Religious Studies

Matthew McKinnon

Visiting Assistant Professor
mjmckinn@uncg.edu

Ph.D. Religious Studies, Marquette University

Areas of Academic Interest

• Modern Western Religious Thought
• Postmodern Philosophy and Theology
• Philosophy of Religion
• Religion and Contemporary Culture
• Contemporary Spirituality
• Religion and Politics
• Language and Epistemology

Personal Statement

The discipline of Religious Studies appeals to me because of its interdisciplinary methodology and perspective.  I understand religion – in its varied and complex cultural manifestations – as the attempt to make sense of the world and our place in it. Thus, Religious Studies endeavors to understand all ways of being and becoming in the world.  Furthermore, I believe that the practice of Religious Studies reveals as much about how we make (and find) the world a meaningful place as it does about those whom we observe.

Current/Planned Research/Projects

I am currently revising my dissertation on narrative anthropology for publication. I also am working on questions of naturalism and spirituality, as well as apophasis and a post-analytic philosophy of language.

Courses Taught

• Religion and Contemporary Culture
• Pluralism and Democracy in America
• Modern Problems of Belief
• History of Christianity since the Reformation