Headlines

Mark Oppenheimer, 2022 Distinguished Lecturer in Judaic Studies, returns to George Mason University on March 30, 2026, to talk about his landmark biography of Judy Blume. He will speak at 6:30 in Fenwick Library Main Reading Room. This event is open to the public. Most Americans know the name Judy Blume because of her beloved classics: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret; Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing; Deenie; and Summer SistersBut little is known about the real woman behind the iconic persona, and the unlikely journey of her literary ascension, until now. In Judy Blume, journalist, historian, and longtime Blume aficionado Mark Oppenheimer pens a beautiful, multidimensional portrait of the acclaimed author through extensive interviews with Blume herself, invaluable access to her papers and correspondence, and thoughtful analysis of Blume’s beloved novels, including early, unpublished works that shed light on the pathbreaking writer she would become. Oppenheimer goes deep, exploring Blume’s middle-class 1950s upbringing, complicated childhood, varied relationships and marriages, unabashed sexual experiences, bouts of heartache and loss, and enduring legacy as a champion of free speech and contemporary literature. Oppenheimer peels back the curtain to reveal the woman behind the literary empire in all her complex, multifaceted glory—a true gift for anyone who grew up reading and loving these extraordinary books.

The AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University mourns the passing of Yaqub Mirza and Abdulaziz Sachedina.

On September 23, 2024, the Department of Religious Studies hosts its third annual distinguished lecture in Judaic Studies. Aaron Dorfman, executive director of A More Perfect Union, will speak on "American Jews, American Democracy."

In this article, Religious Studies Professor John Turner talks about race in the Mormon Church.

Professor Cuong T. Nguyen of the Religious Studies Department and A. Charles Muller (U. of Tokyo) edited Wonhyo's Philosophy of Mind, Volume II, University of Hawai'i Press. Professor Nguyen also wrote two chapters including: "Treatise on the Ten Ways of Resolving Controversies (Simmun hwajaeng non)" and "Commentary on the Discrimination between the Middle and the Extremes (Chungbyon punbyollon so): Fascicle Three."

Professor Randi Rashkover and Professor Maria Dakake of the Religious Studies Department have recently become senior series editors along with Professor Stanley Hauerwas (Duke) and Professor Peter Ochs (University of Virginia) for the Encountering Traditions series at Stanford University Press. The series publishes leading scholarship in Jewish-Islamic and Christian engagement and inter-disciplinary work in religious studies.