Susanna Morrill

Susanna Morrill teaches courses in United States religious history. She received her doctorate in the history of religions from the University of Chicago. Her work in the recent past has focused on how early Mormon women used popular literature in order to argue for the theological importance of their roles in the home, community, and church.

Academic Credentials

PhD 2002, MA 1993 University of Chicago

BA 1989 Bryn Mawr College

Teaching

Fall 2020 Courses:

RELS 254: Rel Modern Amer 1865-Present
MWF 11:45AM - 12:45AM

Impact of religion in modern America from the end
of the Civil War to the present day, emphasizing
the interaction between America’s many religions
and emerging American modernity. The fate of
“traditional” religion in modern America;
“alternate” American religious traditions;
urbanization, industrialism, and religion;
science, technology, and secularism;
evangelicalism, modernism, and fundamentalism;
religious bigotry; pluralism; new religions and
neofundamentalism.

Prerequisites: None.

RELS 341: Religions of the Northwest
TTH 11:40AM-1:10PM

Exploration of the religious history of the
Pacific Northwest, with a focus on Oregon and
Washington. Examination of the religious
traditions of regional Native American tribes,
early Protestant missions, and the growth of
Catholicism and Mormonism in the region, as well
as recent immigrant religions (such as Vietnamese
Buddhism), nondenominational Christian groups, and alternative forms of spirituality. Using
theoretical models from religious studies to
consider why the Northwest does not carry the
imprint of a dominant religious tradition or
traditions, as most other regions of the country
do.

Prerequisites: None.

Restrictions: Sophomore standing required.

Research

Professor Morrill teaches courses in United States religious history up to 1865; United States religious history, 1865-present; colonial American history; women in United States religious history; the body and health in United States religious history; and a seminar focusing on American religions. These courses reflect her interests in researching women in United States religions and, specifically, in finding women (and men) in American history by looking at non-traditional, popular sources—the places in American culture that women were able to safely create and inhabit.