Matthew R. Sayers |
Department of Religion and Philosophy
Lebanon Valley College
101 N. College Ave.
Annville, PA 17003
Major Field: Ancient Indian Religions.
Research Interests: ancient Hinduism, ancient Buddhism, interaction of religious traditions, religious responses to death and dying.
Education
- PhD in Asian Studies, Department of Asian Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX. Dissertation: Feeding the Dead: Ancestor Worship in Ancient Hinduism and Buddhism. Co-chairs: Professor J. Patrick Olivelle and Professor Joel Brereton. May, 2008.
- Masters in Religion, Religious Studies, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. Master’s Thesis: The Concept of Auspiciousness in Late Vedic Marriage Ritual as Presented in the Gṛhyasutras. May, 2002.
- Bachelor of Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD. Phi Beta Kappa. May, 2000.
Employment
- Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion & Philosophy, Lebanon Valley College, Department of Religion and Philosophy, 2008–
Publications
- 2006. “Death and Dying in Indian Religions: A Bibliography.” SAGAR: A South Asian Graduate Research Journal 16: 79–93. pdf
- 2004. “The Early History of the Term śāstra.” SAGAR: A South Asian Graduate Research Journal 13: 23–52. pdf
- 2003. “Review of Peter Robb, A History of India.” Journal of Asian Studies 62 (2): 310–311.
- 2003. “Review of D. N. Jha, The Myth of the Holy Cow.” Journal of Asian Studies 62 (1): 311–312.
- 2003. “The Importance of Non-traditional Educational Tools in the Ascendancy of the Khalsa Sikh Identity.” SAGAR: A South Asian Graduate Research Journal 11: 19–36.
Presentations
- “Brahmanical and Buddhist Contestation over the Householder Ideal,” at The Conference on the Study of Religions of India at Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee. September 11 to September 14, 2008.
- “Let’s Meet at the akshayavata: Conjunction of Hindu and Buddhist Traditions at Bodhgaya,” at XVth Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, June 23-28, 2008. pdf
- “Claiming Modes of Mediation in Ancient Hindu and Buddhist Ancestor Worship,” at 2008 American Oriental Society 218th Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. March 14–17 2008. pdf
- Panel Discussant, “Academic Centers of Attention,” at Graduate Student Colloquium Communication: The Foundation of Teaching Excellence. September 15, 2007.
- “The Early History of the Term śāstra,” at the 2006 American Oriental Society 216th Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington. March 17–20 2006.
- “The Early History of the Term śāstra,” at the 2004 Asian Studies Graduate Student Conference at the University of Texas at Austin. October 1–2 2004.
- “The Importance of Tat Khalsa Use of Non-traditional Educational Tools in the Ascendancy of the Khalsa Sikh Identity,” at the First Annual Graduate Symposium on Religion. Florida State University. Spring 2002.
Honors and Awards
- University Continuing Fellowship, 2007–2008
- Departmental Outstanding Assistant Instructor Award, Spring 2006
- University Continuing Bruton Fellowship, Fall 2005
- Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, University of Texas, 2004–2005
- Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, University of Texas, 2003–2004
- Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, University of Texas, Summer 2003
- International Study Travel Scholarship, Summer 2003
- Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, University of Texas, 2002–2003
- Teaching Assistant Fellowship, Florida State University, 2001–2002
- Teaching Assistant Fellowship, Florida State University, 2000–2001
Professional Development
- Committee Member, South Asia Institute Advisory Committee, Fall 2006 – Fall 2007 responsible for constitution, organization, and continuation of this student relations group)
- Assistant Instructor, Introduction to Hinduism, Spring 2007 (full responsibility for course design and teaching)
- Assistant Instructor, Death and Dying in Indian Religions, Fall 2006 (full responsibility for course design and teaching)
- Chairman of the Organization Committee, Biannual Asian Studies Graduate Student Conference, 2006 at The University of Texas at Austin, held Oct 13–14, 2006 (responsible for fund raising, organization, and management of entire event)
- Editor for SAGAR: A South Asian Graduate Research Journal, Fall 2003 – Fall 2005 (responsible for all aspects of publishing this peer review journal)
- Departmental Liaison to the E-Gateway to Asia Project, Fall 2004 – Spring 2006 (responsible for soliciting images for and creation and maintenance of a database of digital images for use by the faculty of the Liberal Arts College)
- Chairman of the Organization Committee, Biannual Asian Studies Graduate Student Conference, 2004 at The University of Texas at Austin, held Oct 1–2, 2004 (responsible for fund raising, organization, and management of entire event)
- Educational Technologies Assistant Fall 2003 – Spring 2004 (responsible for training faculty in educational technologies such as Blackboard)
- Assistant to the Book Review Editor for South Asia, Journal of Asian Studies, Summer 2001–Spring 2002. (responsible for soliciting and receiving book reviews from scholars)
- Teaching Assistant, Religions of South Asia, Dr. Bryan Cuevas, Spring 2001 (responsible for grading and occasional teaching)
- Teaching Assistant, Biomedical Ethics, Dr. Aline Kalbian, Fall 2000 (responsible for grading and occasional teaching)