News from the Chair January 2012

January, as we know, marks the start of Awards Season.  A mere ten days or so after this year's Golden Globes ceremony, McMaster University held an equally glittering affair: the Social Sciences Awards Reception. Convocation Hall was packed (standing room only) with an enthusiastic and appreciative audience. A succession of outstanding students walked the red carpet to receive their awards and the personal congratulations of the Dean, Associate Dean, Provost and President. The following undergraduate students from Religious Studies were honoured for their achievements in 2010-11.  I was delighted to see so many of our current and former students there and to meet some of their proud families.  It is wonderful to witness the hard work and dedication of our students acknowledged in this way.

Sylvia Panczyk won the Rev. Allison M. Barrett Scholarship (Allison Barrett was there to present the award in person. She was accompanied by her husband, former President of McMaster University, Peter George).

Matthew Martorana was awarded the Horace A. Dulmage Prize in Philosophy.

Jessica Fish won the Susan Farley Scholarship, as well as the Harry Lyman Hooker Scholarship.

Hooker Scholarships were also awarded to Preeti Nayak and Justin Tombs.

In addition, Preeti Nayak took home the Lawrence & Kathleen Johnston Memorial Prize.

Mark Mueller was recognized with the J. Beverly Krugel Scholarship in German Language Studies and the Marjorie and Charles Wilkinson Scholarship.

James Lannigan, Robert Lintner, Matthew Martorana, and Tanya Schneider were all presented with University (Senate) Scholarships.

Well done to all our students for their outstanding achievements in 2010-11, including all those (too many to mention here) named on the Dean's Honour List. 

Research Funding

Celia Rothenberg received funding from the Arts Research Board for a project on “Serious Fun: An Ethnography of a Zionist Jewish Summer Camp”. 

Conference Presentations and Talks

Anders Runesson gave an invited lecture to the Seminar for Culture and Religion in Antiquity (SCRA) at the University of Toronto.

In December of last year, Dana Hollander gave a paper at the annual meeting of the Association for Jewish Studies in Washington, D.C.

Service to the Profession

Anders Runesson has joined the Steering Committee of the Matthew Section of the Society of Biblical Literature.

Shayne Clarke was invited to join the editorial board of a new journal: Relegere: Studies in Religion and Reception. The journal would welcome submissions from faculty or advanced graduate students.

Graduate Student Awards

Andy Perrin (PhD candidate, Biblical) was awarded the George A. Barton Fellowship from the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem. This award will support two months of dissertation related research in Jerusalem in the 2012-2013 academic year.

Stephanie Balkwill (PhD candidate, Asian) will be a Senior Visiting Scholar in the Department of Philosophy, Peking University from February to July 2012. Her time there is funded by a Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement.

And finally . . .

I think that's all I have to report so far for 2012.  As you can see, it's already been a busy year and January brings not only Awards but also Admissions.  Very soon, members of the department will start reading and appraising the many applications we have received to our graduate program for admission in September. 

Be seeing you!

James A. Benn,
Chair