Faculty Profile
Jodie Vann
Assistant Professor of Religion (2018)
Contact Information
on sabbatical 2025-26
East College
717-245-1053
Bio
Prof. Vann's current research examines the "spiritual, but not religious" trend through ethnographic research at key sites of spiritual tourism: Sedona, Arizona; Glastonbury, England; Mt. Shasta, California; and Yucatan, Mexico. She is currently working on projects related to how these sites (and others like them) function--historically and today--as places where spirituality is defined as it is practiced. More broadly, she is interested in the intersections of religion (and non-religion) with politics, pop culture, and social change. Her work generally engages with marginalized communities and those practicing their religious identities outside of traditional church structures--such as contemporary Pagans, British Hare Krishnas, American Druids, and self-proclaimed "eco-warrior hippies". In all cases, she is driven by a deep curiosity to understand how people create meaningful lives in a quickly shifting cultural context. On campus, she hosts the annual Holy Terrors event, which features a film screening and discussion of religion and horror. She is also involved with various sustainability efforts, including annual support of the Sustainability Expo through student projects.
Education
- B.A., University of Oregon, 2007
- M.A., Florida State University, 2011
- Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2018
2026-2027 Academic Year
Fall 2026
RELG 108 God in America
The course chronicles the relationship between religious ideas and cultural context from the founding of the first colonies through the rise of the Religious Right and New Age movements. Our journey will be guided by several key metaphors that have characterized the religious ethos of America: America as "The Promised Land"; America as the "land of opportunity", as the "melting pot." We will use primary sources, including fiction, poetry, and film.
RELG 116 Religion, Nature & Enviro
This course explores how various religious and spiritual traditions have understood, conceptualized, and interacted with the natural world. Incorporating from both conventional religions (such as Catholicism, Judaism, and Buddhism) as well as newer spiritual forms (like Contemporary Paganism), the course provides a comparative survey of the relationships between religiosity and nature. Themes under examination include notions of human dominion, stewardship, panentheism, and naturalism. Students will consider how religious ideologies have shaped conceptions of nature, and how changing understandings of the natural world have challenged religious ideas.