Religious Studies Professor Amanda Porterfield, whom colleagues say has helped transform the field into a cutting-edge academic discipline, is the recipient of the 2003 University of Wyoming Presidential Award for Excellence in Research.

“I recall my undergraduate days when I had decided to pursue religious studies in graduate school and was trying to decide my area of focus. I took a course in American religion and rapidly decided the field was stodgy and unexciting,” says UW Religious Studies Professor and Director Paul Flesher. “Little did I know at the time that young scholars like Amanda Porterfield were initiating a revolution in the field, or that 20 years later it would be a hotbed of vibrant research and investigation.”

Porterfield earned a B.A. in religion from Mount Holyoke College in 1969; an M.A. at Columbia University-Union Theological Seminary in 1971; and a Ph.D. in religious studies at Stanford University in 1975. She joined UW’s Religious Studies Program in 1999 and received a College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Research Award in 2001.

Porterfield has written several books and numerous articles and chapters on a variety of subjects in religious history and is a past president of the American Society of Church History. Religion in American Higher Education: An Ethnographic Study of Practice and Teaching – a book Porterfield co-wrote with Conrad Cherry and Betty DeBerg – was so influential the magazine Liberal Education (the organ of the Association of American Colleges and Universities) dedicated its entire fall 2001 issue on the topic and used part of the book as the lead essay. Porterfield also served a five-year term as co-editor of Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation.

Her current research focuses on healing in the history of Christianity.

“Religion is difficult to think about and to talk about because it’s emotional and people are invested in it,” she says. “It’s highly subjective and experiential, and it reaches underneath people’s rational discussion. The essence of our work in religious studies is to encourage critical inquiry, to get students to look inside a religion enough to see how a person or group sees the world.”

Porterfield served as a visiting professor in UW’s religious studies program in 1998-1999 and as an adjunct professor of women’s studies in 1998-2001. Prior to coming to UW, she was a professor of religion at Syracuse University and a professor of religious studies at Indiana University-Purdue University (IUPUI) at Indianapolis. She also directed the women’s studies program at IUPUI, where she received an outstanding faculty achievement award in 1998.

Flesher says Porterfield’s scholarship and expertise have been invaluable to the program. “From introductory courses to more advanced subjects, she has helped UW's students learn about the religion that founded their country and the religious transformation it has undergone in the past half century,” he says. “With the coming of Buddhism and its influence, the rise of Islam and the long-standing contribution of Judaism and Jews, America is no longer a nation of a single religion, but has truly become a nation where freedom of religion is widely practiced. Dr. Porterfield not only has researched and written on this transformation and the new character of American religions, she has also taught these cutting-edge perceptions to her students.”

This is the 13th year the Presidential Award has been given to recognize significant contributions to the university through research, teaching and other creative scholarly activity. Porterfield was chosen by a selection committee composed of past award winners.

 Go to Awards page