Annual Lectures
The Charles Wellborn lecture in American Religious History
The Charles Wellborn lecture in American Religious History is delivered every other year. It was established in 2008 through a gift from a former faculty member of the department, Charles Wellborn, who also served for twenty years as Dean of the FSU Overseas Campus in London. The inaugural lecture in 2010 was delivered by Daniel Walker Howe, winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in History.
The John Priest Lecture
The John Priest Lecture has been established by a generous gift from Gloria Priest in honor of the life and work of John Priest (1929-1998). John served as
Professor in the Department of Religion at Florida State from 1968 until his retirement in 1996, at which time he was named Professor Emeritus. While at FSU, John also served as Director of the Graduate Humanities Program (1969-1976) and Chair of the Department of Religion (1978-1984.) John was a founding member of the American Academy of Religion, which he served as national secretary, vice president, president (in 1967), and executive director and treasurer (1967-1978.) Professor Priest received his AB from Asbury College in 1949, his BD (1955) and Ph.D. (1960) from Drew, and was honored with a variety of fellowships including the Kent, Fulbright, Dempster, and Lilly Fellowships. Prior to coming to FSU, John served on the faculty at Ohio Wesleyan, the Hartford Seminary Foundation, and was Academic Dean at Hartford from 1966-1968.
The Lucius Moody Bristol Lecture in Social Ethics
The Lucius Moody Bristol Lecture in Social Ethics is delivered every other year. It was made possible by a generous gift from Lewis R. and Margaret C. Bristol and the family of Lucius Moody Bristol. The inaugural lecture in 2009 was delivered by Professor James Johnson of Rutgers University.
The Sheng Yen Buddhist Studies Lecture Series
The Sheng Yen Buddhist Studies Lecture Series was established in 2011 in conjunction with the establishment of the Sheng Yen Professorship in Chinese Buddhist Studies. The Lecture Series supports annual lectures, workshops, and conferences by visiting scholars at the Florida State University.
The Tessa J. Bartholomeusz Lecture in Religion
The Tessa J. Bartholomeusz Lecture in Religion has been established by the faculty of the Department of Religion, Florida State University, in memory of our late colleague. Tessa Bartholomeusz (1958-2001) came to Florida State as assistant professor in 1993, following an appointment at Indiana University / Purdue University at Indianapolis and the completion of a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1991. She was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 1997, and to full professor in 2001.
Annual Conferences
Graduate Student Symposium
Each spring the graduate students of the department of religion host an international graduate student symposium. Graduate students from all over the country and abroad travel to Tallahassee to participate in the weekend-long conference. At each symposium, a key-note address is delivered by a distinguished visitor and faculty members from the department serve as respondents for the various paper sessions.