-
Cushing Hall, home to the Religious and Theological Studies department and many others.
Rebecca Sachs Norris, Chair
Associate Professor
Dept. of Religious & Theological Studies
Ph.D. Boston University
Professor Norris publishes in the areas of religious games and toys as well as neuroscience and religion. Her books include Toying with God: The World of Religious Games and Dolls (Baylor, 2010) co-authored with Nikki Bado-Fralick (Iowa State University) and Religion and the Body: Modern Science and the Construction of Religious Meaning (Brill, 2012) co-edited with David Cave (University of Michigan). This book reflects on the implications of neurobiology and the scientific worldview on aspects of religious experience, belief, and practice.
Other publications include:
- “The Battle for the Toybox: Marketing and Fun in the Development of Children’s Religious Identities” in Children and Religion: A Methods Handbook, Susan Ridgely, ed., NYU Press, 2011.
- “Sacred Games are Serious Fun” in Cultures Emerging: Anthropology for a New Millennium, Linda Jencson, ed., Kendall-Hunt Publishing, 2009.
- “The Paradox of Healing Pain” Religion, Mar 2009, Vol. 39 Iss.1, p22-33.
- “Examining the Structure and Role of Emotion: Contributions of Neurobiology to the Study of Embodied Religious Experience,” Zygon: The Journal of Science and Religion, 40:1, March 2005.
- “Converting to what? Embodied culture and the adoption of new beliefs,” in Anthropology of Religious Conversion, Rowman and Littlefield, 2003.
Dr. Norris serves on the Program Committee of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and also as co-chair for the Body and Religion Group of the AAR. She is the former elected Regional Director of the New England-Maritimes region of the AAR.
