Jason Blum

Before coming to Davidson, I spent four years in Egypt, where I taught courses in religious studies and philosophy at The American University in Cairo.

My teaching experience includes courses on science and religion, religious violence, philosophy of religion, theories of religion, and religion in the public square. I design my courses to equip students with the basic skills and knowledge to navigate today's world as well-informed, reflective, and critical global citizens.

I believe that the relevance of the work we do in the classroom does not end there. I seek to connect theories and abstract reasoning with concrete issues and current events, bridging the imaginary gap between the classroom and the world beyond its walls.

Research

My primary research interests involve theory and method in religious studies. I also focus on substantive topics at the intersections of religion and philosophy, such as mysticism, the relationship between science and religion, and ethics and religion.

My work has appeared in The Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Method and Theory in the Study of Religion, and other professional journals. My first book, Zen and the Unspeakable God, combines my interests in mysticism and methodology and proposes a new, interpretive approach to the study of mystical experience based in phenomenology of religion.