Faculty from the University of Georgia’s Department of Religion recently presented their research at the XXIII International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR) World Congress, held in Kraków, Poland. The IAHR Congress is one of the most significant international gatherings for scholars of religion, bringing together researchers from around the globe to share their work and engage in cross-cultural dialogue.

The Religion Department is happy to receive a large new cohort of MA and PhD students in Fall 2025. The new students gathered for an orientation and welcome lunch in August together with some returning students and faculty. They are engaging with a variety of interesting research topics in the areas of theologically engaged anthropology, the anthropology of Christianity, the history of Hinduism, the study of Buddhist traditions, early Christianity and New Testament studies, and discipline-based educational research in Religion classrooms. Welcome!

Dr Ingie Hovland, Assistant Professor in Religion & Women's and Gender Studies, has been selected as one of the Willson Center Faculty Fellows for 2025-2026 to provide time to start her next book project.

Many congratulations to Blessing Temitope Adewuyi, doctoral candidate in Religion, who has been awarded one of the highly competitive Louisville Institute Dissertation Fellowships. Adewuyi is in the final stages of completing her doctoral dissertation in the area of religion and bioethics. Her specific research topic is personhood in Christian theology and African traditions, with a special focus on implications for the ethics of human enhancement technologies. Adewuyi is working with Dr. Carolyn Medine as her major professor. 

Amanda Walls, Academic Professional Associate in the Religion Department, has been selected as a 2025 Special Collections Fellow. UGA's Special Collections Fellows create active learning courses in which students engage with archival materials housed on campus. Congratulations, Amanda!

Greeted by a round of applause from a class full of students, "Dead Poets Society" screenwriter and Academy Award winner Tom Schulman visited UGA on April 10. Schulman was interviewed by religion professor and department head Derrick Lemons about his process writing the film and his experiences in the movie industry as a part of Lemons’ Anthropology of American Religion course.

Greg Kline, who advises undergraduate students enrolled in the Religion major, has been recognized as one of the most accomplished advisors on campus through an Outstanding Advising Administrator Award. Many congratulations, Greg!

Ingie Hovland's book Life in Language: Mission Feminists and the Emergence of a New Protestant Subject was published in March 2025 in the series "Class 200: New Studies in Religion" by the University of Chicago Press. 

Following are some biographical details about Dr. Eisenbaum: