Journalism major goes behind the veil to learn about Muslim religion
Tue, 04/30/2013 - 11:06am

Brittany Morris, a junior in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has been awarded a research scholarship from the Center for Religion and Conflict to travel to Kuwait to study the participation of Muslim women in civil society.

The Arizona native grew up with the lush landscape of Pinetop at her door before moving to Mesa. As a child, Morris enjoyed immersing herself in writing and reading books. Her mother, a die-hard Sun Devil fan, would frequently share stories about attending Arizona State University.

It’s only fitting that when it came time...

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Student Feature

Upcoming Courses on Religion and Peace
Wed, 04/24/2013 - 7:43pm

How does religion play a role in transforming conflicts around the globe?  What unique resources do religious traditions bring to the pursuit of peace?

Students have various courses to choose from this fall that engage religion and peace from a range of locations and perspectives.  

Fall 2013 courses on religion and peace:

HST 494: Islam, Women and Peacemaking
Meets: 1:30 to 2:45, Tuesdays & Thursdays (Tempe campus)
Fall 2013, Session C:  8/22/2013 - 12...

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Course Profile

Project participants reflect on gender and human rights: report now available
Thu, 04/11/2013 - 3:15pm

Are human rights universal and always good for women? Is the concept of human rights the only way to gain purchase on contemporary women’s struggles for dignity, justice, recognition, and equality? What other traditions and discourses are drawn upon to support women’s concerns? How do assumptions about religion, secularism, the individual, family, and the state support or challenge human rights?

These are some of the key questions that guided the faculty members who participated in the research project "Religion and International Affairs: Through the Prism of Rights and Gender."...

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Research Feature, Spotlight

Cheong investigates religious organizations use of social media

Wed, 04/10/2013 - 3:15pm

Are you a member of the Catholic faith who needs to confess your sins? There’s an app for that.

Has your soul become conflicted with too much media, social and otherwise? Perhaps you’re a member of the Russian Orthodox Church and gave it up for Lent.

As the use of new and social media evolves into an integral part of people’s daily lives, religious organizations are using media tools in increasingly ingenious ways to spread influence and build community. 

“A lot of religions are quite savvy," says Pauline Cheong, associate professor in ASU's Hugh Downs School of...

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Research Feature

Center wins NEH grant to study Salafism
Wed, 03/20/2013 - 9:10am

Protests that erupted at U.S. embassies throughout the Middle East last fall were sparked by an American-made film criticizing Islam. The film didn’t receive much attention at first, but by Sept. 11, after a Salafist talk-show host in Egypt screened the film on his show and a clip was uploaded to a Salafist website, the Middle East was aflame in protest. Since then, concerns among policymakers have increased as Salafists have emerged as powerful political players in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa.

An internet search of the term Salafist brings up...

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Spotlight, Grant Announcement