University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Invisible Faiths: Paganism and Religious Diversity at the University of Illinois

Anth411 07-23

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/3614

Description

Title
Invisible Faiths: Paganism and Religious Diversity at the University of Illinois
Author(s)
Anth411 07-23
Issue Date
2008-02-15
Keyword(s)
  • religious diversity
  • paganism
  • silencing
  • tolerance
  • religion
  • ANTH411_F07
Abstract
In this research, I seek to understand religious diversity here at the University of Illinois. Using ethnographic methods, I propose a project to interpret the ways in which cultural expectations frame the experiences of Pagan students on campus, while at the same time, also frame the ways in which the University administration views the student body as a whole. Building on preliminary research conducted in fall of 2007, this research seeks to determine the environment here at the University of Illinois for students of alternative religions. Considering a violent history against Pagans, this research takes careful account of potential risks to Pagan students and members of alternative religions. In this way, this project may also provide a foundation for future applied projects to encourage greater resources for religious diversity on campus.
Series/Report Name or Number
"ANTH 411: Methods for Sociocultural Anthropology, Prof. Nancy Abelmann. This course introduced students to a variety of ethnographic methods. Students tried their hand at some of these methods through a focused project. I had students think about their semester-long work as ""pilot research""; although they did write up a short paper on their findings (their ""discuss"" section of the database), the culminating assignment was a research proposal in which they envision building on their preliminary findings in a longer/larger project. In the beginning of the semester, students did some warm-up exercises not directly related to their projects (an observation, an analysis of a university document, and an interview) -- some students elected to remove these from their databases while others left them in because of their connection to the final project. Students' ""question"" and ""plan"" sections of the database include multiple entries as I encouraged them to continue to refine these over the course of the semester in dialogue with their own emerging findings. I also asked students to search both the U of I Student Life and Cultures Archives and well as this EUI IDEALS collection to find archives relevant to their pilot/proposed research. All students were asked to ""reflect"" on the research experience and to make ""recommendations"" to the University on the basis of their research findings. The course syllabus is available at: www.eui.uiuc.edu/docs/syllabi/ANTH411F07.doc"
Type of Resource
text
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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/3614

Owning Collections

Student Communities and Culture PRIMARY
The university offers an extraordinary opportunity to study and document student communities, life, and culture. This collection includes research on the activities, clubs, and durable social networks that comprise sometimes the greater portion of the university experience for students.
Diversity on Campus/Equity and Access
This collection examines ways in which the U.S. university and the American college experience are affected by diversity, and difference. In particular, these student projects examine experiences of diversity on campus, including important contemporary social, cultural, and political debates on equity and access to university resources.