Utah Valley University: Mormon Studies Events (Announcement)
Utah Valley University (Orem, Utah) has scheduled two Mormon Studies events this spring:
PERSPECTIVES ON A MASSACRE
A Panel Discussion on Mountain Meadows
Thursday, March 5, 2009, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Lakeview Room, UVU Library (fourth floor)
Panel Participants:
Richard E. Turley, Jr.
Assistant Church Historian and Recorder, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Will Bagley
Independent Historian
Forrest Cuch
Executive Director, Utah Division of Indian Affairs
Moderator:
Alex Caldiero
Poet and Scholar in Residence
UVU Department of Philosophy and Humanities
Sponsors:
UVU Religious Studies Program
UVU College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Utah Democracy Project, Center for the Study of Ethics
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MORMONISM IN THE PUBLIC MIND
Perceptions of an Emerging World Faith
This conference will address the place of Mormonism in public discourse
and examine strategies involved in the Latter-day Saint response to skepticism and prejudice.
April 2-3, 2009
Lakeview Room, UVU Library (fourth floor)
Participants:
Michael Paulsen
Religion Editor, Boston Globe
Daniel Stout
Professor of Journalism and Media Studies, UNLV
Co-editor, Journal of Media and Religion
Terryl Givens
Bostwick Professor of English
Author: Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myth, and the Construction of Heresy
Boyd Petersen
Program Coordinator for Mormon Studies, UVU
Dan Wotherspoon
Director of Operations, Foundation for Interreligious Diplomacy
Former Editor, Sunstone
Joel Campbell
“Mormon Media Observer,” Mormon Times
David Scott
Chair, Department of Communication, UVU
Grant Underwood
Professor of History, BYU
Charles Randall Paul
President, Foundation for Interreligious Diplomacy
Kristine Haglund
Editor, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
Brian Birch
Director, Religious Studies Program, UVU
Jana Riess
Author: Mormonism for Dummies
Former Religion Editor, Publisher’s Weekly
Gary Lawrence
Author: How Americans View Mormonism
Peggy Fletcher Stack
Religion Editor, Salt Lake Tribune
Sponsors:
UVU Religious Studies Program
UVU College of Humanities and Social Sciences
UVU Department of Communication
Utah Democracy Project, Center for the Study of Ethics
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For more information on either event, contact:
Boyd Petersen: boyd.petersen at uvu dot edu
Brian Birch: brian.birch at uvu dot edu
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Both events are listed at Mormon Conferences –
Visit MormonConferences.org regularly to keep track of all such meetings, deadlines, and calls for papers.
Ardis, thank you for this service! I really appreciate you creating such a great site for me to link to!
Comment by Kent (MC) — February 14, 2009 @ 11:32 pm
Thanks for the notice, Ardis!
Comment by Jared T. — February 15, 2009 @ 5:26 pm
Wow! Bagley and Turley in the same room. Even with a moderator, that will be interesting.
Comment by BruceCrow — February 15, 2009 @ 9:24 pm
In regards to Utah Valley University: How much is Mormon religion expected to play in a student’s life there?
Is it looked down on, by the students and/or teachers, if someone is not Mormon?
Is the community/school involvement all about Mormon?
Thank you for your honest opinions and answers.
Comment by Karen Henke — September 13, 2009 @ 9:55 pm
Karen, UVU is located in the heart of the most Mormon region in the world, with a large proportion of its student body being LDS, so an awareness of all things LDS is inevitable. On the other hand, UVU is state-sponsored, not church-sponsored, and I have a sense that there is an element of pride in the student body and faculty that they are independent, that they are *not* BYU, the Mormon-sponsored institution that is located five miles up the road. The student organization, for example, invites speakers — filmmaker Michael Moore comes to mind — who are too controversial for BYU, and when certain political demonstrations or discussions have been barred from BYU, they often find an audience at UVU. UVU also has a decent-size contingent of international students, especially those who are working on learning English before they gain admittance to some other university, who are at UVU because there were openings and not because they are LDS.
In short, while Mormons and Mormonism would be inescapable at any school in Utah, especially in Utah County, a non-Mormon student could easily find a support system of non-LDS friends and faculty, as well as Mormon friends and faculty who are committed to an independent university education.
I hope someone with direct experience as a student at UVU will see your query and weigh in.
Comment by Ardis E. Parshall — September 13, 2009 @ 11:59 pm
[Edited for violation of Keepa comment policy.]
Karen, a UVU student has replied to your query. If you would like to give permission for me to send him your address for a direct reply, I will do so. Be aware, however, that he tends to be bitter and judgmental, and his comments are not welcome on this blog. — AEP
Comment by Benjamin Hughes — September 24, 2009 @ 10:09 am