Future speaker series, Assistant Professor of South Asian Religions Megan Robb discusses Islamic feminism’s potential influence on grassroots feminist movements.