Dr. Michael Stoltzfus
Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies
Departmental Area: Religious Studies
Research Areas: religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue, religion and sexuality, religion and disability studies, religion and culture, philosophy of education
Contact Information
Address:
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
1500 N. Patterson Street
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia
31698-0050
Office: Brown House on Georgia Avenue, upstairs, office 3
Email: mjstoltz@valdosta.edu
Office Hours: MW 3:30-5:00 and by appointment
Background
B.A. Goshen College (Interdisciplinary Studies)
M.A. Pacific School of Religion (Religious Ethics)
Ph.D. Vanderbilt University (Religion, Ethics & Society)
Mike started teaching in the Philosophy Department at VSU in 1999. The Philosophy and Religious Studies Department was created in 2003 and a Religious Studies track was added to our major. Mike teaches courses in the areas of world religions, religion and culture, Buddhism, religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue, comparative religious ethics, and human sexuality. He is interested in how divergent religious beliefs and practices affect everyday life in both positive and negative ways. Most recently, Mike’s research and publications have focused on how distinctive religions of the world represent and respond to people living with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses. He is contributing co-editor of two forthcoming books “Disability and Religious Diversity: Cross-Cultural Narratives and Interreligious Perspectives” and “Disability in Judaism, Christianity and Islam: Sacred Texts, Historical Traditions, and Social Analysis.” Mike is also an affiliate of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University and together with student researchers is documenting the religious diversity present in South Georgia. Prior to moving to Valdosta, Mike lived and worked with homeless people and folks just released from jail/prison in several intentional religious communities and worked on the appeals process with prisoners on death row. He is married and has one child.
Research Interests
- Religious pluralism and dialogue
- Religion and sexuality
- Religion and Disability Studies
- Religion and culture
- Philosophy of education
Selected Publications
Books
- Disability and Religious Diversity: Cross-Cultural Narratives and Interreligious Perspectives. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan, 2011 (contributing editor with Darla Schumm).
- Disability in Judaism, Christianity and Islam: Sacred Texts, Historical Traditions, and Social Analysis. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan, 2011 (contributing editor with Darla Schumm).
Articles
- “Beyond Models: Tentative Daoist Contributions to Disability Studies,” Disability Studies Quarterly. Co-authored with Darla Schumm. Spring, 2011.
- “Christian Eye for the Queer Guy,” reprint in Annual Editions: Human Sexualities, 32nd edition, McGraw Hill publishers, 2010/11.
- “Cultivating an Appreciation for Diverse Religious Worldviews through Cooperative Learning in Undergraduate Courses,” Religious Education: An Interfaith Journal of Spirituality, Growth and Transformation, November, 2009. Co-authored with James Reffel.
- “Chronic Illness and Disability: Narratives of Suffering and Healing in Buddhism and Christianity,” in Journal of Religion, Disability and Health, 11 (3): 5-21, 2007. Co-authored with Darla Schumm.
- “Christian Eye for the Queer Guy,” in Journal of Lutheran Ethics, Volume 6, Issue 4, November 2006 [http://www.elca.org/jle].
- “Evil, Christianity, and Public Discourse,” in Journal of Lutheran Ethics, Volume 4, Issue 6, June 2004 [http://www.elca.org/jle].
- “Our Fruitful Earth: Buddhist Values for Moderation in Procreation,” in Journal of Indian Philosophy and Religion, volume 8: 75-100, October, 2003.
- “Sexual Intimacy, Spiritual Belonging, and Christian Theology,” in Journal of Lutheran Ethics, volume 3, Issue 11, November 2003 [http://www.elca.org/jle].
- “Alfred Schutz: Transcendence, Symbolic Intersubjectivity, and Moral Value,” in Human Studies: A Journal for Philosophy and the Social Sciences, 26 (2): 183-201, 2003.
Selected Recent Conference Presentations
- “Desire and Moral Agency: Buddhist and Christian Perspectives,” American Academy of Religion, Louisville, Kentucky, March 2011
- “Teaching World Religions in the Bible Belt,” American Academy of Religion Southeastern Regional Meeting, Louisville, Kentucky, March 2011
- “Jesus as Bodhisattva: Moral Theory and Practice,” American Academy of Religion Southeastern Regional Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, March 2010
- “Religion, Violence and Public Policy Discourse,” American Academy of Religion Southeastern Regional Meeting, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, March 2009.
- “Chronic Illness and Disability: Paradigms of Balance and Healing in Taoism and Christianity,” presented with Darla Schumm, American Academy of Religion Southeastern Regional Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, March 8, 2008.
- “Cultivating a Healthy Appreciation for Diverse Religious Worldviews in Undergraduate Classrooms,” American Academy of Religion Southeastern Regional Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, March 8, 2008.
- “Dorothy Day: Pilgrimage to Hospitality, Community and Peace,” Terrorism, Pacifism and the Culture of War: An International and Interdisciplinary Conference, Bethany College, Bethany, West Virginia, November 9, 2007.
- “Disposition Matters: Student Attention and Teaching World Religions,” Fifth Annual Interdisciplinary Conference for Teachers of Undergraduates, Gordon College, Barnesville, Georgia, March 2007.
- “Religious Attitudes Change After an Interdisciplinary, Multicultural Course on Religion,” American Psychological Association, New Orleans, August 10, 2006.
- “Perpetual Paradox in Zora Neal Hurston’s Life and Work,” Tenth Annual Women’s Studies Interdisciplinary Conference, Valdosta State University, March 30, 2006.
- “Understanding Disability as Sin, Karma, or Just Dumb Luck: Problematizing Views of Suffering in Christianity and Buddhism,” Presented with Dr. Darla Schumm, American Academy of Religion Southeastern Regional Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, March 11, 2006.
- “Teaching World Religions in the South,” American Academy of Religion Southeastern Regional Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, March 10, 2006.
Current Research Projects
- Chronic illness and religious narratives of struggle and renewal
- Pluralism Project: Mapping South Georgia’s diverse religious communities
Teaching Specializations
- World Religions
- Religion and Culture
- Christian Ethics
- Buddhism
- Religious Pluralism and Dialogue
- Religion, Violence & Nonviolence
- Sexual Ethics
- Religious Autobiography
Dr. Stoltzfus’ Recent Courses
Summer 2011
PHIL 4900/REL 4700 Sexual Ethics
PERS 2350 Religion and Culture
Fall 2011
REL 3220 Religious Pluralism/Dialogue
REL 3350 Religious Autobiography
PERS 2350 Religion and Culture