The Institute for Women, Religion and Globalization

Union Theological Seminary

Founding Director: Rev. Dr. Serene Jones

Program Director: Katherine Clark

Advisory Committee:
Katie G. Cannon

Cheryl Doss

Musa Dube

Betty Sue Flowers

Amy Kalmanofsky

Azza Karam

Daisy L. Machado

The Education of Women as Religious and Spiritual Leaders

Faculty Forum

Public Programs

Inaugural Woman of Spirit Lecture:
Leymah Gbowee

Tell Somebody!

Union Theological Seminary announces the creation of the Institute for Women, Religion and Globalization. Today, when women hold an unprecedented opportunity to influence economic development, conflict resolution, peace-building, health conditions and environmental justice across the globe, there is a clear imperative to better understand the role of women religious practitioners as significant political agents on the global stage. The Institute explores the relationship between women religious practitioners and political, economic, and social movements, locally, around the world, and in the larger context of international affairs.

Building on the diverse theological and academic resources already thriving at Union, the Institute serves as a convening presence for women religious leaders, scholars, and development professionals from around the world. In collaboration with other organizations and academic institutions, the Institute’s work revolves around three core commitments: the education of women as religious and spiritual leaders, the development of international scholars committed to cutting edge research, and programming for public engagement on topics related to women, religion, and globalization.

In order to support the work of this Institute, we need funding. Please contact Bob Bomersbach, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at (212) 280-1426 or Kevin McGee, Director of Development Operations at (212) 280-1590 to arrange a gift to the Institute.

The Education of Women as Religious and Spiritual Leaders

At the heart of the Institute's mission is creating opportunities for women of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds to pursue advanced theological education. The Institute’s scholarship program strives to ensure that no woman is denied access to the type of theological and global leadership education she desires because of a lack of funds. Institute Fellows are women from the U.S. and abroad who wish to enroll in Union’s internationally recognized programs of graduate study. As students at Union they benefit from a variety of courses ranging from "Womanist Theological Ethics," "Muslim Women Making Peace," "Quilting: Womanist/Feminist Preaching," and "Women's Experience as a Resource for Worship."

In addition to courses within Union's core curriculum, the Institute offers unique academic programming which is available to all students enrolled at Union or our partner institutions, such as:

Responding to Domestic Violence in Communities of Faith: a summer intensive course for clergy, lay leaders and seminarians to learn about the complex dynamics of intimate partner abuse, to understand the challenging pastoral, theological and spiritual issues that abuse and violence in the family reveal, and to develop strategies for how to prevent and eliminate domestic violence. Taught by seasoned anti-violence activist and educator Sally MacNichol, the course is free and open to the public (taught for the first time in June 2010).

Interfaith Prison Chaplaincy Training Program: When it is officially launched later this year, the Bedford Hills interfaith CPE program will be an exciting collaboration between Union and the Center for Pastoral Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary, fully accredited through the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education. Epitomizing "grassroots chaplaincy,” the interfaith CPE program will offer CPE training to women serving time at the facility together with chaplaincy interns from the outside. Interfaith CPE at Bedford will give clergy an unprecedented opportunity to minister together with incarcerated women, while honoring the even greater human and spiritual resource that incarcerated women are for each other.

Muftiyyah Training Program: Union has been in conversation with local Muslim leaders regarding the need for advanced theological education for Muslim women and men. Through extensive community outreach and dialogue, it has become clear that there is a great desire within the local and global Muslim communities to develop a graduate-level program to train Muslim women jurists and scholars. The Institute is committed to supporting advanced theological education for Muslim leaders, especially women leaders.

Faculty Forum

...the Institute for Women, Religion and Globalization will serve as a convening presence for women's initiatives in the Morningside Heights neighborhood, throughout the city, and around the world

The Institute is a global center for cutting-edge research and teaching. By convening both permanent and visiting scholars from the fields of theology, ethics, political science, and economics, the Institute nurtures the type of interdisciplinary scholarship that is critical to understanding the role of women religious practitioners as significant political and community change agents. At the heart of convening this interdisciplinary work are two initiatives:

The Eunice Jackson – Ella Mitchell Chair in Women, Gender and Religion is a permanent faculty position to be endowed at Union Theological Seminary. The chair is named for the first two African-American women to graduate from Union. The Chair will be held by a scholar committed to the interdisciplinary exploration of the intersections of religion, race, gender, and women’s studies. The holder will have expertise in a variety of traditional theological disciplines, as well as the broader humanities and social sciences, with an emphasis on religious thought and practice. The Chair will serve an essential role in convening research and programming for the Institute for Women, Religion and Globalization.

An endowment of $3 million is required to fund this chair. Learn more about the chair and how you can support it.
Visiting Women Scholars are scholars from around the world whose work supports the mission of the Institute and who are committed to the education and formation of women religious and spiritual leaders. Visiting Scholars come to Union for one or more semesters and participate fully in the life of the Seminary, teaching courses, holding lectures, and conducting research. Recent Visiting Scholars include:
Additional funding will allow us to expand this program, bringing more international women scholars to enrich the teaching and research mission of the Institute.

Public Programs

Recognizing the importance of broadening the public discourse around women’s religious leadership and development efforts, the Institute facilitates many new and long-standing programs, including:

The Judith Davidson Moyers Lecture
The Judith Davidson Moyers Lecture creates a public forum to discuss the most pressing global issues faced by present-day women leaders. In addition to exploring enduring questions of human value and meaning, each year its recipients reflect on topics ranging from environmental rejuvenation and maternal health to poverty eradication, war, and women’s education. Located at Union Theological Seminary, each year the lectureship includes three interlocking components, united around the theme of public discussion and broad-reaching education: a high profile, public lecture by an internationally recognized woman leader; a banquet honoring both the invited speaker and the life and work of the lectureship's namesake, Judith Moyers; additional educational programming to benefit students at Union and surrounding schools.

Second Annual Judith Davidson Moyers Women of Spirit Lecture, featuring Dr. Vandana Shiva, Thursday, March 22, 2012.

United Nations Collaborative Projects
- The Spirit of Development: Women, Faith and Reproductive Health: In June 2010, Union Theological Seminary collaborated with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to convene an international conference that focused on the contributions of women and men of faith towards addressing key development issues – particularly maternal health, women's empowerment, and gender-based violence. Participants representing diverse regions, religious traditions, and professional backgrounds gathered to share stories of their work and to imagine possibilities for more effective engagement between the faith and development communities. The ideas and recommendations expressed throughout the 2-day conference will be published by the UNFPA in the fall of 2010.
- Restoring Dignity, Women of Faith Leadership Summit: In March 2010, President Serene Jones and members of the Union community participated in an international, interfaith conference mobilizing men and women of faith to break the silence and confront violence against women. Coordinated by Religions for Peace International, the Summit was part of the 54th UN Commission on the Status of Women.

Public Forum on Women, Religion, and Globalization
The public forum encompasses lectures, panels, and book discussions, free and open to the public, that foster community discussion on issues related to women's religious lives and women-centered religious scholarship. Public forums include:
- Guerrilla Girls: The Guerrilla Girls read excerpts from their books about female stereotypes, quoting information from their comic book expose of museums, and sharing insights from their recent attempt to free women artists from the basements of museums in Venice, Italy. September 22, 2010. In collaboration with the Institute for Art, Religion, & Social Justice.
- Frontiers in Catholic Feminist Theology: public discussion among five of the book’s contributors and three invited senior feminist theologians in the spring of 2010.
- Rev. Dr. Ella P. Mitchell Women in Leadership Luncheon: annual event honoring Rev. Dr. Mitchell and her life's legacy of opening doors for women's leadership in the church and academy. Part of Union's annual Trailblazers celebration, this event provides an opportunity for dialogue, story-telling, and mentoring, as well as a platform to lift up the voices of all women preachers and leaders in the church, academy and world.
- Trailblazers Lecture, 2009: Panel discussion and community dialogue honoring the contributions of Rev. Dr. Katie G. Cannon, Delores Williams, and Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Grant to Womanist theology and ethics.