One of the most significant signs of Mormonism entering the mainstream has been the seriousness with which the academic community both here and abroad has taken the study of Mormon history, doctrine and culture. At present there are established Mormon Studies programs at Claremont Graduate University, the University of Virginia, Utah Valley State University, Utah State University, Graduate Theological Union, and the University of Utah as well as individual courses at such places as Harvard, Columbia, Yale, University of North Carolina, University of Wyoming, Arizona State University and elsewhere. There are at present three endowed chairs in Mormon Studies (Claremont, University of Virginia, and Utah State University) with others proposed. In order to foster Mormon Studies in the Greater San Francisco Bay Region, we have organized the Bay Area Mormon Studies Council. The hope is that this council will be able to encourage the study of Mormonism at various institutions of learning in the Bay Area. For the past three years courses in Mormon Studies have been offered at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley (the largest and most distinguished school of theology in the United States) and next fall, the first course in Mormon Studies will be offered in UC Berkeley’s Religious Studies Program. In addition to GTU and UCB, there may be opportunities to offer Mormon Studies courses at Stanford, San Francisco State University and San Jose State University and possibly other universities. The Bay Area Mormon Studies Council, patterned after Mormon Studies Councils at other institutions of higher education, is comprised of Church leaders, business people, academics, attorneys, civic leaders, and others interested in encouraging dialogue about Mormonism within the academy and between the academy and the broader religious and secular community. It seeks to elevate discourse about Mormonism while enhancing the image of the Church in the Modern world. Upcoming speakers:
Past speakers:
38: October 26, 2019: Judge Thomas Griffith
37: July 14, 2019: Greg Prince
36: March 31, 2019: "Jane & Emma" Film Screening
35: January 27, 2019: Bob Rees
34: September 29, 2018: "Art + Belief" Film Screening
33: August 19, 2019: Jonathan Stapley
32: June 10, 2018: Laura Allred Hurtado
31: May 5, 2018: "Dove Song" Poetry Reading
30. March 4, 2018: Jana Riess
29. November 5, 2017: Joanna Brooks
28. October 7, 2017: David Holland
27. Michael Quinn
26. August 27, 2017: Richard and Claudia Bushman
25.July 16, 2017: Mason Allred
24. July 11, 2017: Tom Rogers
23. May 7, 2017: Boyd Petersen
22. February 26, 2017: Bob Rees
21. January 29, 2017: Greg Prince
20. October 2016: Carol Lynn Pearson
19. August 2016: Nathan Florence
18. June 2016: Ann Madsen, Barnard Madsen
17. June 2016: Jim Faulconer, Joe Spencer, Adam Miller panel
16. May 2016: Kate Holbrook
15. May 2016: Women's Voices panel (featuring: Kathryn Pritchett, Gabrielle Blair, Meg Conley, Heather Farley, and Hannah Pritchett)
14. January 2016: Paul Reeve
13. August 2015: Bob Rees
12. April 2015: Rosalynde Welch
11. January 2015: Amiee Flynn-Curran
10. November 2014: Warner Woodworth
9. September 2014: Adam Miller
8. March 2014: Fiona and Terryl Givens
7. March 2014: Melissa Inouye
6. January 2014: Sheila Taylor
5. October 2013: Todd Compton
4. March 2013: Kristine Haglund
3. January 2013: Jonathan Stapley
2. October 2012: John Turner
1. July 2012: Trevor Southey
