A Bit About My Education

As the list of assorted degrees below indicates, it took me awhile to settle on the field of "Religions of South Asia" as my academic emphasis.  But now, looking back on my educational career, I'm not sure I would have done anything differently.  An undergraduate degree in in Humanities and a master's degree in Liberal Studies gave me a basis in western intellectual thought from which to make comparisons to other cultural traditions.  The training I received in communication through a second master's degree has been invaluable.  As I teach and interact with others on both personal and professional levels, I find I am continually referring back to theories I learned about communication styles, small and large group dynamics, leadership, and nonverbal communication.   A third master's degree in Asian religions and a PhD in "Languages and Cultures of Asia" have given me tools to pursue my interests, which lie primarily in the area of intercultural and inter-religious exchange and amalgamation.  I explored this in my dissertation, which focused on longtime practitioners of what I call "Hindu-inspired meditation groups," as well as the cultural and religious interactions that have occurred between the United States and India that resulted in these groups. 

Since it was not necessary to travel to India for my research, I took advantage of a program called "Women's Voices" sponsored by the Lisle Foundation, which afforded me a wonderful educational trip to India in 2002.  We spent time in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai, and met with a variety of women including village women involved in work cooperatives and initiatives such as cultivating herbs for sale in international markets, college students who were exploring women's issues, Sheila Dixit, the Chief Minister of Delhi, Kirin Bedi, the then-director of Delhi prisons, and Madhu Kishwar, the editor of Manushi: A Journal on Women and Social Change.  The pictures that appear throughout this website were taken on that trip.

I want to express my deep appreciation for all of my educators over the years.  I especially thank Kathleen Erndl, my advisor in the Religious Studies program at Florida State University, Kirin Narayan, advisor for my dissertation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Sharada Nayak, the organizer and leader of "Women's Voices."

Education

University of Wisconsin-Madison: PhD, Religions of South Asia focus in the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia, 1999-2005 

Florida State University: MA, Religions of Asia, 1997-1999 

Florida State University: MS, Speech Communication, 1994-1995 

Rollins College: MLS. Master of Liberal Studies, 1989-1991 

Rollins College: BA, Humanities, 1986-1989