American Religious Sounds Project
Choirs singing. Monks chanting. The reading of religious texts. These are religious sounds. But so too are the creaking of church pews and the clanking of pots during the preparation of a communal meal. The American Religious Sounds Project (2014-2022) offers resources for studying and interpreting the diversity of American religious life by attending to its varied sonic cultures. The archive and website is intended for multiple audiences, including scholars, educators, students, and the general public. We hope it will inspire you to think in new ways about religion and its place in American life.
From 2014-2023, the Center for the Study of Religion served as the institutional home for the American Religious Sounds Project (ARSP), a collaborative initiative with Michigan State University (MSU), co-directed by CSR Director Isaac Weiner and MSU Professor of Religious Studies Amy DeRogatis.
Supported by a generous grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, the ARSP aims to document and interpret the diversity of American religious life by attending to its varied sonic cultures. Faculty, staff, and student researchers created an extensive digital sonic archive, documenting the sounds of religious practice across a wide range of communities and spaces. Research is shared through a custom-built website, an online gallery, dynamic sound installations, and a poster exhibition produced in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibition Services. Scroll down to the next section for more information on how to host the exhibition.
The ARSP has concluded its active phase of research, but its resources continue to be available for research and teaching via the ARSP website. For more information, please contact the director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Isaac Weiner: weiner.141@osu.edu.
Go to the ARSP Website for the sound and image archive and more information on the project.
The Sounds of Religion poster exhibition explores how rituals and gatherings of religious communities create a complex soundtrack of religions in America that teaches us how people behave, how they’re different and how they’re alike. Any group or organization is invited to host this free Smithsonian exhibition exploring the complex soundtrack of religions in America. Through QR codes, viewers are invited to listen to eight contemporary recordings that serve as an audio portrait of the rich and dynamic differences that make religious life in the United States unique. The exhibition comes with everything you need to print and install 12 24x36" posters, plus instructions and educational resources. In addition, funds are available to support innovative programming and community engagement initiatives in conjunction with exhibiting the posters.
Religious Accommodations in the Workplace Workshop
As part of a new initiative, the Center for the Study of Religion plans to offer a series of workshops on religious accommodations in the workplace. Building on a successful pilot program held in October 2023, the goal of this initiative is to create space for discussion and shared experience among scholars of religion, HR and DEI professionals and participants in faith-oriented employee resource groups. With a focus on Ohio-based companies, we plan to address an array of issues including challenges faced at work by adherents of minority religions, barriers that prevent employees from coming forward with requests for religious accommodation, and strategies adopted by companies for addressing those challenges
We will announce next steps and ways to get involved in this initiative soon. For more information, please contact the director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Isaac Weiner: weiner.141@osu.edu.
Visiting Scholar Program
The Center for the Study of Religion hosts a short-term visiting scholar program one or two times per academic year. Building on a successful pilot program held in March 2023, this initiative aims to support contingent and independent scholars by bringing them to campus for a short-term residency and offering opportunities to participate in the center’s intellectual community. During their stay, the visiting scholar will offer a public research lecture, visit with students and classes, and participate in other center initiatives, such as our regular writing and reading groups. Depending on the scholar’s interests, additional events may be scheduled, such as a community lecture for audiences beyond the university.
To read about the Spring 2024 visiting scholars and their events on OSU campus, follow this link.
Applications for the program are currently closed, but a new round of applications will be announced in the next academic year. To read the application requirements from the previous round, please see our news item here.
For more information, please contact the director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Isaac Weiner: weiner.141@osu.edu.