This year's conference centered around the theme of “Transitions.” Student paper topics ranged from the comparison of Gen X and Gen Z views of religion to the evolution of sexual and Christian themes in vampire films.
Building on a strong trajectory of undergraduate research in religious studies, five Elon seniors delivered professional papers at the southeast regional conference of the American Academy of Religion, which was held at Florida Memorial University in Miami, Florida from March 7 – 9, 2025. Two Elon faculty members also presented their innovative research at Florida Memorial University, a Historically Black College and/or University.
This year’s conference centered around the theme of “Transitions.” Student paper topics ranged from the comparison of Gen X and Gen Z views of religion to the evolution of sexual and Christian themes in vampire films. Their international research took them to elephant sanctuaries in Kenya and Tibetan Buddhist centers in India; their rigorous methods included ethnographic interviews and visual analyses of cinema; and their conclusions contributed to such psychological challenges as anger management and recovery from religious trauma.
The American Academy of Religion is the largest scholarly organization in the world dedicated to the professional study of religion. Roughly three hundred scholars working at colleges and universities in this region regularly participate in the annual meeting. The regional meeting also offers limited spots for undergraduate students to present their academic research and engage with professional scholars from across the region.
Four sessions were held to showcase undergraduate research, and Elon students garnered five of the 16 highly competitive undergraduate slots. Three of the five students were members of Elon’s Multifaith Scholars program, led by Interim Director Sandy Marshall, who also attended the conference. Another student was a Lumen scholar, and one student took the initiative to craft their own credit-bearing undergraduate research project for ELR. All five students were closely mentored in their discipline by an Elon faculty member who helped to guide their research and prepare their presentations over the course of their junior and senior years. The papers will also be delivered before Elon audiences on SURF Day, Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
Support for travel was provided by the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, the Department of Religious Studies and the Office of Undergraduate Research. The funding also supported a small student group of conference observers as well as group co-organizer Sheila Otieno, assistant professor of religious studies and distinguished emerging scholar of religious studies.
Undergraduate Research Presentations
Sandoh Ahmadu (MFS), “Bridging East and West: An Alternative for Emotional Self-Regulation” (Pamela D. Winfield, mentor)
Kiara Cronin (MFS), “Traditional Faith, Contemporary Doubts: Is Christianity Adapting to Generation Z?” (Sandra Reid, mentor)
Drew Fetterolf, “The Elephant in the Room: Being Maasai, Tourism, and Conversation” (Sheila Otieno, mentor)
Olivia Lancashire (Lumen Scholar ), “A New Intervention: High Control Religion, Hell, and Healing” (Lynn Huber, mentor)
Kaelyn Rosenburg (Multi-Faith Scholar), “Unholy Desires: The Evolution of Christianity and Sexuality in Vampire Film” (Nicole Triche, mentor)
Elon Faculty Presentations
Pamela D. Winfield, “Materiality as Method: How to Do Things with Zen”
Andrew Monteith, “Queering and Dwelling: Applying Religious Studies to a 1930s Sexual Autobiography”