August 22, 2012
Dear Concentrators in the Study of Religion,
I hope that you’ve all been enjoying a productive and relaxing summer! I’m writing with
some important information that may be of use as we gear up for an exciting academic year.
As most of you know, I am the new Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Comparative
Study of Religion, and Lecturer on Religion in FAS, teaching in the areas of modern
Christian thought and the philosophy of religion. We are delighted that Chip Lockwood, an
advanced doctoral student in philosophy of religion, will continue this year as Assistant
Director of Undergraduate Studies. Along with Michael Puett, Chair of the Committee on
the Study of Religion, who has returned from his research leave, we welcome you back and
look forward to working with all of you in the year ahead.
Please take note of the following announcements:
FALL CONCENTRATORS’ MEETING: Wednesday, September 5th at 5:00 pm.
The Concentrator’s Meeting will take place as part of the general Fall Ingathering for all
students and Faculty affiliated with the Committee on the Study of Religion. It is
scheduled for September 5th at 5:00 pm in the Thompson Room (on the first floor of the
Barker Center). We will have information on religion courses offered this term,
introductions of students and faculty, and other announcements. Juniors will have a
chance to meet briefly with their tutorial leaders. Please arrive promptly at 5 pm so
that we can get through our agenda items before the larger gathering gets going, and note
that the meeting is mandatory for all concentrators!
As always, there will be a delectable spread of food and drink! The event offers an
excellent opportunity to catch up with friends and faculty after the summer, to meet new
people, and to talk about the many exciting courses being offered this fall.
PURSUING ETHNOGRAPHY?: Students who wish to pursue a senior thesis using ethnographic or
anthropological approaches are required to complete Malika Zeghal’s
course, Religion 20: Ethnographies of Religion, or another approved course introducing
these methods of study (contact me for questions about other courses that may count toward
this requirement). All students pursuing such thesis research, but who have not already
taken such a course, are required to enroll in Religion 20 this fall. Any student
interested in pursing ethnographic work during their course of study is strongly advised
to take this course. The course “presents ethnographic works on Religion in the
humanities and social sciences and introduces students to the concept and practice of
ethnography.” Religion 20 will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10-11:30 am. Click here
to visit the course iSite where the syllabus is posted: *Religion 20. Ethnographies of
Religion, Texts and
Contexts<http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/46043>
NEW COURSE: Religion, Law and American Politics. We are fortunate to have our College
Fellow, Bronwyn Roantree, returning to teach courses designed especially for
undergraduates. This fall, she will be offering a new course, Religion 50: Religion, Law
and American Politics, which “explores the complex relationship between religion and the
law from the earliest debates about the limitations of state power to compel conscience in
the Massachusetts Bay Colony to the prominent role religious discourse about law—as well
as legal discourse about religion—have played in the 2012 elections.” Religion 50 will
meet Mondays and Wednesdays, 1-2:30 pm. The course iSite can be found here: Religion 50.
Religion, Law and American Politics - (New Course)
<http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/18768>
ADVISERS: Attached is a list of concentrators and advisers. With some faculty on leave,
a few of you may be assigned to a new adviser. Chip Lockwood serves as the adviser for
all seniors, and I am the adviser for all Secondary Field students. If you have not yet
declared your concentration, I’ll be your adviser until the declaration date in November.
Please take note of your adviser for the coming year, and be sure to meet with him or her
before Study Cards are due on Tuesday, September 11th. It is vital that we have updated
Plans of Study from each of you. Thus, also attached are blank Plans of Study for each of
our four concentration options; please fill out the one relevant for your course of study
and bring it to the meeting with your adviser, and, after having it signed by your
adviser, please place a copy in my mailbox in the Study of Religion office. I have asked
advisers not to sign Study Cards unless you’ve filled out a new Plan of Study, so please
take note!
For my advisees, and for those of you who would like to meet with me before or during the
first week of classes, my open office hours are Wednesdays, 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm, and
Fridays by appointment. Please feel free to drop by Barker 308 on a Wednesday, or if
you’d like to schedule an appointment at another time, please email me at:
lamberth@fas.harvard.edu<mailto:lamberth@fas.harvard.edu>.
I was fortunate to get to know many of you last term, and look forward to connecting with
all of you in the coming months. I am delighted to be serving as Director of
Undergraduate Studies and look forward to a great year. As you return to Cambridge and
begin thinking in earnest about the fall semester, please be in touch with any questions
or concerns you may have.
Enjoy what remains of the summer, and I look forward to seeing you all on
Wednesday, September 5th at 5:00 pm in the Thompson Room!
With best wishes,
Courtney Lamberth
Lecturer on the Study of Religion
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Committee on the Study of Religion
Harvard University
Barker Center 308
617-496-1018
The Committee on the Study of Religion, Harvard University
12 Quincy St., Cambridge, MA 02138
www.studyofreligion.fas.harvard.edu<http://www.studyofreligion.fas.harva…
csrel@fas.harvard.edu<mailto:csrel@fas.harvard.edu>
617-495-5781