Shanny Luft

Associate Professor
University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point
Department of Philosophy

Education

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
	Department of Religious Studies
	Ph.D., Religion in America, May 2008
Boston University
	Department of Religious Studies
	M.A., Religion and Culture, May 2001
	Thesis: “The Devil in America”
Towson University 
	English with a concentration in Secondary Education
	Bachelor of Science, 1995

Dissertation
“The Devil’s Church: Conservative Protestantism and the Movies, 1915–1955,” 
UNC-Chapel Hill (Committee: Yaakov Ariel, Laurie-Maffly-Kipp, Randall Styers, Grant Wacker, Lawrence Grossberg)

Publications

•	Accepted for publication: “Why Religious Studies Should Pay Attention to Gaming: A Roundtable.”  The Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 2016.
•	Currently writing: “Evangelical Gaming: Kill, Pray, Repeat” for Experience Worlds, an edited volume on Material and Visual Components in Contemporary American Religion, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016.
•	Currently writing survey essay: “Religion and Gaming: Survey of the Field” for Religion Compass.
•	Book chapter: “Hardcore Christian Gamers.” In Playing with Religion in Video Games, edited by Heidi Campbell and Greg Grieve. Indiana University Press, 2014.
•	Book review: Sandler, Lauren. Righteous: Dispatches from the Evangelical Youth Movement. New York City: Penguin Group USA, 2007.  Published in The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, summer 2010.
•	Encyclopedia entry: “Amusement Parks” and “Film: the United States” Encyclopedia of the Modern World, Peter Stearns, ed. (Oxford University Press, 2008).
•	Encyclopedia entry: “Boycotts” Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication, and Media, Daniel A. Stout, ed. (Routledge Press, 2005).
•	Encyclopedia entry: “Evil” Encyclopedia of Fundamentalism, Brenda E. Brasher, ed. (Routledge Press, 2000).

Research Awards and Honors
•	“In the Devil’s Church: The Christian Fight Over Hollywood,” University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point University Evening, October 2012
•	University of Wisconsin System Fellow, awarded by the Institute for Research in the Humanities at University of Wisconsin at Madison, 2011-2012
•	UWSP Excellence in Teaching Award, Philosophy department nominee, 2010, 2012, 2013
•	UWSP College of Letters & Science Enhancement Grant, 2011
•	UWSP College of Letters & Science Faculty & Program Development Grant, 2010
•	UWSP College of Letters & Science Enhancement Grant, 2010
•	UNC Graduate Student Teaching Award for contributing to outstanding undergraduate education, Spring 2007
•	Perry Travel Fellowship in Religious Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill, Summer 2005
•	Student Scholarship in Religious Studies, Boston University, 1999–2001

Teaching Experience
University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point (2009–present)
	University Excellence in Teaching Award department nominee, 2010 and 2011 
The College of Wooster (2008–2009)
	Adjunct, Religion in America
Meredith College (Fall 2007)
	Adjunct, World Religion
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2004–2007)
Winner, UNC 2007 Graduate Student Teaching Award for contributing to outstanding undergraduate education
Eastern Technical High School (1996–1999)
	English department, Baltimore, Maryland
Courses Taught
World Religions 
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Religion and Monsters (UWSP Religious Studies Capstone)
History of Christmas (UWSP First Year Seminar)
Religion and Popular Culture 
Global Christianity
Introduction to Judaism
Religion in America 
New Religious Movements 
Introduction to the Study of Religion
Hebrew Bible
New Testament
Religious Autobiographies 
Introduction to Communication (UNC Freshman seminar)
English Composition (UNC Freshman seminar)

Papers Presented
“Hardcore Christian Gamers,” American Academy of Religion annual conference, November 2013
“Playing with Faith: Evangelicals and Leisure,” Upper Midwest Regional Meeting, March 2012
“The Celestial Menace: Exploring Early Twentieth-Century Fundamentalist Rage against Movie Stars,” Religion and Media Workshop, hosted by the Auburn Center, Montreal, Canada, Fall 2009
 “Born Digital/Born Again Digital,” on the history of religious video games, American Academy of Religion annual conference, Fall 2008
“From Stage to Screen,” on Christian rhetoric toward the theater and cinema, Duke University Religion and Media Conference, Spring 2008
“The Theater and the Church: The Hostile Reception of Fundamentalists toward the Hollywood Film Industry, 1915-1955,” Popular Culture Association annual conference, Spring 2007
“The Devil in American Popular Culture,” American Academy of Religion annual conference, Fall 2004
“Evangelicals and the Movies: A Study of Christianity Today,” Popular Culture Association annual conference, Fall 2004
“Left Behind—Fact or Fiction: A Conversation of the Ecumenical Dilemmas in the Fundamentalist-Millenarian Tensions Within Pentecostalism,” Society for Pentecostal Studies annual conference, Fall 2004
“Left Behind: The Economics of the Apocalypse,” American Academy of Religion southeast regional conference, Spring 2003
“Satan in Contemporary American Film,” Boston Theological Institute Faith and Film Festival, Spring 2001

UWSP Committee Memberships
Philosophy Department
o	First Year  Seminar curricula support (Fall 2014)
o	Assessment Coordinator (2014)
o	Assessment Task Force Committee (Fall 2009–2014)
o	Scholarship Award Committee (Fall 2010)
o	Merit Committee (2010; 2014)
o	Thomas Overholt Scholarship Committee  (Fall 2010–present)
o	By-Laws Committee (2012–present)
o	Library Liaison (Fall 2009–present)
o	Web Liaison for Philosophy department (Fall 2009–2012)
o	Created and managed department Facebook page (Fall 2010–Spring 2013)
o	Religious Studies/Anthropology Steering Committee (Fall 2009–Spring 2012)
o	Department Chair Selection committee (Fall 2009, Spring 2013) 
o	Departmental Brochure Liaison (2009–2010)
o	Organized campus screening of UWSP alum Erin McConnell’s and Jason Page’s film, “God Rocked” (Spring 2010)
o	Faculty mentor for: Shashank Srivastava (2014), Clint Jones (2014), Judith Sone (2013), Josh Horn (2013), Spencer Dew (2012), and Luke Whitmore (2011)
o	Submitted  teaching evaluations for Mark Rossano (2009), William Balco (2010), Tori Jennings (2012), Inne Choi (2012), David Frost (2013), Ryan Hay (2013), Shashank Srivastava (2014)

College of Letters and Sciences
o	Pedagogical Assessment Task Force, 2010–2011
o	Faculty advisor for student organization, “Co-Exist” (2009–2010)
o	Faculty Forum (2013–2014)
o	Religious Studies Search and Screen Committee (2010–2011)
o	L & S Dean’s Advisory Council (2009–10; 2012–13)
o	Civil Discourse Initiative steering committee (2013)
University-Wide
o	Faculty Learning Community: GEP Portfolio Assessment (2013–2014)
o	Vibrant Communities Advisory Committee (2013–2014)
o	First Year Seminar Planning Committee (2013–present)
o	Faculty Mediation Committee (2012–2014)
o	University Evening Selection Subcommittee (Spring  2013)
Professional Development
“Inventing Santa Claus,” Community Lecture Series, Fall 2014, Stevens Point, WI
“Extreme Makeover: Santa Edition,” Life Lecture Series, UWSP, Fall 2014
“For Unto Us a Santa is Born,” Community Lecture Series, December 2013, Stevens Point, WI
“The Devil’s Church: Evangelicals and Hollywood in the 1940s,” Community Lecture Series, March 2012, Stevens Point, WI
“How Evangelicals Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Movies,” Life Lecture Series, UWSP, Spring 2012
LGBTQ Interfaith Panel Discussion Member, UWSP Public Forum, Spring 2012
“American Religious Pluralism,” a 90 minute presentation and reading list I produced for high school and middle school teachers in central Wisconsin, funded by the Wisconsin Academy for the Study of American History, 2010
“Students and Faith in the Classroom,” at the Teaching Religion in the South Conference at UNC-Chapel Hill, Spring 2006
“Leading Effective Classroom Discussion” at the Wabash Graduate Student Workshop at UNC-Chapel Hill, Fall 2004
“Incorporating Technology in the Classroom” at the Wabash Graduate Student Workshop at UNC-Chapel Hill, Spring 2003
Religion in America Guest Lecturer, Duke University Chapel, 2005–07 
Student Liaison for UNC-Chapel Hill Religious Studies department and the Center for Teaching and Learning, Fall 2006–07
Organized and led monthly pedagogical workshops for Religious Studies graduate students at UNC-Chapel Hill, Fall 2006
Research Assistant, Department of Religious Studies University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fall 2003
Research Assistant, First Year Seminar Program University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2001–02
Co-coordinator, Faith and Film Festival Boston Theological Institute, 2000-01