Academic CV - Lvollmer

Laura J. Vollmer, PhD

St. Charles, MO, USA

SUMMARY

Laura J. Vollmer is an independent scholar and a prolific writer, with over 200 contributions to academic works on a variety of topics related to religion, science, culture, health, and politics. She wrote a monograph on theory and method in the study of religion (Brill, forthcoming). Dr. Vollmer has also been a freelance academic editor for over ten years, working with multiple peer-reviewed journals and books, including the Journal of Religion in Europe and Numen: International Review for the History of Religions. In the past, she has worked as an adjunct instructor at Washington University’s University College in the Department of Religious Studies.

EDUCATION

PhD Comparative Study of Religion, University of Groningen, Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, Groningen, the Netherlands (2017)

Dissertation The Relationality of Religion and Science: Toward a New Discourse-analytical Framework. In an original application of relational theory and method, the dissertation examines how putting the concepts ‘religion’ and ‘science’ in relative perspective historically result in novel meaning attribution, demonstrating a structure to socio-discursive knowledge formation and change. Committee: Whitney Bauman, Willem Drees, Arie Molendijk, Dennis Vanden Auweele, Steve Mason, and Marjo Buitelaar (chair)

MRes Religion and Culture, University of Groningen, with highest distinction, cum laude (2013). Thesis title: “Relating ‘Religion’ and ‘Science’: The Religiosity of Science”

MA East Asian Studies, Washington University in St. Louis, MO (2010). Thesis title: “Change Your Mind: Neuroplasticity and Buddhist Transformation”

BA East Asian Studies, Washington University, with highest distinction, summa cum laude (2007). Thesis title: “Return Home to This Enlightenment: A Comparison of the Child and the Sage in the Daodejing”

Areas of Specialty/Research Interests

East Asia

History of religions (modern to contemporary)

Religion and science, health, culture, and society

Theory and method in the study of religion and knowledge

Post-postmodern/metamodern philosophy

Other

Duke/Washington University Study in China Program (2007). Focus: Full immersion in language (Mandarin) and culture through projects, lectures, and excursions

PROFESSIONAL, RESEARCH, AND LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

Academic and Nonfiction Editor, freelance copy, language, and line editing (2011–present)

Copy Editor and Editorial Assistant for the Journal of Religion in Europe (2011–2013; 2017–2021)

Panel Organizer/Chair, “The Scientification of Religion: Discursive Change via Religion-science Relations,” International Association for the History of Religions, Erfurt, Germany (2015)

Co-Organizer of the Brown Bag Lunch Series (a research presentation platform), University of Groningen (2014)

Copy Editor for Vienna Journal of East Asian Studies (2013–2014)

Copy Editor for Numen: International Review for the History of Religions (2012–2013)

Student Assistant for Kocku von Stuckrad, University of Groningen (2011–2013)

Duties included language editing, copyediting, and commenting on von Stuckrad’s and other faculty members’ professional English writings, proposals, etc., copyediting and informally reviewing contributions for “The Gods as Role Models in Western Traditions,” special issue of Numen: International Review for the History of Religions 60.4 (2013), and assisting in general activities related to von Stuckrad’s work as a professor, editor, and department head.

Research Assistant for Pauline Chen Lee, Washington University (2009–2010). Research program title: “The Ambiguity of Play: Children in Late-Ming China”

Duties included researching, collecting, and organizing English and Mandarin sources, formatting, editing, and updating the bibliography, assisting in general course preparations, including preparing course materials, providing input on coursework, formatting and editing course syllabi, and organizing and updating Telesis, a course and community management system.

Conference Papers and Other Talks

“God on the Brain: The Cognitive Scientification of Religious Experience in the Twenty-first Century,” International Association for the History of Religions, Erfurt, Germany (2015)

“The Relationality of Religion and Science,” for the Brown Bag Lunch Series, University of Groningen (2014)

PUBLICATIONS

Academic Blog Posts

“Manifesting Our Dreams: Religion, Science, and Dream Culture,” The Religion Factor, 30 Sept. 2022. https://www.rug.nl/research/centre-for-religious-studies/research-centres/centre-religion-conflict-globalization/blog/manifesting-our-dreams-religion-science-and-dream-culture?lang=en.

“Awakening to the Dreams of History,” Counterpoint, 29 Mar. 2022. https://www.counterpointknowledge.org/awakening-to-the-dreams-of-history/.

“God on the Brain: Part Three,” Knowledge Unbound, 20 May 2015. http://www.knowledgeunbound.com (no longer online; pdf available upon request).

“God on the Brain: Part Two,” Knowledge Unbound, 10 Feb. 2015. http://www.knowledgeunbound.com (no longer online; pdf available upon request).

“God on the Brain: Part One,” Knowledge Unbound, 6 Nov. 2014. http://www.knowledgeunbound.com (no longer online; pdf available upon request).

“The Social Construction of Knowledge,” Knowledge Unbound, 16 Sept. 2014. http://www.knowledgeunbound.com (no longer online; pdf available upon request).

“The Discursive Construction of Knowledge,” Knowledge Unbound, 18 Aug. 2014. http://www.knowledgeunbound.com (no longer online; pdf available upon request).

“‘Religion-and-Science’: Complicating the Pairing,” Knowledge Unbound, 3 July 2014. http://www.knowledgeunbound.com (no longer online; pdf available upon request).

“Conflict with the Conflict Thesis: Complicating the Religion-Science Dichotomy,” Knowledge Unbound, 30 May 2014. http://www.knowledgeunbound.com (no longer online; pdf available upon request).

“Science as ‘Not Religion’: The History of the Conflict Construct (Part Two),” Knowledge Unbound, 25 Mar. 2014. http://www.knowledgeunbound.com (no longer online; pdf available upon request).

“Science as ‘Not Religion’: The History of the Conflict Construct (Part One),” Knowledge Unbound, 3 Mar. 2014. http://www.knowledgeunbound.com (no longer online; pdf available upon request).

“Complicating ‘Creationism vs. Evolution,’” Knowledge Unbound, 15 Feb. 2014. http://www.knowledgeunbound.com (no longer online; pdf available upon request).

“A View from Everywhere: Metacognition and the Limits of Reflection,” Knowledge Unbound, 11 Feb. 2014. http://www.knowledgeunbound.com (no longer online; pdf available upon request).

“Religion and Science: Relating the Relationships?” The Religion Factor, 24 Sept. 2012. http://religionfactor.net/2012/09/24/religion-and-science-relating-the-relationships/.

Articles

“Toward a Historiography of Dreams: A Discursive Perspective,” Poligrafi 28.109–10 (2023), 83–104. https://doi.org/10.35469/poligrafi.2023.414.

“The Role of ‘Spirituality’ in Religion-Secular Relational Discourse: The Case of Yoga in Britain,” Journal of Religion in Europe 13.3–4 (2021), 325–350.

Books

The Relational Structure of Discourse: The Case of Religion and Science [working title], Supplements to Method and Theory in the Study of Religion (Brill, forthcoming).

Hindu, Jain, and Sikh Faiths in America, 3rd ed. (Chelsea House, forthcoming).

Buddhist Faith in America, 3rd. ed. (Facts on File, 2023).

Contributions to Books

With Kocku von Stuckrad, “Science,” in Michael Stausberg and Steven Engler, eds., Oxford Handbook of Religion (Oxford University Press, 2016), 450–471.

Encyclopedia Entries

Frank K. Flinn and M. Darrol Bryant, eds., Religion and Culture, vol. of Religions and Society (Facts on File, unpublished), ISBN: 9780816076673 0816076677, total 125 entries:

“Confucianism”; “Confucius”; “Daodejing”; “Daoism”; “emperor worship”; “Enlightenment”; “exorcism”; “Five Pillars of Islam”; “Five Relations”; “Four Noble Truths”; “Genghis Khan”; “Gobind Singh, Guru”; “Golden Temple”; “Guanyin”; “guru”; “Hades”; “Hanuman”; “healing”; “Hermes”; “heroes”; “hijra”; “Honen”; “horoscope”; “immortals (Chinese)”; “Indra”; “Ise Jingu”; “Isis”; “Jainism”; “Jerusalem”; “jihad”; “jinja”; “Jupiter”; “Kaaba”; “Kabbalah”; “Kali”; “kami”; “karma”; “Kukai”; “lama”; “Laozi”; “legend of the Grail”; “Lotus Sutra”; “lotus, symbolism of”; “magic”; “Mahabharata”; “Maharishi Mahesh Yogi”; “Mahavira”; “mandala”; “mantra”; “mappo”; “Mara”; “matsuri”; “maya”; “meditation”; “Mencius”; “mindfulness”; “moksha”; “Mozi”; “mudra”; “mysticism”; “Nagarjuna”; “Nanak, Guru”; “near death experience”; “New Age religions”; “New Religions”; “Nichiren”; “nirvana”; “Noble Eightfold Path”; “numerology”; “Nut”; “occult”; “oracle bones”; “Otto, Rudolf”; “pagoda”; “Pitaka”; “prayer beads”; “reincarnation”; “religions of China”; “Sai Baba of Shirdi”; “Samhain”; “samsara”; “sangha”; “Sarasvati”; “satori”; “shakti”; “shamanism”; “Shankara”; “Shinran”; “Shinto”; “Sikhism”; “Soka Gakkai”; “Southeast Ceremonial Complex”; “Spiritualism”; “sutra”; “tapu”; “Theosophy”; “Thor”; “Tirthankaras”; “Tlaloc”; “torii”; “Transcendental Meditation”; “Tripitaka”; “Tuatha De Dannan”; “Tylor, Edward Burnett”; “UFO”; “Upanishads”; “vampire”; “Vedanta”; “Vedas”; “Venus”; “Viracocha”; “Vishnu”; “Vivekananda”; “Vodun”; “witchcraft”; “women”; “Xunzi”; “Yggdrasil”; “Yijing”; “yinyang”; “yoga”; “Zen”; “Zeus”; and “Zhuangzi.”

Frank K. Flinn, M. Darrol Bryant, and David E. Guinn, eds., Religion and Politics, vol. of Religions and Society (Facts on File, unpublished), ISBN: 9780816076697 0816076693, total 71 entries:

“Arthashastra” [with introduction to primary text excerpts]; “atheism and the state”; “Audi, Robert”; “Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)”; “Buddhism and the state” [with introduction to Jatakas excerpts]; “Buddhist economics”; “Buddhist Peace Fellowship”; “Carter, Stephen”; “Castellio, Sebastian”; “communitarianism”; “Confucianism and law”; “Confucianism and the state” [with introduction to Daxue excerpts]; “constitutional morality”; “constitutional protection of religion”; “Dalai Lama”; “Daoism and the state” [with introduction to Daodejing excerpt]; “Dharma”; “Dworkin, Ronald”; “East Asia”; “Engaged Buddhism”; “Enlightenment”; “Fabian socialism”; “feminism”; “Five Precepts (Buddhism)”; “globalization”; “Hinduism and the state”; “Jainism and the state”; “laïcité”; “Laws of Manu” [with introduction to primary text excerpts]; “Milton, John”; “multiculturalism”; “Naked Public Square”; “neo-colonialism”; “Perry, Michael”; “pluralism”; “Rawls, John”; “Satyagraha”; “secular/secularism”; “sexual orientation”; “Shintoism and the state” [with introduction to Kojiki excerpts]; “Sikhism and the state” [with introduction to Adi Granth excerpts]; “socialism and religion”; “Southeast Asia”; “Thich Nhat Hanh”; and “women’s rights and religion.”

Reviews

Review of Albert H. Tricomi, Clashing Convictions: Science and Religion in American Fiction, Reading Religion, 15 Feb. 2019. https://readingreligion.org/books/clashing-convictions.

HONORS, AWARDS, AND GRANTS

Phi Beta Kappa (2007–present)

PhD grant, funded by the University of Groningen (2013)

GUF-100 award for outstanding student of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, Groningen University Fund (2013)

University of Groningen Talent Grant (2011–2013)

Washington University Graduate Tuition Remission Scholarship (2008–2010)

Federal Pell Grant (2007)

Carter Revard Scholar (2005–2007)

Dean’s List (2005–2007)

Taiwan-U.S. Sister Relations Alliance Summer Scholarship (2006)

Washington University Scholarship (2005–2006)

Missouri A+ Schools Program, tuition remission scholarship (2003–2005)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Adjunct Instructor, Washington University, University College, Department of Religious Studies. Course title: Buddhism and Science. Buddhism as a Construct, Participant, and Object of Science (spring 2017)

Guest Course Lectures and Campus Talks

“Buddhism and Science: Relationships and Boundaries,” for Religion and the Natural Sciences: Conflict, Harmony, Interference, Prof. Kocku von Stuckrad and Prof. Alexandra Grieser, University of Groningen (2012)

“Daoism: Tradition, Modernity, and Synergy,” for Daoism: Ethics, Poetry, and Literature, Prof. Pauline Lee, Washington University (2011)

“Daoism and Modernity,” for Daoism: Ethics, Poetry, and Literature, Prof. Pauline Lee, Washington University (2010)

“Modern Daoism,” for Asian Religious Traditions, Prof. Pauline Lee, Washington University (2010)

“Neuroplasticity and Buddhist Philosophy of Mind and Self,” for Religion and Science, Prof. Frank Flinn, Washington University (2010)

“Buddhism and Science,” for Religion and Science, Prof. Frank Flinn, Washington University (2010)

“The Child in the Daodejing,” for the Self in Chinese Thought, Prof. Pauline Lee, Washington University (2010)

“Eastern Orthodoxy,” for Christianity in the Modern World, Prof. Frank Flinn, Washington University (2009)

“Understanding the Dao through De in the Daodejing,” for Chinese Thought, Prof. Pauline Lee, Washington University (2009)

Instructional Aide/Teaching Assistant, Washington University

Asian Religious Traditions (spring 2010)

Religion and Science (spring 2010)

Christianity in the Modern World (fall 2009)

Chinese Civilization (spring 2009)

Crossing Borders (fall 2008)

East Asian Religions (spring 2008)

Duties included advising students by email, during office hours, and by appointment, grading exams, papers, and student presentations, assisting in in-class activities, proctoring exams, developing and leading weekly discussion sessions (Crossing Borders), and giving occasional lectures and review sessions.

Courses Prepared to Teach

Constructing Knowledge: Critical Theories and Reflexive Methods

Buddhism and Science: Buddhism as a Construct, Participant, and Object of Science

Introduction to Religion and Science

Introduction to Religion and Health: From Holy Madness to Medicalized Meditation

Introduction to Modern East Asian Religions: Continuity and Change

From Sages to Psychedelics: Eastern Thought in the Modern West

MEDIA AND IMPACT

Electronic Publications

“Research Master Student” (testimonial), University of Groningen, 9 Dec. 2013. http://www.rug.nl/ggw/education/master/interviews/testimonial-rema.

“Tradition and Change,” review of Livia Kohn, ed., Daoist Body Cultivation: Traditional Models and Contemporary Practices (Three Pines Press, 2006), Amazon, 26 Mar. 2011. http://www.amazon.com/review/R1BIK6TCT0RCMR/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

“The Blossoming of Buddhism and Cognitive Science,” review of Zara Houshmand, Robert B. Livingston, and B. Alan Wallace, eds., Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Brainscience and Buddhism(Snow Lion Publications, 1999), Amazon, 6 Feb. 2011. http://www.amazon.com/review/R35NA7ZTDN0TER/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

“Building Bridges between Buddhism and Science,” review of Jeremy W. Hayward and Francisco J. Varela, eds., Gentle Bridges: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on the Sciences of Mind, (Shambhala Publications, 1992), Amazon, 6 Feb. 2011. http://www.amazon.com/review/R3NVDODE6URT0C/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

“Medicinal Mind: Healing Emotions in Religion and Science,” review of Daniel Goleman, ed., Healing Emotions: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Mindfulness, Emotions, and Health (Shambhala Publications, 2003), Amazon, 1 Feb. 2011. http://www.amazon.com/review/R1JY81KN40P8PV/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

“Topical Treasure,” review of Francisco J. Varela, ed., Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying: An Exploration of Consciousness with the Dalai Lama (Wisdom Publications, 1997), Amazon, 1 Feb. 2011. http://www.amazon.com/review/R14TA2M7A4AEMJ/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

“Halloween Hodgepodge,” review of Jack Santino, ed., Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life (University of Tennessee Press, 1994), Amazon, 17 Oct. 2010. http://www.amazon.com/review/R2RUDI36CBG40U/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

“The Inspiration of Evil,” review of The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist, by Matt Baglio (Doubleday Religion, 2009), Amazon, 23 Sept. 2010. http://www.amazon.com/review/R28AOBWMIZBF93/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

“Experiencing Magic,” review of The Anthropology of Magic, by Susan Greenwood (Berg, 2009), Amazon, 18 Aug. 2010. http://www.amazon.com/review/R2T3JOLV9N5OD0/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

“The Ambiguity of Religion, Science, and the Occult,” review of Magic, Mystery, and Science: The Occult in Western Civilization, by Dan Burton (Indiana University Press, 2004). Amazon, 17 Aug. 2010. http://www.amazon.com/review/R2MAV6C8BAKBJL/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

Press Clippings

“How Do Relations Make ‘Religion’ and ‘Science’: Laura Vollmer Defends PhD Thesis.” University of Groningen News, 2 June 2017. http://www.rug.nl/ggw/news/archive/2017/how-do-relations-make-religion-and-science.

“GUF-100 Prizes Awarded to Nine Excellent Students.” University of Groningen News, 16 July 2013. http://www.rug.nl/news/2013/07/0716-guf100?lang=en.

LANGUAGES

English (native/expert)

Mandarin Chinese (advanced)

Classical Chinese (advanced)

Japanese (beginner)

Spanish (intermediate reading knowledge)

Dutch (beginner's reading knowledge)

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Dutch Association for the Study of Religion: NGG (2013–2015)

European Association for the Study of Religion (2013–2015)

International Association for the History of Religion (2013–2015)