Day Two: Religious Studies at Meredith College and UNC

Today I had the opportunity to meet with Professor Shannon Grimes at Meredith as well as Professor Molly Worthen at UNC. The two women, while both professors of comparative religion, had quite different experiences researching and teaching.

I was especially excited to visit Professor Grimes on campus, as the inside look into back offices, bookshelves, student life, etc. seemed to implicitly expand my understanding of what a career as a professor entails. We talked about her field of expertise, Greco-Roman philosophy, as well as some of her favorite courses she had taught which expanded beyond this specific study. I told her that I was particularly interested in studying Eastern Christian orthodoxy, biblical history, and medieval Christianity, all topics which she was eager to touch on. She mentioned that a valued part of working as a professor at a smaller college was her ability to teach a wider range of courses. Additionally, she talked about a joint course she taught in Iceland a few years ago, focused on myth and the landscape, something which I found particularly interesting. I felt as though I walked away from my conversation with Professor Grimes with a better understanding of a career in academia, as well as a few areas of study which I am eager to investigate.

Later in the afternoon, I met over zoom with Professor Molly Worthen, who talked about her career as a researcher, journalist, and professor. I was particularly intrigued with her journalistic application of religious philosophy and anthropology, which she spent a considerable amount of time in her early career dedicated to. I was fascinated by her work with an Orthodox eastern European religious group which she lived alongside of and studied while in college. She told me that her most recent work has been on studying the diversity within American evangelicalism, another topic which I was interested by. We concluded our conversation with a wonderful list of books she recommended, all touching on slightly different aspects of religious studies.

Meredith College

UNC Campus