Dr. Mark MacWilliams

Dr. Mark MacWilliams

Dr. MacWilliams, Department Chair, is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies. He also teaches courses associated with Asian Studies. He received his Ph.D. in History of Religions at the University of Chicago, his M.A. in Religious Studies at Indiana University, and his B.A. at Syracuse University.

Dr. MacWilliams has conducted special research in Japanese religions; Buddhism; pilgrimage in Japan and cross-culturally; religion and film; religion and the internet; and religion in Japanese pop culture - comic books (manga) and anime.

Currently, Professor MacWilliams teaches courses on pilgrimage, new religious movements and religion and film.

Welcome!

Thanks for coming to my site. I am currently an Associate Professor and chair of the Religious Studies Program at St. Lawrence University. My area is East Asian religions with a specialization in pilgrimage, religion and media, and, in particularly Japanese manga.

This semester, Fall 07 I will teaching two classes at SLU:

REL 100 A Mystery and Meaning T/H 2:20-3:50. This course is an introduction to the study of religion. I am still in the process of reorganizing this course, but I plan to do a few interesting things this year--religion and the theory of evolutiion, religion and terrorism, and poerhaps religion and popular culture.Class is at Richardson 202.

FYP T/H 10:10-11:40 Ford College, Theorizing about Horror at Richardson 202.

FYP Seminar W 1:40-3:10 at ODY 140b.

Below is a picture from my trip to Western China along the Silk Road this past Summer. This is at the Taklamakan desert near Dunhuang.

meindesert.jpg