Digital technology use has led to a new diversity in Black religious life, starting before but accelerating during the COVID-19 pandemic, with changes in both beliefs and practices, according to a new study.

The Connected Faith Survey, to be released this week, is the first study to explicitly explore the association between digital technology use and Black religious life. Based on online surveys and interviews with 400 participants in 2022 and 2023, the study reveals a new fluidity in faith for Black Americans, who’ve used podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and more to create and sustain meaningful religious communities, said Erika Gault, the study’s principal investigator.

“Black people are not contained to the Black Church,” said Gault, Associate Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Arizona. “Digital technology has facilitated the emergence of those best described as Christian + or Faith Fluid, those who identify as Christian while openly embracing other religions and religious practices or those who move across or borrow from multiple faith expressions. People have a lot more options when they are not going to churches, synagogues or mosques at certain times each week.”

To date, most studies that have examined Black religion, or even the relationship between technology and religion, have focused on church attendance, physical houses of worship, rituals or personal beliefs and have largely studied particular religious communities. But Gault’s study instead centered on the digital spaces themselves and covered diverse religious and spiritual practices by using both quantitative and qualitative measures.

“Religion, and thus studies of religion, are still quite siloed in the minds of many. However, this report suggests that that’s not quite the case when a digital lens is used to study religion. Black religion is diverse. Digital technology, particularly post-COVID, has made room for that diversity, explicitly so,” she said.

Since the start of online messaging and social media, people’s digital lives have been interwoven with their religious beliefs and practices in a myriad of ways, but the physical isolation of COVID-19, as well as concurrent social activism related to Black Lives Matter, both deepened and broadened various trends, Gault said.

“All of these things were happening before and there were a number of people who were participating in religion digitally, but the acceleration of these practices on a wide scale and people articulating them for what they were happened in the pandemic,” she said. “Facebook groups and Instagram lives were important for some people, operating pretty much like houses of worship. It was where they gathered to have spiritual encounters. That was church for them and community for them as they participated in religious discourse and learned from each other.”

Whether on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, participation in replies and comments cannot be discounted, Gault said, opening ways for individuals to actively join discussions and engage with others.

“The way you might say ‘Amen’ in a church service, they were talking back and felt like they were part of a community and had transformative encounters in the comments section,” she said. “In some ways were talking about something that’s totally new and transformative about the way people engage with religion. In other ways, it’s what people have always done and digital technology is just mediating that.”

Previous studies have pointed to some similar trends relating to Americans’ religious beliefs, but Gault’s survey took a different approach, focusing on individuals rather than starting from the perspective of organized religions and spiritual leaders.

“This is the first survey that’s asked these questions and gotten to the answers this way. People who are in positions of authority answer questions quite differently than people who sit on the back pew or those whose faith needs no pew” she said. “We got a more thorough understanding of what the average person is thinking about religion vs. what the person in charge says religion is for them. From the CFS report, we now know life satisfaction is down among the highest users of digital technology. Yet, life satisfaction goes up for users of digital technology for religious and spiritual purposes. ”

Gault, who has been studying Black faith and technology use for the past 15 years, started the Connected Faith Survey after completing an ethnographic study into emerging faith practices of Black millennials and a two-year study of the digital lives of six Christian millennials, which became Networking the Black Church: Digital Black Religion and Hip Hop.

The Connected Faith Survey, supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Louisville Institute, involved a team of social scientists, web developers, influencers, content creators and religious leaders who designed an approach that itself existed in and took advantage of unique elements of the digital realm.

“Again and again over this two-year process, I’ve been awed and humbled by their insights and passion for revealing and documenting the shape of Black religion at present. I hope we have created a useful tool for researchers and religious practitioners to better understand and discuss faith in the digital,” she said.

Ultimately, the Connected Faith Survey can have potential insights for American religion in a larger context, Gault said.

“What we’re really talking about is a shift overall in American religious beliefs. Black folks are a significant population, but we can also talk about the trends that African Americans create online as an indicator of what all Americans are experiencing regarding religion,” she said. “The more we know about how the digital functions in the religious life of Black Americans the more we understand ‘the next’ in religion in America and across the globe.”

In celebration of Juneteenth, the Connected Faith Survey report goes live on June 19 at www.digitalblackreligionsurvey.com.

Dr. Rob Stephan, Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Religious Studies and Classics, has been awarded the University’s 2024 Leicester and Kathryn Sherrill Creative Teaching Award.

Announced by the Office of the Provost, the award is given by the University of Arizona Foundation in recognition of “unusually outstanding teaching methodologies; a demonstrated effort to ensure the quality of students' learning experiences; and consistently high scholarly standard in both rigor and currency of course content.” Stephan will receive a $2,500 award and the placement of a plaque in the Donna Swaim Honors Lounge in the Student Union Memorial Center. 

Since arriving at the University of Arizona in 2016, Stephan has become known for his creativity and passion, attracting thousands of students each year (4,467 students during the 2023 calendar year) and putting large introductory courses in Classics at the top of students’ lists of “must-take” classes, for any major. 

“Dr. Stephan has the kind of presence in the classroom that can hold the attention of hundreds of students, and his presentation of materials, both in class and online, are visually and pedagogically stunning,” said Karen Seat, Head of the Department of Religious Studies and Classics. “A consistent theme in student testimonials is how Dr. Stephan put them at ease as nervous freshmen entering large lecture halls for the first time, and how he always made the time to help them overcome stress and uncertainty in pursuing their studies. Clearly, Dr. Stephan is doing important work at our university as we endeavor to recruit and retain students, including first-generation and underserved student populations.”

“He doesn’t just stand out as the best teacher at the university, both for general undergraduate courses and advanced graduate ones, he reinvents what it means to be the best and sets a higher standard for other teachers,” wrote one student. “He is an unending fountain of enthusiasm and knowledge, capable of keeping up with all the students he speaks with and approaching them in both a friendly and scholarly manner.

“From the three classes of his that I have taken, Dr. Stephan has consistently been a passionate, caring professor who puts his all into his classes to make sure that they are fun, thought-provoking, and accessible,” wrote one student nominator. “I have never had another professor dedicate this much time and energy to perfecting their classes, and that has made my college experience all the better. Dr. Stephan has turned me, a STEM nerd, into a lover of the ancient world. That is something I had thought impossible until I took his classes.”

“His passion for Classics is undeniable and he shares this passion with each of his students through incredibly engaging video lectures, creative assignments and well-structured learning modules. He cares deeply about the success of his students and makes that readily apparent through quick replies to emails as well as personalized feedback on every assignment,” wrote another student. “His enthusiasm for the Classics is contagious as his video lectures are filled with striking visuals, witty humor, and incredible storytelling that capture the minds of his students and draw us into the life of these ancient civilizations. There truly is no other professor like Dr. Rob Stephan.”

This is just the latest teaching award for Stephan, who won both the Margaret M. Briehl and Dennis T. Ray Five Star Faculty Award and Gerald G. Swanson Prize for Teaching Excellence in 2021 and has received the College of Humanities Distinguished Teaching Award, in 2020, and Distinguished Undergraduate Advising/Mentoring Award, in 2019

Dr. Harris Kornstein, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public and Applied Humanities, has been awarded a University of Arizona Early Career Scholar Award. 

 

Sponsored and announced by the Office of the Provost, the award “recognizes outstanding early career faculty who are at the forefront of their disciplines and make highly valued contributions to the teaching, creative activity, and service priorities set out in the University's Strategic Plan Five Pillars.” Recipients receive $5,000 in University funds to facilitate further work within their discipline. 

“Dr. Harris Kornstein is already a distinguished scholar and embodies the spirit of public enrichment and inclusive excellence that define UArizona’s mission and Strategic Plan. Given their impact across several disciplines and on many contemporary challenges—especially related to technology, culture, and education—their work has, and will continue, to address grand challenges, impact local and international communities, and improve near and long-term student success,” according to a nomination letter written by colleagues in the Department of Public and Applied Humanities, joined by professors from the LGBTQ+ Institute, Department of Gender & Women’s Studies, School of Art, and outside scholars.

Since joining the department in 2021, Kornstein “has demonstrated outsized public impact through research, art practice, teaching and service,” including receiving a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities and securing more than $100,000 in grants, the nominators wrote.

“Kornstein’s community-engaged and interdisciplinary work has been celebrated in the academy, popular media, and non-profit and government sectors, shaping global debates about culture and creating educational spaces where people of all ages and backgrounds can express their identities and ideas freely and safely,” the nominators wrote. 

“Dr. Kornstein’s research, teaching, and outreach focus on what they term queer play, and consider how historically-marginalized communities can imaginatively challenge social norms—especially relating to digital technologies, media activism, and creative pedagogies—in order to create a more just and joyful society. This spirit embodies and enhances the university’s mission of public inquiry and service, offering a unique approach to solving entrenched social challenges through projects that foreground curiosity, creativity, and care.” 

“That Harris’ work is widely-read, interdisciplinary, spans forms/genres, and moves throughout academic and public spheres is impressive on its own account. However, when one takes into account the intense anti-queer climate both in the state of Arizona and across the United States, Harris’ work takes on additional importance and significance. That is, Harris’ work is not only resistant to anti-queer attacks, but also, due to its highly-read and cited nature, provides an important reminder or queer livingness for queer and trans youth and their families of support,” wrote another nominator, Z Nicolazzo, Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Practice. 

The Early Career Scholars award is the latest in a string of honors Kornstein has earned, including the College of Humanities Chatfield Impact Award—honoring work that celebrates new voices, fights systemic bias, connects the University to the community, and measurably improves the world—as well as grants from the University’s Office of Research, Innovation and Impact, and a Digital Humanities Seed Grant from the NYU Center for the Humanities

“Dr. Kornstein demonstrates an unusual capacity to carry out highly impactful, long-term, and collaborative scholarly projects—often inextricably and complexly interwoven with community engagement work,” wrote Ken McAllister, Associate Dean of Research and Program Innovation. “Kornstein also has a finely trained capacity for cross-disciplinary collaboration, particularly where questions about the good of the community are concerned, and is a fierce champion for matters related to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.”

Congratulations to the College of Humanities' Outstanding Senior for Spring 2024, Mason Maltbie!

Maltbie graduates with a 4.0 GPA, triple majoring in Russian, Religious Studies and Creative Writing. 

“Through speaking new languages, forming deeper understandings of others, and visiting places once locked behind the pages of literature, we’ve translated ourselves into the world and come to know people from worlds quite different from ours,” Maltbie told fellow Humanities graduates at Saturday’s convocation. “The true spirit of the Humanities is knowing that the ‘other,’ no matter how seemingly distant, feels and struggles just like you.” 

Maltbie served for two years as president of the Slavic and Eurasian Studies Club and received myriad awards over the course of his studies: the SILLC Global Award, the B.G. Thompson, Jr. Study Abroad Award, the Donna Swaim International Award for Religious Studies, the Rombach and Bretall Scholarship, the Donna Dillon Manning and Larry Horner Endowed Humanities Award for Study Abroad and the Fearless Inquiries Abroad Scholarship.

“Mason is one of the finest students—and human beings—that it has been my privilege to teach, and to learn from, over my 16 years of teaching. He is brilliant, but he is humble. As a person, he is thoughtful, caring, collegial, and quick to share. As a budding scholar, he is disciplined, motivated, meticulous, and always curious to probe deeper,” wrote Suzanne Thompson, Assistant Professor of Practice and Undergraduate Advisor in the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies, in nominating him for the award. “I have taught him in many classes—culture, literature, and language—and he has a powerful combination of language aptitude and sophistication in understanding the written word.” 

Maltbie’s honors thesis explored how structural forces of poverty and historic discrimination influence gang violence and formation, and how an interdisciplinary approach utilizing psychology, sociology and Religious Studies can help understand the issues and lead to policy reforms. 

Maltbie studied abroad in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2023 and will be studying abroad at the School of Russian and Eurasian Studies in Uzbekistan during the summer of 2024.

“Mason's academic journey showcases his exceptional qualities and achievements, and his relentless pursuit of knowledge and his deep-seated desire for immersive cultural experiences,” wrote Assistant Professor Liudmila Klimanova, who led the Kazakhstan program. “The fervor and depth with which he engaged in this program were profoundly inspiring, not only to me but also to our esteemed colleagues at Eurasian National University in Kazakhstan.” 

“Mason embodies the qualities of an outstanding senior: academic excellence, leadership, and a deep commitment to embracing the humanities and fostering understanding across cultures and communities.”

Steve Kerr, an NBA champion, award-winning coach, social justice advocate, philanthropist and beloved Wildcat, received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree at the 2024 University of Arizona Commencement. 

“Steve Kerr's storied career in the NBA—as a player, a general manager, and a coach—has been marked by an impressive array of accolades, including multiple championship titles and personal honors,” said Alain-Philippe Durand, Dorrance Dean of the College of Humanities. “His advocacy for social change reflects a rare blend of intellect, compassion and unwavering dedication. He has had a profound and indelible impact on our community and beyond.”

A standout basketball player, Kerr graduated in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in General Studies and is a College of Humanities alumnus. He earned all-American honors his senior year before being drafted in the NBA’s second round. As a player, he won five championships in his 15 years and continued his success as a broadcaster and general manager. In his current role as head coach of the Golden State Warriors, he’s won four NBA titles and was named Coach of the Year in 2016. 

Before the Friday night Commencement, Kerr was honored by the College of Humanities during a morning ceremony, where he spoke about his international upbringing, his commitment to teaching and mentorship as a coach, and the value of studying the humanities. 

“I choose the humanities because it offers an incredibly well-rounded education and teaches people to connect with one another and to collaborate,” Kerr said. 

Kerr spoke about deciding on a General Studies major and how it united several of his academic interests. 

“There’s no question that with a diverse education, a broad education teaching the core values of humanity, compassion, and empathy, you can go anywhere,” he said. “It helps you find your way.” 

For today’s students and graduating seniors, Kerr said learning is a process that never stops and it’s important to adopt an inquisitive mindset. 

“The advice that I give to all young people who ask me, no matter what they study, is what I’ve learned is none of us know everything,” he said. “One of the strongest signs of intelligence is admitting you don’t know something and being comfortable with that. We’re all lifelong learners.” 

Kerr’s nomination for the honorary degree was initiated by Dr. Caleb Simmons, Director of Interdisciplinary Studies (the new name of the General Studies degree that Kerr obtained), who highlighted Kerr’s advocacy for important issues like racial justice and gun violence prevention.

“His embodiment of ethical values and his unwavering commitment to social justice exemplify the very essence of what the humanities seek to cultivate – a more inclusive, empathetic, and enlightened society,” Simmons wrote.

Asya Gorlova, a Ph.D. candidate in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching and instructor in the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies, is the College of Humanities 2024 Outstanding Graduate Assistant in Teaching Award recipient.

 

In 2021, Gorlova began as a Russian language graduate teaching associate and since, she has taught first- and second-year Russian sections in both face-to-face and hybrid modalities, organized a significant number of creative extracurricular projects, and contributed more than 70 interactive open educational resource micro-lessons. 

 

“Asya Gorlova's remarkable contributions to our program, her innovative teaching methods, and her commitment to an inclusive and culturally rich educational environment make her an exemplary candidate for the COH Outstanding GTA in Teaching Award. Her work has not only elevated our department but also inspired countless students to delve deeper into the Russophone world,” wrote Assistant Professor Liudmila Klimanova in nominating her for the award. “Asya’s teaching, characterized by her students as highly engaging and effective, exemplifies her dedication to students' linguistic and cultural growth. Her ability to conduct lessons in both face-to-face and hybrid modalities has been instrumental in accommodating diverse learning styles.” 

 

“Asya’s dedication to teaching and her innovative approaches in the classroom have truly made a lasting impression on me and my peers. Her passion for the subject matter is evident in her engaging lessons and her willingness to go above and beyond. She spends her own time working one on one with students to ensure their success in class. Personally, I have greatly benefited from her patient guidance and encouragement,” wrote one student nominator.

“Throughout my second year of Russian classes, Asya was a major help and contributor to my understanding of the language. Whenever any of us had questions, she was willing to explain a concept in depth to ensure our understanding. Any time I reached out to her, she was happy and willing to help. In terms of specific concepts in Russian, she took her time to go step by step to explain certain grammar rules,” wrote another student. “She understood that learning the language is different for every student. She engaged our attention with different activities to learn to the best of our ability.” 

“I had the privilege of working with Asya Gorlova for three semesters in a row, in which time she proved herself one of the best instructors in my personal experience. She reflects all the important qualities an instructor should have – attentive, patient and engaging. She always tried to foster a collaborative class environment. I think it speaks much of her work that all students who took her classes, myself included, still speak very highly of her,” wrote another student in support of the nomination. 

“Throughout my journey of learning Russian at U of A, I have not only significantly improved my proficiency in the language but have also developed a great appreciation for it. Asya’s dedication to teaching and her innovative methods and passion for the Russian language have deeply inspired me and my fellow students. I am immensely grateful for the positive impact she has had on my academic and personal growth,” wrote another student nominator. “Her innovative approach to language instruction turns each lesson into an engaging, effective, and memorable learning experience. Her ability to explain complex grammar concepts in a clear and easy to understand manner is truly remarkable.”  

 

Sony Coráñez Bolton, Assistant Professor of Spanish
Department of Spanish and Portuguese
 

Dr. Sony Coráñez Bolton received his Ph.D. in American Culture and Ethnic Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2016). He is currently finishing a C3 Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at Middlebury College in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

 

Rae Dachille, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and East Asian Studies
Department of Religious Studies and Classics
Department of East Asian Studies
 

Dr. Rae Erin Dachille (Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies, University of California at Berkeley) specializes in the religious and artistic traditions of Himalayan Buddhism. Her research focuses upon representations of the body in art, ritual, philosophy, and medicine in Tibetan and Sanskrit sources. Dr. Dachille’s work reflects her enduring interest in revealing the many ways in which Tibetan Buddhist sources may enrich our approach to studying the body as an object of knowledge as well as to formulating new theories of representation. She teaches courses in Tibetan Buddhism, South Asian religion, theories and methods for the study of religion, and religion in the medical humanities.

 

Kristin Doran, Assistant Professor of Spanish & Director of Basic Language Program
Department of Spanish and Portuguese
 

Kristin Doran received her PhD in Spanish and Luso-Brazilian Literature in 2009 from the University of Arizona. She has taught across the undergraduate curriculum in Spanish and Portuguese, including classes in the U of A’s general education curriculum. She worked as an Academic Advisor and Study Abroad Coordinator in the fall of 2016 and as Interim Director of the Basic Language Program in the spring of 2017.  Beginning Fall 2017,  Kristin will be the new Director of the Basic Language Program.

 

Julieta Fernandez, Assistant Professor of Spanish
Department of Spanish and Portuguese
 

Julieta Fernandez is an applied linguist joining the College of Humanities from Northern Arizona University. She received her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from The Pennsylvania State University.

 

Erika Gault, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies
Africana Studies Program
 

Erika Gault graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo, American Studies Department. She taught Religion and History in the Social Sciences Division at Hilbert College and Served as Chair of the Committee on Curriculum, Academic Policy and Procedure (CAPP) at Hilbert College and as a Public Scholar with New York State Council for the Humanities (Humanities New York).

 

Emily Hellmich, Assistant Professor of French
Department of French and Italian
 

Emily Hellmich is completing her PhD in Language, Literacy, and Culture at the University of California, Berkeley, and received her MA in French Cultural Studies from Columbia University. Her research interests focus on second language acquisition and pedagogy, digital technology, and discourse analysis.

 

Joela Jacobs, Assistant Professor of German
Department of German Studies
 

Dr. Joela Jacobs is Assistant Professor of German Studies, and she is affiliated with the Institute of the Environment, the Department of Gender and Women's Studies, and the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies. She earned her Ph.D. in Germanic Studies at the University of Chicago, and her research focuses on 19th-21st century German literature and film, Animal Studies, Environmental Humanities, Jewish Studies, the History of Sexuality, and the History of Science. She has published on monstrosity, multilingualism, literary censorship, biopolitics, animal epistemology, zoopoetics, critical plant studies, cultural environmentalism, and contemporary German Jewish identity.

 

Sarah McCallum, Assistant Professor of Classics
Department of Religious Studies and Classics
 

Since receiving her Ph.D. in Classics from the University of Toronto, Sarah has taught Latin and Greek language and literature, as well as Classics courses in translation, at Brock University, the University of Massachusetts-Boston, the Harvard Extension School, and Dartmouth College.

 

Aurélia Mouzet, Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies
Department of French and Italian
 

Dr. Aurélia Mouzet received her PhD in Francophone Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her research focuses upon the intersection of myths, religion, and politics in literature, theatre, and cinema of the Black Atlantic. She is affiliated with the University of Western Paris research institute “Littérature et poétique comparée”. Dr Mouzet is revising her dissertation into a monograph that investigates female figurations of Christ in twentieth and twenty-first century Black Atlantic literature, theatre, and cinema.   

 

Colleen Lucey, Assistant Professor of Russian
Department of Russian and Slavic Studies
 

Colleen Lucey holds a Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on the commodification of marginal women in Russian literature and art. Currently Dr. Lucey is expanding her dissertation into a monograph that investigates the portrayal of prostitutes, courtesans, and dowerless brides in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Russian works.

 

COH External Affairs & Development Staff Hires

Pamela Chambers, Events Coordinator
pchambers7@email.arizona.edu

Katherine Leyton, Editor, Digital Content
kleyton@email.arizona.edu

Elizabeth Levine, Administrative Assistant, Development
lizlevine@email.arizona.edu

Eric Swedlund, Senior Writer
ericswedlund@email.arizona.edu