The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is on the lookout for a religions professor with expertise in Islam, hoping to capture student and public interest in Islamic studies and other religions since Sept. 11, 2001.
The professor, who hopefully would begin teaching in fall 2004, would bring more breadth to the Judeo-Christian coursework dominating the Department of Classics and Religious Studies, said Sidnie Crawford, professor and chairwoman of the department.
"Given the current events in the world, it's important for students to have an understanding of Islam," Crawford said. "We felt it was very important for the religious studies program to have non-Judeo-Christian religion (courses) and give students a chance to study those religions."
A search committee will begin informally interviewing about 50 applicants in late November and likely will bring two to five candidates for on-campus interviews in January, she said.
Crawford said the department had seen an influx of students in the past three or four years. The history department's History of Islam course, offered through the religious studies minor, is consistently full, she said. And Crawford's own Judaism, Christianity and Islam course, offered for the first time this fall, filled immediately, she said.
A comparative religions professor could offer similar courses, such as an introduction to Islam or a survey of Asian religions, she said.
The addition of the professor would put UNL on track with a national trend among universities to beef up their religion departments with non-Judeo-Christian courses, she said.
In Lincoln, the need for such expertise is particularly acute, Crawford said. The city has seen an increasing number of refugees in recent years, each group bringing its own sets of religious traditions.
The future professor would serve as a liaison between these groups' religions and the public itself, said Vanessa Gorman, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and member of the search committee.
She said whomever was hired would be involved in a number of public lectures and presentations, meant to educate a public that might view Islam and other religions as hostile.
"A lot of people have never met someone who is Muslim, and it's so hard to see the news and not be afraid," she said.
The professor would be a local expert who could field questions on current events and issues, Gorman said.
She said she hoped the community would become a more welcoming place through more education.
"Education is the only way to cut through hatred and fear," she said.
The emphasis on broadening the department's religious program could lead to a new religious studies major for fall 2004, Crawford said. Currently, the department offers a minor in religious studies.
As religious issues become more prominent in the news, many students could benefit from a religious studies major, she said. Students pursuing medicine, for example, might find it helpful to know the religious traditions of their patients, she said.
"We hope we'll attract majors as people realize that a religious studies major is a complement to all majors," she said.