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Find Your Community

Committees & Groups

Committees & Groups

Discover how members are fulfilling the AAR's mission and learn how to get involved.

AAR Regions

AAR Regions

Connect with fellow AAR members who live in your region and attend our regional events.

Member Directory

Member Directory

Find and connect with other scholars of religion who are part of the AAR community.

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Grow Your Career

Professional Development

Professional Development

Explore our job board, certificate programs, grants, and other opportunities to elevate and promote your work.

Mentoring

Mentoring

Find a mentor for professional guidance or become a mentor and pay it forward.

Resource Library

Resource Library

Browse our webinars, studies, job postings, and more tools to assist you throughout your career.

ristina

Member Spotlight

Ristina Gooden

Ristina Gooden (she/her) is a daughter, sister, friend, auntie, curiosity seeker, pleasure embracer, preacher, baker, reader, writer, music lover, and wanderer. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Gooden holds a BS in hospitality management from The Ohio State University and an MDiv from Vanderbilt Divinity School. She is a doctoral student in the graduate department of religion at Vanderbilt University, concentrating on homiletics and liturgics. Her work focuses on creating new frameworks of sacred rhetoric that interweave pleasure, agency, and wholeness for Black women. Gooden is a Forum for Theological Exploration Doctoral Fellow and serves as the student director and the chair of the Graduate Student Committee for the American Academy of Religion.

AAR Awards & Grants

Awards

Our awards recognize extraordinary contributions to the academic study and public understanding of religion.

Grants

Funding is available to our members for travel, research, public scholarship, and more.

Featured Professional Resources

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Resource

February 12, 2025

Writing Accountability Program

An accountable co-working space for AAR members who would like to write alongside others.

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Resource

February 12, 2025

Publishing Mentoring Program

The purpose of this program is to connect AAR members, particularly early career scholars, with a mentor who has extensive experience in publishing — with academic journals, books, trade, and public scholarship.

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Resource

February 12, 2025

Reading Religion Mentoring Program

Our Reading Religion mentorship program supports first-time book reviewers and bridges the gap between experienced and new scholars in religious studies and related fields to improve book-reviewing skills.

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Member Directory

Engage in conversation, share resources, and search for colleagues by research area, institution, or involvement in the AAR. Members must sign in to access the member directory.