Program Unit Online June Annual Meeting 2026

Transformative Scholarship and Pedagogy Unit

Call for Proposals

N/A

Statement of Purpose

This Unit seeks to provide a forum for exploring transformative scholarship and pedagogy across religious traditions and scholarly disciplines, challenging the traditional boundaries between scholarship and activism while experimenting with alternative approaches to teaching and the production of knowledge.

Chair	Mail	Dates
Hilary Scarsella	hilaryjscarsella@gmail…	2025/01/01 - 2030/12/31	View
Peter Capretto, Phillips Theological Seminary	peter.capretto@ptstulsa…	2024/01/01 - 2029/12/31	View

Steering Member	Mail	Dates
Amy Valdez Barker	avald22@emory.edu	2023/01/01 - 2028/12/31	View
Brooke Deal	bdeal@bethanywv.edu	2025/01/01 - 2030/12/31	View
Kimberly George, Columbia University	kimberlybgeorge@gmail.com	2026/01/01 - 2031/12/31	View
Mohammad Meerzaei	mohammad.meerzaei@mtsu…	2026/01/01 - 2031/12/31	View
Sara Williams, Fairfield University	sawilliams212@gmail.com	2025/01/01 - 2030/12/31	View

Review Process: Participant names are anonymous to chairs and steering committee members during review, but visible to chairs prior to final acceptance/rejection

Co-chairs work in partnership with the steering committee to review proposals in a blind peer review process. Once proposals are reviewed by the majority of the steering committee, the co-chairs work in consultation with the steering committee to develop panels for the unit sessions in line with the call for papers. One of the greatest strengths of this unit is its partnership with other units/groups in the AAR. Our sessions, which are well-attended, are regularly co-sponsored to facilitate a creative exchange of ideas between groups. Those conversations often spill over into our business meetings where we generate ideas for themes to explore for the following year at the AAR.