RELIGIOUS STUDIES NEWS — MAY ISSUE NOW AVAILABLE!
We are very pleased to announce the release of the May issue of Religious Studies News. The issue can be accessed by going online to www.rsnonline.org.

In this issue, you will find lots of information on our upcoming Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. You can also read about pertinent matters in the field of religion in our Features, News, and Resources sections. Our Spotlight on Teaching issue delves into religious studies in American public higher education in the twenty-first century.

AAR AWARD AND GRANT WINNERS

2012 MARTIN E. MARTY AWARD WINNER ANNOUNCED
The Public Understanding of Religion Committee is pleased to announce Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza is the recipient of the 2012 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. Schüssler Fiorenza, the Krister Stendahl Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, will be interviewed at the Marty Forum held Sunday, November 18, at this year's Annual Meeting in Chicago. The Public Understanding of Religion Committee encourages and solicits nominations for future Marty Award recipients. Nominations may be made online. Nominees need not be AAR members or academics.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL DISSERTATION RESEARCH GRANTS
The American Academy of Religion is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2011–2012 International Dissertations Research Grants:

International Dissertation Research Grant:

Michelle Bakker, Concordia University

Selva J. Raj Endowed Fellowship:

Arun Brahmbhatt, University of Toronto.

The annual grants, designed to support AAR student members whose dissertation research requires them to travel outside of the country in which their school or university is located, are intended to help candidates complete their doctoral degrees by offsetting costs of travel, lodging, and other dissertation research-related expenses.

AAR CALLS TO MEMBERS

RELIGION BEYOND BOUNDARIES
The Graduate Student Committee welcomes submissions for the fifth annual AAR Religion Beyond the Boundaries series. This forum encourages students to step outside the more formal academic setting of the national meeting and present their work as part of a series of talks for the general public. Six 35-minute presentations will be selected for two evenings of public talks during the AAR Annual Meeting, November 17–20, 2012, in Chicago.

Although proposals may be submitted on any topic relevant to religious studies, the committee especially welcomes proposals on the following themes:

• Religion and Economics (e.g., economic theory and religion; religion and the marketplace; the role of religion in economic development or gentrification)
• Religion and 2012 U.S. Politics (e.g., race/religion and the presidential election; religion and the perception of candidates; religious advocacy and political engagement)

This is an opportunity to put your research into a new framework, to be a public intellectual, to practice your job talk, and to explain the relevance of your work to your peers. Keep in mind that the talks are directed to the general public as well as annual meeting participants and so jargon should be kept to a minimum.

If you are interested, please send a 150-word abstract to GSC member Ben Sanders III at bensanders05@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is June 15th.

STUDENT LOUNGE ROUNDTABLE SERIES
The Graduate Student Committee invites you to share your hard-earned wisdom with other students in the Student Lounge Roundtable series. We are looking for individuals who will be responsible for developing a topic and directing an hour-long conversation or workshop about a practical dimension of graduate studies. A variety of formats are welcome. Possible topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Managing the emotions of graduate school
• Professional etiquette in the academic world
• Networking skills
• Mentoring relationships
• Studying for comprehensive exams
• Research skills
• Teaching (online teaching, teaching portfolios, syllabus design, teaching technology, etc.)
• Presenting research to the public
• Job applications (cover letters, CVs, asking for recommendation letters, interview skills)
• Tips for balancing work and family
• Publishing tips
• Grant writing

Send a 150-word proposal and a CV to GSC member Kristy Slominski at slominski@umail.ucsb.edu. Please indicate if you are willing to co-present with another graduate student if your topic aligns with another proposal. Roundtable time slots are flexible. The deadline for submissions is June 15th.

CALL FOR RELIGION, CULTURE, AND HISTORY BOOK SERIES EDITOR

The AAR Publications Committee seeks a book editor for the Religion, Culture, and History Series, which is sponsored by the American Academy of Religion and published in cooperation with Oxford University Press. The Religion, Culture, and History Series publishes scholarly work that addresses the complex interrelationship between religious studies and cultural studies. The Series is thus open to a range of methodological approaches: historical, comparative, theological, and philosophical. By emphasizing the religious dimensions of culture and the cultural dimensions of religion, the Series promotes a widening and deepening of the study of "popular" culture and cultural theory, and attempts to decenter our academic discourse about religion by focusing on its particular embeddedness in a wide range of cultural phenomenon.

AAR Series Editors help set editorial policy, acquire manuscripts, and work with Oxford University Press in seeing manuscripts through to publication. Editors sit on the AAR Publications Committee for the duration of their term. This is a volunteer position. All applicants must be members of the American Academy of Religion. If you are interested in this position, you are highly encouraged to read further information about the position in the RSN May 2012 issue. Please e-mail inquiries, nominations (self-nominations are encouraged), and applications (a letter describing interests and qualifications, plus a current curriculum vita) by Word or PDF attachment to Kim Connor, Publications Committee Chair, connork@usfca.edu. The application deadline is June 1, 2012.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

Have you considered applying for a 2012–2013 Regional Development Grant? Regional Development Grants provide funds for special projects within the regions that promise to benefit the scholarly and professional life of AAR members and do the work of the AAR in the regions. Workshops, special programs, training events, and other innovative regional projects may be funded through this source. Where possible, projects are designed so that they may be duplicated or transported to other regions.

Applications should include a narrative description of the project detailing how the project promises to benefit the scholarly and professional lives of AAR members and the work of the region. Please include comments on how these projects or activities may be adapted to other regional groups. The application should state the time period covered by the project and provide a detailed budget (office expenses, travel expenses, honoraria, stipend, and other expenses). Institutional overhead costs should not be included in this budget. No grant will exceed $4,000.

Successful grants from prior years can be found here. Application deadlines are:

• August 1, 2012 — Grant proposals due to Regional Coordinators
• September 1, 2012 — Regional Coordinators forward grants to Regions Committee
• October 15, 2012 — Regional grant awards announced

LGBTIQ SCHOLARS OF RELIGION: YOUR PERSONAL NARRATIVE
The Status of LGBTIQ Persons in the Profession Committee is gathering stories of people's experiences (good and bad) as LGBTIQ scholars of religion. We would be deeply appreciative if you could send in narratives. Your identity will be kept confidential unless you specify that your name should be used in relation to your narrative, and you are welcome to send your narrative from an anonymous e-mail address if you wish.

Please send both your questions and your narratives to the Chair of the Committee, Melissa Wilcox, at wilcoxmm@whitman.edu.

ACADEMIC ABBY: Professional Advice from Your Colleagues

Do you have a question about life in academe that you are at a loss to answer by yourself but don't feel you can approach your colleagues with it? Ask Academic Abby! Academic Abby is able to answer questions large and small, from dealing with faculty dilemmas, to tenure issues, to work/life balance troubles. Questions can be submitted anonymously through an online form. Members of the AAR Status of Women in the Profession Committee will respond to each question received. The question and answer will be posted on the Status of Women in the Profession web page and issues of Religious Studies News.

ASK THE DIVA
If you are experiencing issues of special concern to LGBTIQ scholars of religion, the Diva can help! What questions do you have about graduate school, career development, teaching, etc.? Send your questions to the chair of the Status of LGBTIQ Persons in the Profession Committee, Melissa Wilcox, at wilcoxmm@whitman.edu. Your confidentiality is assured; you may use an anonymous e-mail address if you wish. The questions will be posted anonymously in Religious Studies News.

OTHER NEWS

The National Humanities Center announces a fellowship competition for 2013-2014. More information about the fellowship competition can be found here.

For further information about the Center and a list of our Fellows for 2012-2013, visit: nationalhumanitiescenter.org.

1. May Religious Studies News Available!
2. AAR Award and Grant Winners
3. Calls to AAR Membership
4. Regional Grants
5. LGBTIQ Initiative
6. Academic Abby
7. Ask the Diva
8. Other News
9. AAR Member Notes

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