This weekend are the Annual Meetings of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature. Scholars in these areas will be descending upon San Antonio, TX to discuss the ins and outs of their research.
For those of you who’ve never been and are watching from afar, keep up with the official hashtag, #SBLAAR16. You already know that I’ll be all over it on Twitter and Instagram @seedpods.
Having completed our “alpha phase” this last month (Hooray!), Sowing the Seed will be making its debut at a number of places during the meetings. Don’t miss out on the happenings below:
Demystifying the Teaching Philosophy: A Workshop
Saturday, November 19, 2016
9:00am-11:00am
Alamo A (2nd Level) -Marriott Riverwalk
The Society of Biblical Literature’s Student Advisory Board has put together one of those workshops I wished they had when I was a graduate student. I’ll be offering my thoughts and advice on how graduate students can develop teaching philosophies for the market and for the classroom. A lot of my insights come from the experiences that led to our online community. The format is interactive with table sessions, panel discussion, and a guided self-assessment. I’m looking forward to connecting with other scholars who are passionate about teaching.
The Digital Futures of Religious Studies
Saturday, November 19, 2016
4pm-6:30pm
Grand Hyatt-Lone Star C (2nd Level)
I’ll be discussing Sowing the Seed as an emerging model of scholarly communication. Highlights will include how our student-scholar collaborative model works, our growing influence in the “small internet,” and how our team members are raising the discourse inside and outside of the academy. This high-paced, “pecha kucha” style session features some of the most innovative digital projects in the guild. I’m honored, humbled, and honestly a bit nervous to join such esteemed colleagues in this event that you won’t want to miss. The session will sport its own hashtag: #DigitalReligion
Re-Imagining the Intellectual as a Revolutionary Social Force
Monday, November 21, 2016
9:00am – 11:30am
Grand Hyatt-Lone Star D (2nd Level)
This is another panel oriented toward students–this time those in AAR–who are interested in the notion of scholarly engagement beyond the academy, particularly through digital media. I’ll be presenting Sowing the Seed and leading an activity to help graduate students conceptualize their work in relation to potential conversation partners. I’ll also be sharing on how this work helped me while on the job market. You can download the handout for my portion here.The panel also features presentations by the folks behind some of my favorite go-to online sources. I can’t tweet while others are presenting, so take notes for me.
So that’s what I have going (officially) while in San Antonio. None of the things I’ll be discussing could’ve been done without your willingness to keep coming back. I’ll be bragging on y’all every step of the way. And if you’re in SATX, please wave me down or tweet at me to connect. I love to meet members of our community.
Richard Newton, PhD is curator of Sowing the Seed and Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Elizabethtown College. His scholarship focuses on the anthropology of scriptures. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @seedpods.
Sowing the Seed 