Education
University of California, Santa Barbara Religious Studies, Ph.D. 2007
Area: Religion in AmericaDoctoral Emphasis: Women’s Studies
Dissertation: Hands, Hearts, and Heads: Childhood and Esotericism in American Waldorf Education
Examination Fields:
New Religious Movements in America, Catherine L. Albanese
Children and Religion, Wade Clark Roof
Women and Religion, Leila J. Rupp
University of Colorado, Boulder, Religious Studies, MA 2001
Thesis: Natural Technology: A Case Study of Internet Use by Contemporary Pagans
Wellesley College, Religion and Theatre Studies, BA 1999
Honors Thesis: Why She Calls Herself A Witch: Naming and Defining in the Contemporary Pagan Community
Areas of Academic Interest
- American religious history
- Women and religion
- New religious movements
- Childhood studies and religion
- Religion and nature
- Western esotericism
- Contemporary Pagan studies
Academic Appointments
Department of Theology and Religious History, Cherry Hill Seminary, Columbia, SC (online)
Lecturer
- 2011 Pagan Elders and Ancestors: Starhawk
- 2010 American Spiritualities
Department of Philosophy, Simmons College, Boston
Lecturer
- 2010 World Religions
Department of Religion, Tufts University, Medford
Adjunct Instructor
- 2010 History of Religion in America
Department of Humanities, Newbury College, Brookline
Lecturer
- 2008-2009 Ethics, World Religions
Women's Studies Program, Northeastern University, Boston
- 2007-2008 Visiting Scholar
Department of Women's Studies, Simmons College, Boston
Lecturer
- 2007-2008 Introduction to Multicultural Women's Studies
Department of Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
Teaching Associate
- 2006 Introduction to American Religion
Teaching Assistant
- 2003 Religion in the Modern Period - Wendy Wiseman
- 2003 Religion in the Middle Ages - Juan Campo and Richard Hecht
- 2002 Introduction to American Religion – Catherine L. Albanese
- 2002 Introduction to Native American Religions – Dennis Kelly
Course Reader
- 2006 American Religious History to 1865 – Catherine L. Albanese
- 2002 American Religious History to 1865 – Catherine L. Albanese
- 2002 American Spiritualities – Catherine L. Albanese
Women’s Studies Program, University of California, Santa Barbara
Teaching Assistant
- 2006 Sex, Love, and Romance – Leila J. Rupp
- 2006 Women, Society, and Culture – Cynthia J. Stavrianos
- 2006 Representation and Activism – Jacqueline Bobo
- 2005 Women, Society, and Culture – Juliet Williams
- 2006 Issues in the Humanities – Elizabeth Currans
- 2004 Women Society, and Culture – Eileen Boris
- 2003 Modern Sex and Modern Love – Leila J. Rupp
- 2002 Issues in the Humanities – Rebecca Mitchell
2005-2006 Lead Teaching Assistant
Asian American Studies Department, University of California, Santa Barbara
Teaching Assistant
- 2005 Introduction to Asian American Literature – Jim Lee
Department of Religious Studies, University of Colorado
Teaching Assistant
- 2001 Religion in Contemporary U.S. Society – Ira Chernus
- 2000 American Religions – Lynn Ross-Bryant
- 2000 Christian Traditions – Elliot Ross-Bryant
- 1999 Christian Traditions – Elliot Ross-Bryant
Graduate Teacher Program, University of Colorado, Boulder
- 2000-2001 Lead Graduate Teacher for Department of Religious Studies
Publications
"Read Our Manifestoes: Student-Motivated FaceBook Use," Feminist Collections: A Quarterly of Women's Studies Resources, 32.1 (Winter 2011): 26."Religion and Children" and "Religion and Women," in Religion and Everyday Life and Culture, Richard Hecht and Vince Biondo, eds. Praeger, 2010.
"The Wisdom of the Indigo Children: An Emphatic Restatement of the Value of American Children," Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions”, 12 (February 2009): 60-75.
"Advent Garden and the Waldorf Imagination: Esotericism, Ritual, and Childhood"” in Arthur Versluis, Lee Irwin, John Richards, and Melinda Weinstein, eds., Esotericism, Art, and the Imagination. Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2008.
Review of Sexuality and the World's Religions Melissa M. Wilcox and David W. Machacek, eds., Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, 9 (August 2005): 131-32.
“Charlene Spretnak,” In Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, Bron Taylor, ed. London and New York: Continuum, 2005.
Review of The Dawn of the New Cycle: Point Loma Theosophists and American Culture by W. Michael Ashcraft, Religious Studies Review, 2.3 (April/July 2004): 225.
Review of The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton, The Pomegranate, 14 (November 2000): 48, 50-51.
Review of New Spirituality, Self, and Belonging: How New Agers and Neo-Pagans Talk About Themselves by Jon P. Bloch, Religious Studies Review 26 (April 2000): 203.
Conference Papers
Media Representations of Polygamous Fundamentalist Mormon Women Nov. 8, 2010Polygamy, Polygyny, and Polyamory: Ethical and Legal Perspectives on Plural Marriage
Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts
“Queer Families, Mormon Polygamy, and Big Love with co-author Carolyn Croissant, November 1, 2008
Queer Theory and LGBT Studies in Religion Consultation, American Academy of Religion
Chicago, Illinois
“Fundamentalist Mormon Polygamous Women and the Internet as a Site of Resistance, June 7, 2008
International Conference on Media, Spiritualities, and Social Change
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
"A Lively Place": Nature in Waldorf Education, May 30, 2008
Association for the Study of Esotericism Conference:
Esotericism, Religion, and Nature
College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina
Advent Garden and the Waldorf Imagination,” June 10, 2006
Association for the Study of Esotericism Conference: Esotericism, Art, and the Imagination
University of California, Davis, California
“Questions for the Future of Pagan Studies,” January 23, 2005
Conference on Current Pagan Studies: Exploring Pagan Spirituality from the Center
Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California.
“The Wisdom of Indigo Children: An Emphatic Restatement of the Value of American Children,” June 19, 2004
CESNUR 2004 International Conference: Religious Movements, Conflict, And Democracy: International Perspectives
Baylor University, Waco, Texas
““A Widespread Confusion of Science, Faith, and Fiction”: Public Rhetoric Around the Publication of Dianetics,” May 23 2004
Western Association of Women Historians
University of California, Santa Barbara
““A Widespread Confusion of Science, Faith, and Fiction”: Public Rhetoric Around the Publication of Dianetics,” March 12 2004
McGill-Queen’s Graduate Student Conference in History: Formation/Transformation
McGill University, Montreal, Canada
“Radical Protestors or Military Officers: The Contested Place of (Non)Violence in Contemporary Paganism,” March 30, 2001
The Rocky Mountain-Great Plains Regional Meeting of the AAR/SBL
University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colorado
“Why She Calls Herself A Witch: Naming and Defining In The Contemporary Pagan Community,” April 7, 2000
The Rocky Mountain-Great Plains Regional Meeting of the AAR/SBL
Regis University, Denver, Colorado
Professional Activities
2011 Admissions Review CommitteeCherry Hill Seminary, Online
2008 Feminist Faculty Reading Group Coordinator
Department of Women's Studies, Simmons College, Boston
2003-2004 American Religions Study Group Graduate Student Chair
Department of Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
March 4, 2004 Feminist Pedagogy Workshop Panelist
Women’s Studies Program, University of California, Santa Barbara
2003 Conference Planning Committee
Women and Conflict: Historical Perspectives
History Department, University of California, Santa Barbara
2000 Conference Coordinator
Wirth Forum on Religion and Nature in the American West
Center of the American West, University of Colorado, Boulder.
Research Assistantships
Women’s Studies Program, University of California, Santa Barbara
- 2005 Mireille Miller-Young
Department of Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
- 2004 Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Religion and Public Life
- 2001-2002 Catherine L. Albanese
- 2001-2002 Melissa Wilcox, Los Angeles Women and Spirituality Project
Invited Lectures
“Women's Studies Program, Northeastern University, Boston
Media Representations of Polygamist Fundamentalist Mormon Women, April 10, 2008The Learning Community, First Church in Boston Unitarian Universalist
Paganism Past and Present,” April 4, 2007Department of Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
“Becoming Witchcraft: An Introduction to Contemporary Paganism,” August 31, 2006Women, Gender, and Religion - Elizabeth Currans
“Reforming the Body Social: Temperance Tales,” April 13, 2006
Religion in American History Since 1865 – Catherine L. Albanese
“Evangelical Piety,” April 11, 2006
Religion in American History Since 1865 – Catherine L. Albanese
“The New Age and Healing,” November 20, 2003
Religion and Healing in Global Perspective - Vesna Wallace
“American Holidays: Mother’s Day and Other Holydays,” December 6, 2002
Introduction to American Religion - Catherine L. Albanese
“Civil Religion in American History,” November 27, 2002
Introduction to American Religion - Catherine L. Albanese
“Studying Women in American Religion,” May 10, 2002
Religion in America Today - Wade Clark Roof
“The Organization of Power: Issues of Gender in the Anthropology of Religion,” May 1, 2002
Religion and Society - Shawn Landres
Department of Religious Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder
“Two Alternatives to the Traditional U.S. Nomos: Feminist Theology and Paganism,” April 9, 2001Religion in Contemporary U.S. Society – Ira Chernus
“Paganism: An Introduction to a New Religious Movement,” November 20, 2001
Religions in the United States - Lynn Ross-Bryant
Awards
Humanities/Social Sciences Research Grant, 2004-2005Graduate Division, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Department of Religious Studies Rowny Fellowship, 2001- 2004
University of California, Santa Barbara.
Gamma Phi Beta Annual Scholarship Banquet, 2003
Nominated by my student for “outstanding contribution to higher education.”
Theta Alpha Kappa, the National Honor Society for Religious Studies/Theology, 2001
Alpha Beta Theta Chapter at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Graduate Fellowship, 1999-2000
University of Colorado, Boulder
Professional Organizations
American Academy of ReligionAssociation for the Study of Esotericism