Joan Nicoll Riedl Book Award Recipients, 2023
Alexander O’Connor, a graduate of Central High School in Memphis, Tenn., is a senior with a triple major in religious studies, history (honors), and German at UT. Outside of class, he is very interested in learning foreign languages and loves attending cultural festivals and fairs such as the annual Knox Asian Festival.
Alexander has always been interested in religions, not only what religious beliefs doctrines may be associated with a particular religion, but also the actual application of religious thought to the everyday. He thinks that religions also strike at massive fundamental questions that he definitely wanted assistance in wrapping his head around. Alexander felt that one good strategy to approach such fundamental questions was through comparison and for him that made religious studies a very appealing major as he felt that the program could help him learn how to best approach the fundamental questions he was interested in considering.
Alexander has pursued a variety of interests while at UT. He has studied the influence of classical Latin rhetoric on St. Jerome’s writings and has also been an intern for the Center for Tennesseans and War.. Alexander recently returned to the US after spending the summer in Berlin, Germany, studying German at the Freie Universität Berlin. He is excited to be able to combine the strong background knowledge that he has built up with the help of everyone at UT and blend this with his own unique experiences in order to create his history honors thesis project, which he will embark upon this fall.
Alexander has said that his favorite thing about being a part of the religious studies major is that “at every stage, the question ‘what is religion?’ is asked” and every time that question is posed students are increasingly challenged to answer such a nuanced question.
“Although ‘what is religion?’ seems like a question that is simple to answer, religious studies courses ask students to delve into if and how these sorts of questions can be answered and challenge students to consider if they have assumed an answer,” Alexander said. “I feel like these questions expand my curiosity and the courses generate a sense of excitement about every aspect of various religions as well as cultures, histories, and anything that remotely involves understanding. In religious studies, not only is it okay not to know [something], it is a sign that you are doing [something] right.”
When asked if he had any thoughts that he would like to share in this newsletter, Alexander said: “I think that, especially as students in the humanities, we tend to underestimate how much what we study is valued by some. Whether I was talking to a random person about their religion, in Berlin trying to order Dönner in broken German, talking to veterans about their experiences with war for the Center for Tennesseans and War, I would almost always be met with sheer joy due to the fact that I was talking to them about something they were passionate about. As students who constantly see the humanities getting defunded, we especially tend to get the impression that the humanities are undervalued by everyone, but that is far from the truth.”
Stephen Hay is a senior student that is a double major in religious studies (honors concentration) and English literature with a women, gender, and sexuality program minor. He is a native of Greeneville, Tenn., and enjoys reading classics and modern fiction, playing the saxophone, and spending time with his family and friends.
Stephen collected his programs at different stages of his journey at UT. He picked up a major in religious studies at the end of his first year, added his minor at the end of his second year, and chose his honors concentration at the end of his third year at UT. Stephen took an introduction to world religions class with Professor Michael Naparstek during his first semester at UT and he was fascinated.
“Every time I went to class my mind was blown yet again. I decided that semester to pick up a major in religious studies because it is something I have developed a passion for, and also because it gives me a way to understand the world and the people around me,” Stephen said. “The longer I have been a major, the more passionate I have become; now I am planning on going to graduate school to continue my education.”
In addition to Stephen’s normal course work, this year he will be writing his senior honors thesis on Daoism and will also be writing a paper to submit to the American Academy of Religion’s (AAR) undergraduate writing competition. Stephen shares that he is very excited to begin doing more upper-level academic writing.
“I want to get my ideas out into the world instead of merely writing for a class. I am excited to see where the writing process takes me and what I can learn from it,” Stephen said. “I value the thoughts and opinions of others, and try to give everyone a voice, as that is something that is lacking in both the world and, in historical cases, in academia.”
When asked if there was one thing he could share about the religious studies major, what would it be, Stephen responded that religious studies has changed how he sees the world around him.
“It has given me a lens through which to examine interpersonal and institutional relationships and interactions. It has also helped me to approach my understanding of history and cultural differences,” he said. “Also, religious studies is so cool. There is so much going on in the world outside of what we see in the world or in the country around us, and religious studies gives you the briefest glimpse into what is out there.”