| Greetings, Southwest Region, from Dallas, where today it is a lovely sunny and 70s-degree day!
We are in the last weeks of preparation for SWCRS and so I’m writing to encourage you, if you haven’t yet, to register for the March 10–13 meeting at the Marriott DFW where the overarching theme will be “Religion Matters.” You can register easily online by going to the SWCRS webpage: SWCRS
Did you know that we now have our own website and Facebook page? Go to AAR-SW.org to keep up with what’s happening in our region, including calls for papers from other organizations. And join our Facebook page by clicking the link you’ll find in the right column on the AAR-SW.org landing page.
Here are some of the highlights from this year’s meeting program:
- Friday, 7:00pm: Screening of Silence, a film adaptation of Endo’s novel of the same name, with a discussion panel including Van Gessel, script consultant on the Scorsese film
- Saturday, noon: Graduate Student Luncheon and panel discussion on the value of scholarly society participation and leadership
- Saturday, 1:30: Special joint session of Arts, Literature & Religion and Comparative & Asian Studies in Religion, an interdisciplinary discussion of Silence
- Saturday, 4:30: Presidential Address: Interdisciplinary Religious Studies Scholarship and Joint Departmental Appointments in the Age of Corporatization and Prioritization
- Sunday, 8:30: AAR/SBL Joint session on Engaging Across Disciplines: An Interdisciplinary Response to “Who is Mary of Nazareth?”
- Two new program units: Religion & Class, and Religion, Gender & Sexuality
- Exciting sessions addressing the theme “Religion Matters”:
- “Liberation Theology and Liberal Activism”
- “Toward Reconciliation of Science and Spirituality”
- “Violence and Social Control”
- “American Religious Politics”
- “Religion, Power & Politics”
- “Black Religious Lives Matter”
- “Fundamental Theology That Matters”
- “In Search Of Common Ground”
On Sunday morning at 7:30 we will hold our annual Business Meeting. Posted in advance on our website will be the meeting’s agenda, the minutes from last year’s meeting, the revised policy file, and other materials for consideration.
Hope to see you!
Katherine Downey
AAR-SW Regional Coordinator
[email protected]
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