May 2021-
On May 17 at 1 p. m., the Department of Religion conducted a Commencement Reception via Zoom. All our graduating majors and their families were cordially invited to attend this event; the graduating majors received an invitation to this event with the Zoom link. The virtual Reception followed: a welcome and slideshow with pictures was provided by the graduates and faculty, and notes about their achievements, including an announcement of the departmental prize winners; a message from the Chair and Faculty; and messages from graduating majors in Religion and their family members. The departmental prize winners are as follows:
Paul B. Courtright Prize for Overall Excellence among Majors in the Department
Angelica R. Abraham
John Fenton Prize in the Comparative Study of Religion, Undergraduate
Nathaniel Jonah Goldblum
John Fenton Prize in the Comparative Study of Religion, Graduate Division
Joi R. Orr
Timothy Mark Rainey II
Eugene Bianchi Prize in Religion
Zion R. Kidd
William A. Beardslee Prize
1st Place – Gisell Anais Rondon
Paper: “Using the Erotic to Reconcile the Flesh and the Spirit.”
Instructor: Maria Carrión
2nd Place – Annie Fang Li
Paper: “Faith Without Works is Dead: The Motivations, Convictions, and Limitations of Black American Christian Activists in the Fight for Voting Rights.”
Instructor: Carol Anderson
2020-2021 Honors
Nathaniel Jonah Goldblum- Highest Honors –
Thesis: “Sacred Nature: Perceptions of Nature in the Writings and Works of the Hudson River School and the North Song Dynasty Landscape Painters.”
Theta Alpha Kappa (TAK), The National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology
Noah Matthew Lee
2020 TAK inductee
Nathaniel Jonah Goldblum