Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty
Office: Santa Susana Hall 233
Phone: 818-677-2742
Email: xochitl.alvizo@csun.edu
Biography
Xochitl Alvizo is Associate Professor of Religious Studies in the area of Women and Religion and the Philosophy of Sex, Gender, and Sexuality. She dedicates her work to bringing a feminist and queer focus to theology and to the study of religion and does research in congregational studies, ecclesiology, and the emerging church.
Dr. Alvizo is co-founder of Feminism and Religion (FAR) – an online project that brings together multiple feminist voices from around the world to dialogue about feminism in religion and at the intersection between scholarship, activism, and community. Her blog writing can be found on FAR and can be reached on Twitter @XochitlAlvizo.
Education
- Ph.D., Practical Theology, Boston University School of Theology, 2015
- M.Div., Boston University School of Theology, Summa Cum Laude, 2007
- B.A., Religion, University of Southern California, East Asian Studies minor, 2001
Research Interests: Feminist and Queer Theologies, Congregational Studies, and the Emerging Church.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
In press: “The Emerging Church Movement: Possible Futures and Trajectories” in upcoming, The Emerging Church, Millennials, and Religion Volume 2: Curations and Durations, co-authored piece with Rachel Schneider and Terry Shoemaker in co-edited volume with same (Cascade Books).
2018 “Emerging Out of Patriarchy? The Emerging Church Movement from a Feminist Practical Theological Perspective,” co-authored with Gerardo Martí. In The Emerging Church, Millennials, and Religion, eds. Randall Reed and Michael Zbaraschuk (Cascade Books)
2018 “Radical Economics and Wesleyan Congregations in the U.S.,” co-PI on study and co-authored results with Bryan Stone, The Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies, https://oxford-institute.org/working-group-papers-at-2018-institute/.
2017 “I Dream Myself a Revolutionary,” authored piece in Women, Religion, Revolution, and co-editor of volume with Gina Messina (Feminist Studies in Religion Press).
2017 “To Be Comrades en La Lucha,” Insights: the Faculty Journal of Austin Seminary, Volume 132 Number 2 Spring, 17-21.
2016 “Pyrotheology, Post-Evangelicalism and the Logic of the ‘One’” in Modern Believing – A Journal of Theological Liberalism, special issue on Pyrotheology (Liverpool University Press), Volume 57 Issue 4, 377-389.
2016 “A Feminist Analysis of the Leadership Structures of the Emerging Church” in The Emerging Church: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, eds. Mike Clawson and April Stace Vega (Pickwick Publications) 92-119.
2016 “The Listening Guide: A Practical Tool for Listening Deeply to the Body of Christ” in Perspectivas, Thirteenth Issue, Spring.
2015 “Participating for Transformation in Online Space,” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion Vol. 31, No. 2, Fall 2015, pp. 163-167.
2014 “Being Undone by the Other: Feminisms, Blogs, and Critique” in Feminism and Religion in the 21st Century: Utilizing Technology to Expand Borders ed. Rosemary Radford Ruether and Gina Messina-Dysert (Routledge).
MEMBERSHIPS:
American Academy of Religion
National Women's Studies Association
Office: Santa Susana Hall 227
Phone: 818-677-4733
Phone: 818-677-7805
Email: amanda.baugh@csun.edu
Biography
Amanda Baugh specializes in the study of climate change, the environment and American religion, with attention to questions of race, ethnicity, and class. She earned her Ph.D. in American Religions from Northwestern University (2012).
Baugh’s first book, God and the Green Divide: Religious Environmentalism in Black and White (University of California Press, 2016), examines how assumptions about race, ethnicity, and class have shaped the “greening” of American religion. Her current research project, Rethinking Religious Environmentalism, tells the story of American religious environmentalism from the perspective of Latinx Catholics. Baugh is a National Research Fellow, and a Young Scholar of American Religion, with the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at IUPUI. She is a 2020 recipient of a Faculty Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Dr. Baugh’s teaching interests include the study of religion, the environment, religion and American culture, and religious studies theory. She serves as the academic advisor for CSUN students majoring and minoring in Religious Studies.
Recent Publications
God and the Green Divide: Religious Environmentalism in Black and White (University of California Press, 2016)
“Nepantla Environmentalism: Challenging Dominant Frameworks in Green Religion.” (forthcoming in Journal of the American Academy of Religion).
“Confronting Racism and White Privilege in Courses on Religion and the Environment: An Inclusive Pedagogical Approach.” Teaching Theology and Religion. 22.4 (2019).
“Explicit and Embedded Environmentalism: Challenging Normativities in the Greening of Religion.” Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology. 23.2 (2019) (93-112).
“Interfaith Environmentalism and Uneven Opportunities to Flourish.” That All May Flourish: Comparative Religious Environmental Ethics. Ed. Laura M. Hartman. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. 239-252.
“‘Green is Where it’s At!’: Food and Environmentalism at an African American Church.” Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture. 9.3 (2015) 335-363.
Professional Affiliations
- American Academy of Religion
- Secretary, International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture
- Steering Committee Member, Religion and Social Sciences Group of the American Academy of Religion
Select Fellowships, Affiliations, and Awards
- National Endowment for the Humanities, Awards for Faculty at Hispanic-Serving Institutions
- National Research Fellow, Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture
- Young Scholars in American Religion Program. Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
- National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Scholar, “Extending the Land Ethic”
- CSUN Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Award
- CSUN College of Humanities Research Fellowship
- ACLS/Mellon Dissertation Completion Fellowship
Professional Memberships
- American Academy of Religion
- International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture
Office: Santa Susana Hall 235
Phone: 818-677-2357
Email: klee@csun.edu
Biography
Kenneth Dooyoung Lee is the Professor of Asian Religions in the Department of Religious Studies. Born in South Korea and raised in Los Angeles, Dr. Lee joined the California State University, Northridge faculty in the fall of 2006 to teach courses in Asian religions, Buddhism, and introductory courses in religion.
He earned his A.B. in Psychology from Occidental College, M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Columbia University. His book, The Prince and the Monk: Shotoku Worship in Shinran's Buddhism, SUNY Press, traces the evolution of Shotoku worship in Japanese Buddhism.
He has published in a number of books, including a chapter, "Kannon: The Goddess of Compassion in Japan" in The Constant Changing Faces of the Goddess Traditions in Asia and journals, such as his article, “Comparative Analysis of Shinran's shinjin and Calvin's Faith" in the Buddhist-Christian Studies journal. He is currently working on a translation of the Contemplation Sutra (Jpn. Kanmuryōjukyō), which is a major Buddhist text in Shin Buddhism.
Education
- Ph.D., Columbia University, 2001
- M.Phil.,Columbia University, 1997
BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS
Books
The Prince and the Monk: Shōtoku Worship in Shinran’s Buddhism, State University of New York Press, 2007.
“Kannon: The Goddess of Compassion in Japan” in The Constant and Changing Faces of the Goddess: Goddess Traditions of Asia, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008.
“The Most Venerable Sangwol: Reincarnation of Kwanseum in Korea,” International Conference of the Korean Buddhist Cheontae Order, Wongak Buddhist Research Institute, 2011.
Selected articles/reviews:
"Comparative Analysis of Shinran's shinjin and Calvin's Faith,” Buddhist-Christian Studies (Vol. 24, December 2004): 171-190.
“Heup Young Kim's Christ & the Tao,” Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (Bulletin 78, January 2007): 1-3.
“Monasticism Buddhist and Christian: The Korean Experience,” edited by Sunghae Kim and James W. Heising, Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (Bulletin 82, January 2009).
Membership
American Academy of Religion
Office: Santa Susana Hall 228
Phone: 818-677-3395
Email: mn142@csun.edu
Biography
Dr. Nkulu-N'Sengha is a Professor at California State University, Northridge and joined the Religious Studies Department in 2003. Dr. Nkulu-N'Sengha teaches courses in African Religions, American's Religious Diversity, and comparative religions.
Education
- B.A. 1981, Major Seminary St. Paul
- M.A. 1989, Institute P. Canisius Kinshasa
- M.A. 1991, Gregorian University
- M.A. 1996, Ph.D. 2002, Temple University
Office: Santa Susana Hall 234
Phone: 818-677-7779
Email: mustafa.ruzgar@csun.edu
Biography
Dr. Mustafa Ruzgar is a Professor at California State University, Northridge. Born in Turkey, Dr. Ruzgar joined the department in 2009. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion and Theology at Claremont Graduate University in 2008. Dr. Ruzgar’s research interests include Islamic thought, contemporary philosophy of religion and theology, process philosophy and theology, religious pluralism, and interfaith dialogue.
Education
- Ph.D., Philosophy of Religion and Theology, Claremont Graduate University, CA, 2008.
- M.A., Philosophy of Religion and Theology, Claremont Graduate University, CA, 2002.
- B.A., Islamic Studies, Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey, 1997
BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS
“Islam and Deep Religious Pluralism” in Deep Religious Pluralism, edited by David Ray Griffin (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005).
“Islam and Process Theology” in Handbook of Whiteheadian Process Thought, vol. 1, edited by Michel Weber and Will Desmond (Frankfurt; Paris; Lancaster; New Brunswick: Ontos Verlag, 2008).
“God and the World: A Dynamic Relationship in the Qur’an” in Creative Transformation, Volume 20, Numbers 3-4, Summer/Fall 2011.
“An Analysis of the Gülen Hizmet Movement’s Interfaith Dialogue Activities” in The Gülen Hizmet Movement: Circumspect Activism in Faith-Based Reform, edited by Tamer Balci and Christopher L. Miller, (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012).
“A Muslim Perspective: Theological Development and the Problem of Evil” in Process Thought and World Religions (tentative), edited by John B. Cobb, Jr. (forthcoming).
MEMBERSHIPS
American Academy of Religion
Office: Santa Susana Hall 236
Phone: 818-677-5640
Email: claire.white@csun.edu
Website: https://www.clairejwhite.com/
Biography
Dr. Claire White is a Professor at California State University, Northridge. She joined the Religious Studies Department in 2012 from Northern Ireland. Dr. White holds the first tenured position in an area called "the cognitive science of religion" in a religious studies department in the United States.
Dr. White earned her Ph.D. in Cognition and Culture in 2008 at Queen's University, Belfast, Ireland.
RESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS
Dr. White's research focuses on answering two questions about human culture. First, how and why do some practices in different parts of the world share common features, such as mortuary rituals? Second, how do these practices impact human behavior and well-being, such as facilitating grief? She adopts an interdisciplinary approach and employs different methods to address these questions, including participant-observation, semi-structured interviews, structured surveys, and experiments.
Honors
Co-Chair, Cognitive Science of Religion Group, American Academy of Religion (until 2019)
Secretary-General, International Association for the Cognitive and Evolutionary Science of Religion (present).
SELECTED BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS
Books:
White, C., (2021). An Introduction to the Cognitive Science of Religion: Connecting Evolution, Brain, Cognition, and Culture. London: Routledge.
Representative Journal articles:
White, C. & Fessler, M.T. (2018). An Evolutionary Account of Vigilance in Grief. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, 1, 34-42.
White, C., Marin, M. & Fessler, M.T. (2017). Not Just Dead Meat: An Evolutionary Account of Corpse Treatment in Mortuary Rituals. The Journal of Cognition and Culture, 17, 1-23.
White, C. & Fessler, M.T., & Gomez, P. (2016). The effects of Corpse Viewing and Corpse Condition on Vigilance for Deceased Loved Ones. Evolution and Human Behavior, 37, 517-522.
White, C. (2016). Cross-cultural Similarities in Reasoning about Personal Continuity in Reincarnation: Evidence from South India. Religion, Brain, and Behavior, 6, 2, 130-153.
White, C., Kelly, B., & Nichols, S. (2015). Remembering Past Lives: Intuitions about Memory and Personal Identity in Reincarnation. In Cruz, H. & Nichols, R. (Eds.) The Cognitive Science of Religion and its Philosophical Implications, 169-196. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
*For a full list of my research publications, please see the link to my personal website.
My overall research vision is represented in this New York Times article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/magazine/home-funeral.html
Office: Santa Susana Hall 229
Phone: 818-677-3940
Email: yan@csun.edu
Biography
Dr. An specializes in Religions of the Americas with a particular focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. His research focuses on the construction of religion, race, and political identity in colonial and postcolonial Americas. Dr. An received his Ph.D. in Philosophical Studies of Religion at Drew University and he has previously taught in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Lebanon Valley College, PA.
Dr. An is the author of two monographs: The Decolonial Abyss (Fordham University Press, 2016) and The Coloniality of the Secular (Duke University Press, 2024). He also co-edited Beyond Man (Duke University Press, 2021), a book on Race, Coloniality, and Philosophy of Religion. He teaches courses on World Religions, Religion and Race, Method and Theory, and Atheism.
In addition to teaching and research, Dr. An is on the Editorial Collective of Political Theology Journal and he co-chairs the Political Theology Unit at the American Academy of Religion.
For a full list of publications (PDF), click HERE.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Books
The Coloniality of the Secular: Race, Religion, and Poetics of World-Making (Duke University Press, 2024)
Beyond Man: Race, Coloniality, and Philosophy of Religion, Co-editor with Eleanor Craig (Duke University Press, 2021)
The Decolonial Abyss: Mysticism and Cosmopolitics from the Ruins (Fordham University Press, 2016)
Book chapters and articles
“The Body as Praxis: Disarticulating the Human from Ownership and Property,” Africana Religious Studies, Kenneth Ngwa, ed. (New York: Fordham University Press, 2023)
“On Violence and Redemption: Fanon and Colonial Theodicy” Beyond Man: Race, Coloniality, and Philosophy of Religion, An Yountae and Eleanor Craig, eds. (Durham: Duke University Press, 2021)
“A Decolonial Theory of Religion: Race, Coloniality, and Secularity in the Americas” Journal of the American Academy of Religion Vol. 88, Issue 4. December 2020.
“Decolonizing the Cosmo-polis: Cosmopolitanism as a Rehumanizing Project,” Decolonial Christianities: Latinx and Latin American Perspectives, Raimundo Barreto and Roberto Sirvent, eds. (New York: Palgrave Press, 2019)