Claremont Mormon Studies j NEWSLETTERi SPRING 2012 t IssUE NO. 6 A Year of Mormon Studies IN THIS ISSUE in the Classroom Our Pioneering Adventure in Mormon Scholarship BY Patrick Q. Mason PAGE 2 Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies i k n my highly biased view, the past and the school. Claremont is truly “The Mormon Brand” year has been an unqualified a congenial home for our one- I PAGE 3 success for the Mormon Studies of-a-kind endeavor, still the only program at Claremont Graduate graduate-level program in Mormon k University. By virtually any measure Studies in the world. Media and the “Mormon the program is moving onward and Everything we do begins and Moment” PAGE 4 upward, building on the strong ends with the students—that, along foundation laid by Richard and with the pursuit of knowledge, is k Claudia Bushman and Armand what higher education is all about. Giving a History to Well- Mauss, as well as all the students, in We have tremendous students in the Behaved Mormon Women previous years. School of Religion at CGU, and I I am especially grateful for the have been stimulated by the learning PAGE 6 hard work and dedication of our experiences we have shared in the Mormon Studies Council, which classroom this year. I taught two one short semester. But we covered a has not only given me support and Mormon-themed courses in 2011- lot of ground, and it was a valuable sound advice but has been active in 2012: “Approaching Mormonism” experience for this up-and-coming fundraising. Now that the Howard in the fall, and “Gendering generation of scholars to see how W. Hunter Chair Mormonism” in the they stand on the shoulders of their has been funded, “Claremont is truly a spring. The fall course predecessors, as well as mapping our priorities have was an introduction out where they can make their own turned to raising congenial home for our to some of the most contributions as they write research money for student one-of-a-kind endeavor, significant academic papers and ultimately their theses fellowships so that still the only graduate- books and scholars and dissertations. we can continue level program in Mormon of Mormonism, and Given the sensitivity of some of to attract the best is a course I will the topics we would be covering, and brightest Studies in the world.” regularly teach to I must admit approaching my and help finance orient students to “Gendering Mormonism” class an otherwise extremely expensive some of the “classics” in the field. in the spring a bit apprehensively. graduate education. I am also Of course, with the unparalleled The material covered in the course tremendously gratified by the pace of scholarship on Mormonism is of central importance to any unqualified support the Mormon these days, it’s impossible to keep full understanding of Mormon Studies program has received from up, let alone introduce students to theology or practice, historical and the leadership of the university everything they “need to read” in contemporary, but I didn’t know [see Classroom, 3] PAGE 1 HTTP://RELIGION.CGU.EDU t HTTP://WWW.CLAREMONTMORMONSTUDIES.ORG CLAREMONT MORMON STUDIES NEWSLETTER t SPRING 2012 Our Pioneering Adventure in Mormon Scholarship BY Steve Bradford Chair of the Mormon Studies Council am honored to stand on the through which it is taught in homes, of our generous donors, Claremont’s I shoulders of some true giants Church services, and Church- Mormon Studies Program is rapidly of the Mormon faith in California sponsored religious institutes at garnering the requisite prestige, – including my pioneering Brigham Young University and credibility, and visibility to ensure predecessors who have served elsewhere throughout the world. its enduring staying power and a as chair of the Mormon Studies Elder Holland also observed, bright future ahead, including in the Council at Claremont Graduate however, that President Hunter following ways: University – Blair Hoyt, Joe Bentley recognized the simultaneous Prestige and Randy Huff. After living in need for respected academic Pasadena for almost 25 years, I am centers that could foster greater With the hiring of Dr. Patrick likewise pleased to be more closely worldwide understanding of the Q. Mason (Ph.D., University of associated with the legendary Church through Notre Dame; B.A., lawyer and former president of our the language of Brigham Young Pasadena area Mormon community, scholarship and “I’m pleased to report University) as the Howard W. Hunter, who went on that, if the Church’s that President Hunter’s second Howard W. to became the 14th worldwide first California prophetic vision articulated Hunter Chair of president of The Church of Jesus prophet “were alive by Elder Holland is now Mormon Studies and Christ of Latter-day Saints. today, he would Associate Professor In his 2007 message endorsing be expressing his coming to fruition.” of Religion, we have the creation of the Howard W. deepest gratitude for secured a dynamic Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies the vision that is linking his name, young scholar and educator who, in at Claremont Graduate University, and that of the Church he loved, his first year at Claremont, is already Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the with such a distinguished institution attracting as students some of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of as Claremont.” most promising minds interested The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- As we fast-forward five years in the study of Mormonism. An day Saints recalled that as President from 2007, I’m pleased to report eloquent spokesperson, a prolific Hunter considered the ways in that President Hunter’s prophetic writer, and an effective teacher, which the Church could be better vision articulated by Elder Holland Patrick is establishing a name that understood, he appreciated first is now coming to fruition. As we is well known among the media and foremost the language of faith previously described below to a few and others looking for informed perspectives on Mormonism. Credibility SUBSCRIBE TO THIS NEWSLETTER k When National Public Radio, the Get the Claremont Mormon Studies Newsletter in your email inbox by subscribing History Channel, the Washington online. Visit Post, the Huffington Post, and claremontmormonstudies.org a host of other national news and provide your name and email address on the home page to be entered into our outlets need reliable information news and events system. You will receive the newsletter as a PDF file each semester. about Mormonism, they call us. Please direct any questions to [email protected]. Increasingly, the Mormon Studies Program at Claremont is becoming [see Pioneering Adventure, 5] PAGE 2 HTTP://RELIGION.CGU.EDU t HTTP://WWW.CLAREMONTMORMONSTUDIES.ORG CLAREMONT MORMON STUDIES NEWSLETTER t SPRING 2012 Classroom, continued from page 1 how our class conversations would critique, knowing that they wouldn’t blood. It can be easy to belittle or go. Any fears I had were immediately be labeled “anti-Mormon.” Many of demonize the imagined other, but allayed. As I hope will often be the them were particularly taken with becomes harder to do so when we case, we had more non-LDS than the idea of a Heavenly Mother. Our start to get to know them personally. LDS students in the class. This helps conversations were rich, nuanced, It was this consistent recognition fulfill one of the primary goals analytical, and faithful to the of the profound humanity of our of the Mormon Studies program, complexity and messiness of human subjects that imbued the class with which is to train future scholars experience (Mormon and otherwise). a sense of deep engagement rather and teachers of religion to be able to We spent so much time discussing than the superficiality of most talk about Mormonism intelligently and arguing and joking and yelling of our public and private (and, and honestly, based on a solid that more often than not we reached unfortunately, too often academic) foundation in the requisite primary the three-hour mark without discussions about religion. All of and secondary sources, and with having covered all our assigned the students, I think, came away empathy toward the lived religious reading material; one of the students recognizing the power of analyzing experience of millions of people exclaimed in frustration, “This needs Mormonism through a gendered worldwide. to be a six-hour class!” lens. I, for one, came away a better What I appreciated most was One of the primary goals of the scholar and a more committed and the open and welcoming climate class was to put Mormonism and compassionate advocate of gender for rigorous and frank discussion gender studies in conversation with equality. In short, it was precisely that developed in the class, which I one another, allowing each one what we hope to achieve in the attribute to the scholarly seriousness to critique and enrich the other. graduate classroom, and particularly and personal graciousness of the Along these lines, I thought one in Mormon Studies. students. Committed Latter-day particularly important comment In the upcoming year I will Saint students were able to talk came in an ethnographic paper teach courses on “Mormonism and about both the deep meaning they written by a (non-LDS) student Politics” (for obvious reasons) and a find in their chosen faith tradition, after visiting a three-hour Sunday basic introduction to Mormonism, but also the very real challenges meeting block (a class requirement which a number of our non-LDS they live with as they encounter for all the students). These are real students have asked for. I fully various gender issues in the Church. people, she noted—real women and expect our experiences to be just Non-LDS students, who ranged men! It’s amazing what happens as rich as this past year—though from believing members of other when our analysis leaves the I promise, despite the temptation traditions to ardent secularists, felt abstractions of the ivory tower and otherwise, to keep the classes to free to ask any question or make any becomes connected to flesh and “only” three hours.