Religious Studies Student Association (IUPUI RSSA)

Hello RSSA friends! Please consider registering for this FREE Zoom event tomorrow. Religion & Disability will begin at 3pm and will include cohosts Dr. Kenzie Mintus from the IUPUI Sociology department and Dr. Sarah Imhoff from IU Bloomington. Panelists are Daniel Bowman, Jr. and Meredith Olivia Harris Hope. Register at this link: go.iu.edu/47Ot

Hi RSSA folks!

Join us Thursday, September 16 from 3-4pm, as we kick off Season 2 of our "Religion &" series.

Episode 1 of Season 2 will focus on Religion & Refugees and Immigration!

You can register for FREE at this link: https://go.iu.edu/42Dm
Hope to see you there!
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Be sure to register for this event on Religion & Climate Change! Register for FREE at this link: https://go.iu.edu/3FBG

Be sure to register for this event on Religion & Pandemics, Vaccines, and Public Policy! Register for FREE at this link: https://go.iu.edu/3sdD

Be sure to register for this event on Religion & the 2020 U.S. Election! Register at this link: https://iu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_J8h_mPr9QVKBjsT6wbS2Dg

Last call to register for "Religion & Gender and Race in the 2020 Political Landscape." This FREE webinar will take place today from 3pm-4pm. Click the link to register now! https://iu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ex4iXw_oSOy7a9ofwSVWsg

UPDATE*** TIME CHANGE: NOVEMBER PIZZA MEETING WILL BE HELD 1:15PM - 2:45PM ON NOV. 13 IN CAV 335

Hey y'all! Our next meeting is now up on The Den! Stop by CA 335 on Nov. 13 between 12pm and 2pm to grab some pizza and meet our guest professors!

Happy Friday everyone! If you're still figuring out what classes you're gonna take for Spring 2020, consider taking Dr. Craig's Consumption, Ethics, and the Good Life course all about a liveable future!

The class will include a research project focused on making viable change for better consumption, and a dozen students from Argentina will be visiting to share their perspectives! How cool is that?!

For those in the Indianapolis area, on October 18th, Dr. Candy Gunther Brown (Indiana University, Bloomington) will be at IUPUI discussing "Why are Public-School Yoga and Mindfulness Popular and Controversial?" Please consider joining us as Dr. Brown probes the legal and ethical stakes of public-school yoga, mindfulness, and other meditation programs.

Check out upcoming events from the RSSA and Religious Studies Deptartment!!

OCTOBER IS A VERY BUSY MONTH FOR IUPUI Religious Studies!

1) Saturday, October 5, 12 pm - 4 pm, off-campus event: Pagan Pride. The Religious Studies Student Association will be providing transportation to and from the event site. Pagan Pride will be held at the Marion County Fairgrounds. Admission is free if you bring a non-perishable item or cat food or cat litter for donation.

2) Monday, October 7 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm, off campus event: "Priming the Pump: A Faith Leader and a Scientist Walk into a Bar,” a listening session exploring shared values between scientific and faith communities. Books & Brews, 3808 S. Shelby St. Indianapolis, IN 46227. Free and open to the public. All backgrounds, traditions, and practices welcome.

3) Wednesday, October 9 from 1:15 - 2:45 pm in Cavanaugh 335: Dr. David Craig is hosting this month’s lively gathering of the RSSA pizza chat. Stop by to say hello, have some pizza, and connect with other students and faculty interested in civil discussion about religion from a non-sectarian and occasionally irreverent perspective.

4) Wednesday, October 9 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on the 4th floor of the Campus Center: Graduate School Fair at IUPUI. Interested in graduate school? More than 70 graduate programs represented by IUPUI and other universities from around the nation will be on hand to answer your questions. Educational sessions of Preparing for the GRE, Gaining Strong Letters of Recommendation, and Writing a Personal Statement will also be offered. There is free parking for visitors. For more info and to heck out the list of participating universities, see the Graduate Expo at IUPUI webpage.

5) Monday, October 14 from 12 pm - 1:00 pm in ES 4130: a panel presentation on "Deconstructing the Mountains: Christian Normativity and Whiteness in Policy, Professions, and Education.” Panelists include: Michael Whitlock, Rafia Khader, Jamie Levine Daniel, and David Nguyen.

6) Friday, October 18 from 10:30 am - 12 pm in CE 305: "Why are Public-School Yoga and Mindfulness Popular and Controversial?” A talk by Candy Gunter Brown, Professor of Religious Studies, IU-Bloomington, with response by Andrea R. Jain

Come see us at the Involvement Expo today from 2-6 to grab a flyer and hear about some of our plans for the semester!!

Have you always wanted to learn about Native American spirituality but can't make it to campus? This 100% online class offered by IUPUI Religious Studies Prof. Rachel Wheeler is right for you!

From Lakota holy man, Black Elk, to contemporary Absaroka (Crow Nation) rapper, Supaman, from the Shawnee Prophet Tenskwatawa to modern Water Protectors protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline, this course offers the chance for in-depth exploration of the religious experiences of Native Americans from pre-contact to the present. We will consider the impact of colonialism on Native religious practices, the development of Native Christianities, as well as the emergence of revitalization and new religious movements. Along the way, we will read historical, anthropological, fiction, and polemical writings. We will explore a number of different tribal traditions, including Koyukon (Alaskan), Lakota, Navajo, Ojibwe, Kiowa, and Mohican, among others. We will focus especially on several themes including relationships with the land, ideas and practices of healing (including native addiction treatment programs), music, and the politics of representation.

Here's how:
https://studentcentral.iupui.edu/register/steps-to-register.html

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art IUPUI Multicultural Center Indiana Historical Society Indiana Humanities Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis (UUI) IUPUI

Interested in exploring different areas of academics while learning about different cultures and values and maybe even yourself along the way?

Or maybe you've heard of Religious Studies but you aren't quite sure what it is, or how it could fit into your current academic path? Click the link below and explore what IUPUI's Religious Studies Dept. has to offer, and why it pairs great with pretty much any program you might already be in!

"Through this department, I have met the most inspiring people who have helped re-ignite my curiosity in the world and my desire to learn about people and places who are different from what I know and where I grew up." - Alix Tijerina (Religious Studies Major and VP of the RSSA)

Feel free to reach out if you have questions about the Program or about our Student Organization and our role on campus!

Courses : Department of Religious Studies : IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI We live in a pluralistic world. If you want to work with and help people from different cultural backgrounds, try Religious Studies.

Congratulations to Dr. Hayes, our RSSA faculty mentor on her Oustanding Professor Award! We appreciate everything she has done for us not only as students, but also for her wonderful guidence as we navigate our lives outside the academic world. She has truly been an inspiration and is most deserving of this recognition.

Big congratulations to Prof. Kelly Hayes, the 2019 Outstanding Professor (tenure-line) in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI!

Here are just some of the reasons she won:

"Dr. Hayes' spectacular contribution in all areas of academic life is exemplary. As a curriculum collaborator, teacher, researcher, leader, and mentor for students interested in multicultural issues, as well as minority students being acculturated into academic life, Kelly Hayes has left an indelible mark on many students who see in her not only a remarkable teacher but also a valuable mentor and role model." --Charli Champion-Shaw, Director, IUPUI American Indian Programs

"Without Dr. Hayes' commitment to her students, to her department, and to her job I would not be graduating this May with a degree in religious studies. Her Introduction to Religion course that I took my freshman year not only changed my major but it also helped me come to terms with questions about religion with which I was struggling at that point in time. It takes a special person with a profound dedication to their work to unintentionally inspire students to pursue religious studies as a major or to unknowingly help a student through a difficult time as they wrestle with their religious identity." James Padgett, Senior, Religious Studies and French majors; Native American and Indigenous Studies minor

"When the department organized the 2015 Taylor Symposium 'Encountering Religions through Performance,' thanks to Prof. Hayes's community connections, the keynote 'speakers' were three drummers and a dancer from the Afro-Caribbean troupe Sancocho, which is also the name for a spicy mixed stew. This musical note perfectly highlights the delights and insights that Prof. Hayes cooks up with her own boundary-crossing creative mixing for the benefit of her students, the intellectual life of our School, and our scholarly understanding of Brazilian religions." --David Craig, Chair, IUPUI Religious Studies

Africana Studies at IUPUI LGBTQ Student Alliance at IUPUI IUPUI Office of International Affairs (OIA) Student Members of the AAR Midwest Region Indiana University Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies IUPUI LGBTQ Center IUPUI Multicultural Center

IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI Prof. Edward Curtis delivered the keynote address at Ball State Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies Student Recognition Day last Friday. Curtis learned about the students' Philosophy Outreach Project to local Muncie, Indiana high schools and about the Ball State University student documentary, "Muslims in Muncie,"
https://youtu.be/ZEN-BYCNO1w.

Muslim Alliance of Indiana Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Christian Theological Seminary

Please join the Religious Studies Student Association (RSSA) and the Native American Student Alliance (NASA) for a screening of the film "The Cherokee Word for Water" on April 18 at 5 pm in the Lilly Auditorium (basement of the University Library as our last event for the year!

This 2013 narrative feature tells the story of Wilma Mankiller, the first modern female Chief of the Cherokee Nation, and activist Charlie Soap and their efforts to bring running water to a rural Cherokee community using the traditional concept of “gadugi “– working together to solve a problem. In the process, they empower a people who have been made to feel that they have no power.

As always, there will be pizza before the film and a facilitated conversation afterwards! See you there!

Professor Rachel Wheeler just published a short essay in the American Historical Association's magazine, Perspectives. In Un/Becoming America, she makes the

case that classrooms should be a place for debate over the myths and symbols of America.

https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/april-2019/un/becoming-america-finding-a-new-vocation-for-historians

Un/Becoming America | Perspectives on History | AHA Features Un/Becoming America Finding a New “Vocation” for Historians Rachel Wheeler | Apr 2, 2019 Historians need not look far these days for reason to spiral into existential crisis. The STEM steamroller, the evaporation of history majors, the shuttering of liberal arts colleges, and the devalu...

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who came to volunteer with us at the Hot Chocolate Race on this weekend! Despite the rain we had a great time and we hope to see even more faces next year!

Thank you for supporting the RSSA!
❤🍫🏁☕❤

Thank you to everyone who came out to watch “American Mystic” with us last night! Keep an eye out for our last movie screening of the semester 😊

If you’ve visited Professor Andrea R. Jain’s office, you’ve probably noticed the yogi army men on her desk. Prof. Jain’s research explores the rise of global spirituality industries, from yoga to mindfulness. She is especially interested in the commodifying, appropriating, community-making, myth-making, and ritualizing activities of modern spirituality. "In these little plastic soldiers we see how spiritual commodities can teach us about religion in contemporary society, " she says. "By rejecting militant aims in favor of inward-directed, yogic ones, these yoga soldiers show us how yoga commodities can function as superficial points of resistance to the reigning order of neoliberal capitalism."

Reminder of our upcoming movie event! Come join us for free pizza and a showing of "Amercian Mystic" on Thursday, March 28 @ 6pm in the basement of Unversity Library! Anyone is welcome!

CALLING ALL MEMBERS AND FRIENDS: The RSSA is doing a fundraiser event by volunteering at the Allstate Hot Chocolate 15k/5k on March 30th! We need 10 volunteers who would be willing to volunteer with us and support the RSSA!

If you're willing to help, please follow the link to register:

https://ramraces.enmotive.com/events/volunteer/2019-allstate-hot-chocolate-15k-5k-indianapolis/job:5c8fd365-d8a0-4778-b467-099a5206f5f9

1. Once on the site you will need to click on the box labeled "Religious Studies Student Association" and accept the waiver/disclaimer before continuing.

2. Choose to register as a Friend and fill out the information

3. Choose a shirt size (they should be free for volunteers) and continue to checkout

ANYONE can be a volunteer (friends, family, faculty, etc.) - PLEASE spread the word and message us with any questions! Thank you! 🙏

Thanks to everyone who came to our monthly pizza meeting! We love to see new faces and we appreciate all the faculty who were were able to join us! Stay on the lookout for our upcoming event later this month!

HIP : Department of Consortium for the Study of Religion, Ethics, and Society : IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI Since 2015, several hundred thousand Hoosiers have gained health coverage through the expanded Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP). This six-part series asks: How are HIP's values of personal responsibility, wellness, and empowerment working for members, providers, and our state? How can congregations, provi...