Cybelle Shattuck, Visiting Instructor in Religion
269-337-7412
shattuck@kzoo.edu

Cybelle Shattuck came to the study of religion through a love of mythology and folklore. She focused her studies on Hinduism and Judaism because of the wonderful narrative traditions in these religions. Consequently, she regularly teaches courses on Hinduism, Religions of Asia, and Women in Asian Religions and occasionally teaches courses on Judaism. All of these courses explore the use of narrative for learning about a tradition both from within (as morality and philosophy) and from outside (as history).

An interest in the history of South Asian religions in California evolved into a book called Dharma in the Golden State (1996). Her continuing research in this field focuses on the use of texts for Hindu self-definition and also for education of Indian-American children. This project is regularly incorporated into a Religion in America course that focuses on the development of the “freedom of religion” idea, the challenges of religious pluralism, and the contrasting experiences of majority and minority religions within the United States.

Prof. Shattuck has written two introductory texts on Hinduism, The Pocket Idiot’sGuide to Hinduism (2002) and Hinduism (1998), and has contributed articles on Transcendental Meditation and the Natural Law Party to the Encyclopedia of Religionand Nature. Religion and Ecology is a field of research she is currently developing for use in courses.

Education
B.A. University of California, Santa Barbara (1989)
MA. University of California, Santa Barbara (1991)