Awards

College of Arts & Letters Summer Research Grant, Old Dominion University, 2020.

Summer funding to support research on Muslim Movie Stars, which is part of my longterm The Cinematic Lives of Muslims project.

Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation Seminar Grant, The Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, 2019.

Co-authored with Michael Gibbs Hill.

Grant to organize a workshop that will bring together a core group of contributors for a sourcebook of primary source translations of materials related to the modern history of Muslims in China, entitled Muslims in Modern China: A Sourcebook.

Faculty Proposal Preparation Program, Old Dominion University, 2019.

This award is a program to help support the submission of high-quality, competitive proposals to external funding agencies for my The Cinematic Lives of Muslims project.

Humanities Nebraska Grant, Humanities Nebraska, 2017.

Co-authored with Ramazan Kilinc and Patrick McNamara.

Support for our “Dialogue with Muslim Communities in Omaha” speaker series, focusing on the 2017-2018 theme of Immigrants and Refugees.

Wabash Consultation Grant, Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, 2017.

Co-authored with Paul Williams.

Developing Effective Assessment and Curricular Alignment: Grant to support consultation on departmental realignment of University of Nebraska Omaha Religious Studies program objectives, the university mission, and our students’ needs. Supports updating our program assessment plan by revising student learning objectives, and then aligning our curricular structure by more intentionally scaffolding department course offerings

National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute, Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP), East-West Center (EWC), Honolulu, HI, 2017.

Islam in Asia: Traditions and Transformation: Participant in faculty development program focused on infusing curriculum with materials from Islam in Asia.

Humanities Nebraska Grant, Humanities Nebraska, 2016.

Co-authored with Ramazan Kilinc and Patrick McNamara.

Support for our “Dialogue with Muslim Communities in Omaha” speaker series, focusing on the 2016-2017 theme of American Muslim Women.

Wabash Summer Fellowship, Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, 2016.

Muslims in Media: Exercises for Teaching: Summer Fellowship to support developing student exercises that 1) disrupt naturalized stereotypes and implicit bias about Islam, and 2) raise media awareness and provide useful tools for analyzing media sources with complexity. These tactics will be used in introductory World Religions and Islam courses in order to strengthen analytical skills and cultivate media literate students.

Wabash Teaching and Learning Workshop for Pre-Tenure Religion Faculty at Colleges and Universities, Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, 2015-2016.

Participant in year long (a week in two successive summers and a extended weekend winter retreat) community of committed teachers to discuss a the pedagogical horizons of a teaching vocation. We explore a variety of teaching and learning topics in order to articulate our teaching praxis, while reflecting critically and exploring new approaches. Overall, we develop reflective, intentional, and sustainable practices for integrating life and work as well as teaching and research.

University Committee on Research and Creative Activity Award, University of Nebraska Omaha, 2015.

Summer Fellowship to expand the capacity of my research. This term was focused on translating and researching a second book project on the history of the Qur’an in China.

Presidential Grant for Faculty-Student Collaborative Research, Gustavus Adolphus College, 2012.

Islam and the Media: A Critical Year in Review, with Claire Curran: Summer Fellowship to develop digital project that presents major reported events that revolve around Islam and Muslims over the year 2012. Project traces how Islam is communicated through three major U.S and international news sources, New York Times, Al-Jazeera, BBC World News, and traces the public discourse about Islam in order to delineate how that shapes peoples’ opinions on the subject. Our collection and analysis of data is presented in two parts: 1) an interactive digital map, and 2) a comprehensive analytical essay.

National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute, Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP), East-West Center (EWC), Honolulu, HI, 2011.

Dynamics of Cultural Unity and Diversity in Southeast Asia: Participant in faculty development program focused on infusing curriculum with materials from Southeast Asia.

Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Title VI Fellowship, Arabic, 2010-2011.

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute Fellowship in Persian Studies, University of Washington, 2009-2010.

Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Title VI Fellowship, Chinese, 2009-2010.

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute Fellowship in Persian Studies, University of Washington, 2008-2009.

Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Title VI Fellowship, Arabic, 2007-2008.

Hall-Ammerer-Washington Research Foundation Fellowship, University of Washington, 2006-2007.