Faculty Publications

Mugdha smiling

Mugdha Yeolekar, Ph.D.   
Assistant Professor

Peer-Reviewed Articles 

  • “Embedding diversity conversations in Religious Studies courses: Reflections on teaching Religions of the World.” In The International Journal of Diversity in Education. (Vol 21, 1:2020): 67-74
  • “Texts and Trees: Ritual Engagements with Audumbar Tree in the Dattatreya Sampradāya.” In Sustainable Societies: Interreligious, Interdisciplinary Responses, Springer Publication, USA (Book is in Press)
  • “Toddlers and Teas: Interreligious Play” (with Tracy Sayuki Tiemeier). In Interreligious Friendship. Palgrave (2015).
    “Where Agency is Not Resistance: A Case of Women's Ritual Reading of Gurucaritra.” In Exemplar, The Journal of South Asian Studies. (Vol 2. 1, 2013): 59-71.


Book Reviews

  • Fifth Veda’ of Hinduism: Poetry, Philosophy and Devotion in the Bhagavaa Purana, by Ithamar Theodor, Fothcoming in Spring 2021 in Religions of South Asia. 
  • Place/No-place in Urban Asian Religiosity, by Joanne Punzo Waghorne, ed. Asian Ethnology. Available online at https://asianethnology.org/volumes/141 (Fall 2019) Vol 78 (1): 78-1.
  • A Place at the Multicultural Table, by Prema Kurien. The International Review of Modern Sociology. Available onlineat www.internationaljournals.org (Fall 2008):317-19.


Works in Progress

  • “Gender, Religion, and film: An Analysis of V. Shantaram’s Kunku.” Article to be submitted to Journal of Religion and Film in Spring 2021.

 

Dr. Solano smiling

Jeanette  Reedy Solano, Ph.D. 
Professor Of Comparative Religion

Books 

Creative Works/Articles

  • Out of the Fire March 2010 film
    This short film was selected as one of the top 10 films of the International 168 Film Festival, Out of the Fire was nominated for 13 awards, including Best Film and Best Director.  This peer-reviewed original narrative dramatic film was made with poets from Homeboys Industries.  I won the $1,000 prize as Best New Filmmaker of the Festival.  I continue to use this film, which I produced and directed, in my courses, especially CPRL 367, CPRL 352, CPRL 311 & CPRL 105.  It has been screened across the country at film festivals and at our international academic conference, the American Academy of Religion’s Annual Meeting in 2014. 
  • LOST short chapter in peer-reviewed  Don’t Stop Believin:Pop Culture and Religion from Ben-hur to Zombies (Westminster John Knox Press, June, 2011).
  • Blessed Broken Bodies: Exploring Redemption in Central Station and Breaking the Waves Journal of Religion and Film Vol. 1, no 8, April 2004 
  • Central American Religious Experience: The El Salvadorans and Guatemalans as Case Studies  
    Peer-reviewed chapter in Introduction to the U.S. Latina and Latino Religious Experience edited by Hector Avalos, Brill Academic Publishers. August, 2004 
  • The Transnational Savior: How a Salvadoran Jesus Reunited with His People in the U.S August, 2004, A 42 minute digital documentary film based on my field research and interviews (peer-reviewed).

 

Paul Levesque smiling

Paul Levesque
Professor Of Religious Studies

Books

  • Symbols of Transcendence: Religious Expression in the Thought of Louis Dupré. Louvain Theological and Pastoral Monographs 22. Leuven: Peeters Press; Grand Rapids: W. B. Eerdmans, 1997.

Peer-Reviewed Articles 

  • “Teachers, Evolution, and Religion: No Resolution in Sight.” The Review of Religious Research (51:4 June 2010): 349-365.
  • “Selective Amnesia Surrounding the Role of Religion in the Founding of the United States.” The International Journal of the Humanities 6:11(2009): 9-16.
  • “The Correlation Between Political and Ecclesial Ideologies of Catholic Priests.” Sociology of Religion 66:4 (December 2005): 419-429.
  • “Dupré, Louis.” In Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers. John R. Shook, General Editor. Bristol, UK: Thoemmes Press, 2005.
  • “The Convergence of Religious Diversity and Sexual Diversity.” International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations 3B (2004/05): 85-92.
  • “The Convergence of Religious Diversity and Sexual Diversity.” Conference Proceedings, Managing Diversity Conference 2003, Darebin, Australia: Common Ground Publishing Pty Ltd, 2004. On-Line version, and print version: 167-174.
  • “Classroom Controversy: Christianity and Gay Rights.” Academic Exchange Quarterly 8:2 (Summer 2004): 259-263.
  • “The Possibility of Encountering God in Postmodernity: A Return to Apophatic Theology.” In The Presence of Transcendence: Thinking “Sacrament” in a Postmodern Age. Annua Nuntia Lovaniensia 42. Eds., Lieven Boeve and John Ries. Leuven: Peeters Press, 2001, pp. 107-121.
  • “A Symbolical Sacramental Methodology: An Application of the Thought of Louis Dupré.” Questions Liturgiques/Studies in Liturgy 76 (1995): 161-181.
  • “Eucharistic Prayer Posture: From Standing to Kneeling.” Questions Liturgiques/Studies in Liturgy 74 (1993): 30-42.

Book Reviews

  •  Book Review of Designing Effective Assessment: Principles and Profiles of Good Practice, by Trudy W. Banta, Elizabeth A. Jones, and Karen E. Black. In Teaching Theology & Religion 14:2 (April 2011): 188-189.
  • Book Review of Enhancing Learning through Formative Assessment and Feedback, by Alastair Irons. In Teaching Theology & Religion 13:2 (April 2010): 184-185.
  • Book Review of Assessing the Online Learner, by Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt. In Teaching Theology & Religion 13:2 (April 2010): 180-181.
  • Book Review of The Essential Nostradamus: Literal Translation, Historical Commentary, and Biography, by Richard Smoley. In Theosophical History 13:1(January 2007): 25-26.
  • Book Review of Children’s Rights, State Intervention, Custody and Divorce: Contradictions in Ethics and Family Law, by Laurence Houlgate. In Journal of Juvenile Law and Policy 10:2 (Summer 2006): 552-556.
  • Book Review of Providence and the Problem of Evil, by Richard Swinburne. In The Review of Metaphysics 54 (December 2000): 461-462.
  • Book Review of Critical Terms for Religious Studies, edited by Mark C. Taylor. In The Review of Metaphysics 54 (September 2000): 173-174.
  • Book Review of Mystery and Method: The Other in Rahner and Levinas, by Michael Purcell. In The Review of Metaphysics 53 (June 2000): 951-952.
  • Book Review of Philosophy of Religion: A Guide to the Subject, edited by Brian Davies. In The Review of Metaphysics 53 (March 2000): 693-695.
  • Book Review of Affirmations and Admonitions: Lutheran Decisions and Dialogue with Reformed, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic Churches, by Gabriel Fackre and Michael Root. In New Theology Review 13 (February 2000): 90-91.
  • Book Review of Christian Spirituality and the Culture of Modernity, ed. by Peter Casarella and George Schner. In The Review of Metaphysics 53 (September 1999): 154-155.
  • Book Review of Religious Mystery and Rational Reflection, by Louis Dupré. In The Review of Metaphysics 52 (March 1999): 673-674.
  • Book Review of Who's in Charge?: Leadership Skills for Clergy and Others in Ministry, by James Harvey. In New Theology Review 11 (November 1998): 86-87. Reprinted 12 (February 1999): 92-94.
  • Book Review of Studies in Gnosticism and in the Philosophy of Religion, by Gerald Hanratty. In The Review of Metaphysics 52 (September 1998): 152-153.
  • Book Review of Feuerbach and the Interpretation of Religion, by Van A. Harvey. In The Review of Metaphysics 51 (March 1998): 691-693.
  • Book Review of A Most Unlikely God, by Barry Miller. In The Review of Metaphysics 51 (March 1998): 704-705.
  • Book Review of Metaphysics and Culture, by Louis Dupré. In The Review of Metaphysics 50 (June 1997): 883-884.
  • Book Review of The Disappearance of God, by Richard Elliott Friedman. In Louvain Studies 22 (Summer 1997): 188-190.
  • Book Review of Faces in the Clouds: A New Theory of Religion, by Stewart Guthrie. In The Review of Metaphysics 50 (March 1997): 660-661.
  • Book Review of Passage to Modernity, by Louis Dupré. In Louvain Studies 19 (Spring 1994): 81-83.

 

Works in Progress

  • Article: “The Possibility of Religion in a Post-Modern World.” 

Zakyi smiling

M. Zakyi Ibrahim, Ph.D. Opens in new window
Professor & Department Chair

 

Books

  • Islamic Thought in Africa: The Collected Works of Afa Ajura (1910-2004) and The  Impact of Ajuraism on Northern Ghana (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2021). Part of Yale University Press Series on "World Thought in Translation."

 

Articles and Reviews:

  • “Ibn Hazm's Theory of Prophecy of Women: Literalism, Logic and Perfection.  Intellectual Discourse, 23: 1 (2015): 75-100.
  • "Anker en voertuig", in Jürgen Mettepenningen (ed.), Geloven - Spirituele denkers uit de hele wereld getuigen, (Tielt: Lannoo, 2015), p. 73-78. (Dutch; original English version in Editorials below).
  • “NEBÎ VEYA RESÛL: NE KADAR KUR’ÂNÎ BIR KAVRAMDIR?” Trans. Burhan Sümertas. Turkish Studies, 9: 5(2014): 1805 - 1825. (Turkish).
  • “A Sociopolitical Analysis of the Verses of Peace, Qur’an 8: 61-62.” International Journal on World Peace XXX: 1 (2013): 89- 113.
  • “Kur’ân’da Yeminler: Bintü’ş-Şâti’nin Edebî Katkısı.” Trans. Burhan Sümertas. The Journal of Academic Social Science Studies6: 3 (2013): 947-970. (Turkish).
  • “Oaths in the Qur’an: Bint al-Shat’i’s Literary Contribution,” Islamic Studies 48: 4 (2009) 475- 498.  
  • “African Islam: Marriage, Mobility and Education of Women in Dan Fodio's Nineteenth Century Reforms,” Religion Compass 3: 2 (2009): 168- 181.
  • “A Prophet or a Messenger: How Bona Fide a Qur'anic Concept?” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 26:1 (2009): 20- 46. (prior to becoming the editor).
  • “KUR’ÂN’DA İLETİŞİM MODELLERİ: ALLAH-İNSAN ETKİLEŞİMI.” Trans. Burhan Sümertas. Dokuz Eylul Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi. XXXI/2010, ss. 235-261. (Turkish).
  •  “God’s Speech and Its Implication to Him as a Communicator,” Hamdard Islamicus29: 3 (2006): 7- 14.
  • “Models of Communication in the Qur’an: Divine-Human Interaction,” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 22:1 (2005): 70-95. (prior to becoming the editor).
  •  “Review of Producing Islamic Knowledge: Transmission and Dissemination in Western Europe,” by Martin van Bruinessen & Stefano Allievi, ed. Review of Middle East Studies, RoMES 47:1 (2013), 75- 77.
  •  “Review of Islam and the Political: Theory, Governance and International Relations,” by Amr G. E. Sabet. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 38:1 (April 2011), 122-125; Online: DOI: 10.1080/13530194.2011.559004.
  • “Review of Political Islam, World Politics and Europe: Democratic Peace and Euro-Islam versus Global Jihad,” by Bassam Tibi. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 38:1 (April 2011), 125-127; Online: DOI: 10.1080/13530194.2011.559004.
  • “Review of Said Nursi,” by C. Turner and H. Horkuc, Contemporary Islam, 5 (2011), 85-87; Online: DOI 10.1007/s11562-009-0113-z (2010).

 

Other Published Works as EDITOR in the American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (AJISS, 2009-2017):

 

  • Editorial, “An Anchor and a Vehicle: A Muslim’s Reflection on His Faith” (2017), 34:1. (Dutch version is under “Articles and Reviews” above).
  • Editorial, “Consensus in Islamic legal System: An Indispensable or Negligible Source?” (2016), 33: 4.
  • Editorial, “Reinstating the Queens: Reassessing the Hadith on Women’s Political Leadership” (2016), 33: 2.
  • Editorial, “Muslim Scholars’ Take on the Negative Consequences of Terrorism” (2016), 33:1.
  • Editorial, “Violent Muslim Extremism Flagrantly Dares the World: A Critical Reflection” (2015), 32:4.
  • Editorial, “Un-Islamic or Non-Muslim: The Identity of Violent Extremist Elements among Muslims” (2015), 32: 2. 
  • Editorial, “Muslim Men Writing for Muslim Women: Ibn Al-Jawzi’s Ahkam al-Nisa’” (2014), 31: 4. 
  • Editorial, “The Study of Islam in African Universities: Reflections on Ghana” (2014), 31: 3.
  • Editorial, "Like the Scum of a Torrent": When Exactly Will Muslims Fit This Prophetic Metaphor?” (2014), 31: 2.
  • Editorial, “The Martin Luther of Islam?: Ismail al-Faruqi’s Impact on Contemporary Islamic Intellectualism” 31: 1 (2014).
  • Editorial, “Ibn Hazm’s Legal Contribution” (2013) 30: 3.
  • Editorial, “Ibn Hazm: A Profile of A Muslim Scholar” (2013) 30: 2.
  • Editorial, “Why Muslims will Always Sacrifice Animals on The Eid” (2013) 30:1.
  • Editorial, “Sayyid Qutb on the Qur’an’s Artistic and Activist Dimensions” (2012) 29: 4 
  • Editorial, “The Question of (Mis)interpreting the Qur’an By Muslims” (2012) 29: 2.
  • Editorial, “The Stigma of Extremism on Muslims” (2012) 29:1.
  • Editorial, “Muslim Intellectualism in the Wake of the Arab Uprisings” (2011) 28: 4.
  • Editorial, “Peace among Muslims: Religious Obligation or Political Expediency?” (2011) 28: 2.
  • Editorial, “To Revolt or Not to Revolt: A Muslim’s Perspective on the Egyptian Experiment” (2011) 28: 1.
  • Editorial, “Islam and Pluralism” (2010) 27:4.
  • Conference Report, “The Legacy of Isma’il Raji al-Faruqi: Thought and Institution” (2010) 27: 3. Pp. 141- 143.
  • Editorial, “Imams and Fighting Radicalism in North America” (2010) 27: 2.
  • Editorial, “Evil and Islamic Theodicy” (2010) 27: 1.
  • Editorial, “To Use ‘God’ or ‘Allah’?” (2009) 26: 4.
  • Editorial, “The Taliban and the Shari’ah in Swat Valley” (2009) 26: 2.

 

Works in Progress:

  • Introduction to Islam: A Textbook for American Universities and Colleges.
    Description:
    This book in progress comprises of class lectures for the past fourteen years from three universities. Unique about this textbook, besides the usual topics, are the “Hot Topics” found under each chapter.
  • Makers of Contemporary Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa.
    Description:
    After writing about one Muslim scholar in Ghana, his activities and his impact, which would be great for research and teaching about Islamic thought in Africa, I plan to work more on editing a book that would be excellent for classes on Islam in Africa. “Makers of Contemporary Islam…” As an editor of a journal who sends manuscripts to experts all over the world, I will assemble world-class researchers to write about several important African Scholars who have made an intellectual and religious difference in their communities all over Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • “A Structural Analysis of Qur’an 56: Whose assessment is it Anyway?”
    Description:
    In line with my primary intellectual interest, this paper will focus squarely on chapter 56 of the Qur’an. Although this chapter is popular among average Muslims for allegedly alleviating financial difficulties, this study will analyze its stylistics and dissect its internal structural consistencies. It will show that chapter 56 is an excellent example of “internal coherence.”