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Front Matter

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

No abstract provided.

Formulating An 'Epic Religiosity': The Mahābhārata And Contemporary Hindu Traditions, Frank R. Chappell

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

The polysemous quality of the Mahābhārata has not only contributed to its timeless popularity across the globe, but also to its evolution as a religious and moral sourcebook for over a millennium. As the "fifth Veda," it continues to prove efficacious in contemporary ethical and spiritual discourses for multiple Hindu traditions in the diaspora. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the reception-history of the epic as an evolving narrative and its applicability to the formulation of contemporary Hindu ethics.

Food And Purity In Zoroastrianism: Then To Now, Taylor A. Nelson

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

This study seeks to examine the concept of purity as it relates to food in Zoroastrianism. In the past and until today, the essence of Zoroastrian religion rests on belief in an ongoing struggle between light and dark forces within each human being. Focused on “good thoughts, good words, good deeds,” Zoroastrianism has emphasized pure living, both in ancient times and today, in ways that bear upon what people eat. In terms of food, there are many examples of purity and ritual in Zoroastrianism. As one example, religious participation has required eating food cooked only by Zoroastrians. Another example is …

Denying God: A Comparative Analysis Of Islamic And Christian Historiographical And Scriptural Approaches To Apostasy And Martyrdom, Matthew Holter

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

Understanding Islamic and Christian beliefs and early historical struggles with apostasy, “a kind of disbelief” manifested through action or deed, and martyrdom ameliorates religious discourse between the faiths. Jesuit theologian and progenitor of contemporary Comparative Theology Francis Xavier Clooney celebrated detailed “learning from one or more faith traditions” because the discipline solidifies ecumenical concords across religious boundaries. Clooney opined that Comparative Theology transcends anodyne interreligious observations. Instead, Comparative Theology “is a theological discipline confident about the possibility of being intelligently faithful to tradition even while seeking fresh understanding outside that tradition.” Clooney’s emphasis on interreligious dialogue derived, undoubtedly, from the …

Imw Journal Of Religious Studies Volume 11 Number 1

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

No abstract provided.

Stepping Into The Bathhouse: Physical Space And Shinto Revival In Miyazaki's Spirited Away, Monica Alice Quirk

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

In 2003, Hayao Miyazaki’s animated feature Spirited Away (originally released in Japan in 2001 as “Sen and Chihiro’s Spiriting Away”) won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. To this day, it is the only non-English film to be given the accolade, and in subsequent years it has only grown in acclaim. Despite its popularity in the West, Spirited Away is a distinctly Japanese film, heavily featuring traditional architecture and customs as well as foregrounding Shinto imagery and ideals in its plot. In an interview for The Art of Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away,” Miyazaki confirmed his intentions to headline …

A Marvelous Work: Reading Mormonism In West Africa, Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp

Arrington Annual Lecture

Two decades before the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began official missionary work in West Africa, pamphlets, books, and other church materials had been circulating among Christians in Nigeria and Ghana. Brought by seekers who had studied abroad or encountered church members from other countries, those texts formed the basis for a Mormon community outside the bounds of U.S. institutional authority or oversight.

What did this "native" Mormonism look like, and how did believers craft churches out of the bare materials of tracts and inspirational volumes? This talk explores the circulation and interpretation of this homegrown Mormon faith …

Blessed Are The Poor (In Spirit): Wealth And Poverty In The Writings Of The Greek Christian Fathers Of The Second Century, Jacob D. Hayden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper examines how Greek Christian authors engaged with the topics of poverty and wealth during the second and third centuries CE - a period of major transition for the Christian Church. Beginning with the latest documents in the Greek New Testament (c. 90 - 120), this study traces these themes through the works of the Apostolic Fathers, including Clement of Rome (c. 35 - 99), Ignatius of Antioch (c. 34 - 108), and Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 69 - 155). It then addresses to the apologetic authors Justin Martyr (c. 100 - 165) and Irenaeus (c. 130 - 202). …

The Challenge Of Hybridity: Mormonism In Mauritius, 1980-2020, Marie Vinnarasi Chintaram

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis focuses on the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mauritius. This thesis illustrates the implications and pressures of the Church trying to globalize the faith, correlating Mormonism with and conforming it to cosmopolitan communities such as Mauritius.

It's Raining In The Archives: Practical Lessons And Impactful Results From Moving An Academic Archives, Maurice R. Blackson, Julia Stringfellow

Journal of Western Archives

This article explores the move of the Central Washington University Archives and Special Collections (CWUASC) to a new location from the fourth floor to the second floor of the James E. Brooks Library in 2018. The history of the CWUASC, reasons for the move, the planning and designing of the new space, the actual move of the collection by the archives staff, lessons learned, and the impact of the move in reaching a larger audience of faculty, staff, students, and the general public are described. A review of literature on other moves of archives and special collections is also provided.

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, November 5, 2020, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of 1 October 2020 Minutes

Program Proposals

• Correct the acronym from Police Officers Standards and Training to Peace Officer Standards and Training.
• Offer an Associate of Arts in Art at the USU Eastern campus.
• Create a new Consulting Minor.
• Change the name of the Center for Persons with Disabilities to the Institute for Disability Research, Policy and Practice.
• Create a certificate of proficiency in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
• Discontinue the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Biology Ecology/Biodiversity as well as the Biology: Environmental Bachelor of Arts and Science emphasis.
• Discontinue the Biology: Environmental program.
• Change …

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, November 5, 2020, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Subcommittee Reports

• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Other Business

• Revised EPC/Curriculum Handbook
• Course Objectives
• Curriculog Justification Language
• Graduate School Updated
• IDEA Evaluations for 7-Week Courses

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, October 1, 2020, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of 30 July 2020 and 3 September 2020 Minutes

Program Proposals

College of Engineering

• Offer a Master of Science in Engineering Education

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

• Change center name to Center for Intersectional Gender Studies and Research
• Create a Certificate
• Create a Minor in Intersectional Gender Studies
• Create a Minor in Sexuality Studies

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Other Business

• T-Grade Option
• Revised EPC/Curriculum Handbook
• Course Objectives (email-minutes)

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, October 1, 2020, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of 30 July 2020 and 3 September 2020 Minutes

Subcommittee Reports

• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Other Business

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, October 1, 2020, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of 30 July 2020 and 3 September 2020 Minutes

Program Proposals

College of Engineering

Offer a Master of Science in Engineering Education

College of Humanities and Social Science

• Center name change to Center of Intersectional Gender Studies and Research
• Creation of Certificate
• Create a Minor in Intersectional Gender Studies
• Create a Minor in Sexuality Studies

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Other Business

• T-Grade Option
• Revised EPC/Curriculum Handbook
• Course Objectives

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, October 1, 2020, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of 30 July 2020 and 3 September 2020 Minutes

Subcommittee Reports

• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Other Business

Orson Pratt And The Expansion Of The Doctrine And Covenants, Brian C. Passantino

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a faith that is distinguished by its religious texts. The nickname "Mormon," that has been applied to adherents of the faith, comes from the name of its most cherished canonical book, the Book of Mormon. Aside from the Bible and the Book of Mormon, Latter-day Saints accept two other books of scriptures – the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants. These four books constitute the authorized scriptures of the faith, or as they refer to them, "the standard works."

My thesis focuses on the book entitled the Doctrine …

Modern Yoga In America, Emily Parkinson Perry

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Yoga’s immense growth and popularity during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, along with its proliferation into countless varieties and styles, presents teachers, students, and scholars with the question: “What is yoga?” Answering this question requires the investigation of a number of cultural, historical and philosophical tensions at play in modern expressions of this ancient tradition: (1) Is modern postural yoga (MPY)—the yoga widely practiced in studios across the country today—an authentic expression of yoga or is it simply another form of physical fitness? (2) Does the modern focus on the physical dimension of yoga forsake its original purpose of …

Mormon Women And Art, Christine Elyse Blythe

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

Some of the earliest artistic depictions of Latter-day saint women appear in mid to late 19th century satirical illustrations. Mormon women were commonly portrayed as oppressed by their male counterparts and pawns in Brigham Young's sexual and political exploits. As argued by scholars Davis Bitton and Gary L. Bunker in The Mormon Graphic Image, 1834-1914, early anti-Mormon cartoons regularly featured women as battered, destitute, subservient, uncivilized, uneducated, homely, and lascivious. In 1872, these women sought to respond to popular stereotyping by publishing The Woman's Exponent—the first periodical written and published by Mormon women.

Interviews With Philip Barlow And Patrick Q. Mason, Philip Barlow, Patrick Q. Mason

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

Editor's interview with Philip Barlow and Patrick Q. Mason.

Book Reviews

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

No abstract provided.

Returning To The Sources: Integrating Textual Criticism In The Study Of Early Mormon Texts And History, Colby Townsend

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

As historians engage with literary texts, they should ask a few important questions. What is the text that I am using in my research? What is the manuscript tradition from which the manuscript or text evolved? How does that evolution inform the specific period I am studying? Did it evolve orally or in written form? And are there variations that have been handed down through time and through tradition that may provide greater context or clarity to my research? Implicit in these questions is an interest in authenticity and accuracy. As literary texts evolve and are shared over time, there …

Heavenly Mother In The Vernacular Religion Of Latter-Day Saint Women, Charlotte Shurtz

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

Creativity is one of the few culturally appropriate ways that Latter- day Saint women seek for and learn about Heavenly Mother. In my research, I draw on twenty-six interviews with women ages 21 to 55 from around the world who self-identified as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or “Mormon.” According to their interviews, these women seek Heavenly Mother because She is the manifestation of their potential, a topic I will discuss in more detail. Their beliefs and practices—which I define as vernacular beliefs, that is, personal rather than official expressions of religion—are centered around the …

From Loving To Obergefell And Beyond: Plural Marriage As The Next Sexual Justice Issue, Philippa Juliet Meek

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

In 1967, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously ruled that anti-miscegenation laws were unconstitutional, citing the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The ruling struck down laws in sixteen states that banned inter-racial marriage and overturned an earlier 1883 Supreme Court ruling; Pace v. Alabama. Richard Loving, a white man, and his wife Mildred, a woman of colour, had been sentenced to a year in prison for marrying contrary to Virginia law; their sentence was suspended upon condition that they leave the state and not return for at least …

Foreword, Christopher James Blythe

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

It is my honor to open this 10th anniversary issue of the Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies. Reader, please appreciate just what an oddity that is in the world of student-run journals. The problem with student (and thus editorial staff) turnover is very real. The typical student journal lasts only a few issues before consistency in publishing begins to wane. The fact that the IMW Journal has remained afloat and regularly publishing for a decade is a monumental accomplishment for the program in Religious Studies at Utah State University and the staff of the journal. My congratulations.

Front Matter

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

No abstract provided.

Imw Journal Of Religious Studies Volume 10 Number 1

Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies

No abstract provided.

Navigating Adulthood: Exploring The Impact Of A High School Life-Skills Course On Adulthood Transition Experiences, Lacee R. Boschetto

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to explore the adulthood transition experiences of Utah high-school graduates, with heightened focus on the application value of educational content from the course, Adult Roles. The purpose of the study was identified through experiential interactions with high-school graduates, and was supported by research on 21st century adulthood transitions shown to divert away from traditional adulthood markers. The inconsistency between modern adulthood transition behaviors and traditionally held adulthood assumptions lead to negative perceptions about young adult’s capability to adapt to adulthood. The researcher was motivated to investigate opportunities that may provide increased preparation for the transition into …

2019 Utah State University Orientation Guide, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

A special supplemental magazine provided by The Utah Statesman to take a closer look at some of the services and departments available at Utah State University.

A Dane's Philosophical Attack And A Monk's Ladder: Comparing Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragment And St. John Climacus' Ladder Of Divine Ascent, Chasen David Robbins

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Soren Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragments and Concluding Unscientific Postscript have been extremely impactful in 20th century Western theological and philosophical thought. In a similar manner, St. John Klimakos, from whom Kierkegaard derives the pseudonym Johannes Climacus, who wrote The Ladder of Divine Ascent, is one of the most "studied, copied, and translated" books in Eastern Christendom. Johannes Climacus, the pseudonym for the two Kierkegaard works above, is a theological/philosophical opponent to Hegelian thought. St. John Klimakos, a real person, is a 6th century monk who hopes to assist monks on their journey to God with a manual about the thirty …