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Summarized by Kent Larsen
UVSC To Study Mormons; College to pioneer LDS cultural program
Salt Lake Tribune 19Mar00 N1
By Brooke Adams: Salt Lake Tribune
OREM, UTAH -- Utah Valley State College will kick-off a new Mormon
Cultural Studies program tomorrow, starting with a day-long
conference on Mormonism. The program is unique at colleges and
universities in Utah, and makes UVSC the first to embrace Mormonism
as a subject worthy of study. The program will be part of a new
religious-studies program to be housed in the college's Center for
the Study of Ethics.
The program will fit nicely with the college's plans for the
religious-studies program, which the school hopes to expand into a
formal religious-studies curriculum, according to the program's
associate director Biran Birch. Eugene England, who will head the new
Mormon cultural studies program says, "Our program engages in a
variety of scholarly studies of the culture of Mormons in order to
help both Mormons and others understand the way Mormons think and
express themselves in their arts and the lives they live." England
was recently named UVSC's first writer-in-residence.
Until now, studies of Mormonism were left to Sunstone, which sponsors
annual conferences at which scholarly papers are presented on
Mormonism, the University of Durham, England , which has a Mormon
studies center, and independently written scholarly articles which
appeared in a variety of publications, a handful of which are devoted
to the study of Mormonism. LDS Church-owned BYU does not have a
Mormon studies program, but does offer graduate-level minors in
Church History and in Ancient Scripture.
UVSC's program to study religion is also unique among state-owned
schools in Utah, none of which offer an undergraduate degree in
religious studies, one of few states in the U.S. that do not. Even
the University of Utah only offers a variety of unrelated courses on
aspects of religion, and no one there has ever proposed Mormon
culture as a focus of study.
But the study of Mormonism in Utah has often been seen as too touchy
for Utah's colleges and universities. Public schools like the
University of Utah and UVSC don't want to be perceived as endorsing a
religion, or being too critical of the dominant religion. Scholars at
BYU, on the other hand, don't want to be perceived as critical of
church teachings. "We have to tread carefully," Birch said. "We're
aware that religion is a difficult topic and that academic study of
religion is controversial in Utah and other places."
Some of this touchiness may be behind a recent debate in the Salt
Lake Tribune's editorial pages, in which the University of Utah has
been called "anti-mormon." Writing in an editorial in the Tribune,
England says that the debate misses the point. He says that the
schools in Utah have missed an educational opportunity by not
studying Mormonism, unlike an increasing number of non-Mormon
scholars, including Thomas O'Dea, Harold Bloom, and Martin Marty. He
notes that many state universities around the country have understood
that local culture is worth studying. "I'm simply suggesting they
apply the same principle to Mormon culture studies -- not to teach
Mormon theology, as some seem to fear, but to engage in the
scientific study of religious culture, a proven and valuable academic
subject."
But England is also careful to note that the UVSC program isn't
either pro or anti-mormon. "We're studying the culture, not the
church," he said. "The main intent is not to be critical, but to
understand. This is precisely the kind of study of our culture --
frank and open -- that could make our culture better."
The keynote speaker for Tuesday's conference will be Wayne C. Booth,
emeritus dean at the University of Chicago. The program will also
include a panel on "Why Study Mormon Culture?" and England himself
will speak on the topic "Being Mormon and Human." Other participants
include William A. (Bert) Wilson, a professor emeritus from BYU and
prominent national folklorist; Brian Birch, UVSC assistant professor
of philosophy; Lyndon Cook, UVSC professor of history; Sharon
Staples, UVSC professor of philosophy; and LDS writers Lee Mortensen,
Karin Anderson England, Barbara Bannon, Chris Hicks, Tim Slover and
BYU assistant professor Sharon Swenson.
See also:
Conference at UVSC on Mormon culture
Deseret News 19Mar00 N1
The Issue Isn't 'Anti-Mormonism' At U., But a Neglected Opportunity
Salt Lake Tribune 19Mar00 D6
By Eugene England
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