Rick Rogers, Ph.D.
Eastern Michigan University
History & Philosophy, Office 701H		 Office Voice Mail: (734) 487-3067
Cell Voice Mail: (734) 546-5557
E-Mail: RRogers@emich.edu
Home Page

Dr. Rogers' Profile


Rick Rogers has a B.A. in Classics and Philosophy from Calvin College, a M.A. in Medieval Studies from Western Michigan University and a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan, and he teaches in the History and Philosophy Department at Eastern Michigan University. He is an expert in the history and comparison of world religions. His specialization is the traditions of Near Eastern origins (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and his current research focuses on the common roots and history of the Abrahamic Religions, and on inter-faith dialogue. He has taught at the University of Michigan, Albion College and Concordia College. Dr. Rogers is the first recipient of the EMU-FT Lecturers Outstanding Teaching Award (articles in the Ann Arbor News and the Focus). Also, Dr. Rogers was recently interviewed on Islam by the Ann Arbor News and appeared on a local PBS television program, Currently Speaking.  For more biographical details see Tidbits & Musings.

He has developed the following courses:

He is the author of Theophilus of Antioch: The Life and Thought of a Second-Century Bishop, and three pedagogical texts, Surveying The Living Religions: A Student Workbook, The Comparative Study of Religion: PowerPoint Lecture Slides and World Religions: Lecture Notebook & Study Guides. He has researched the history of religion in Washtenaw County and helped to produce an online tool for local communities pursuing inter-faith dialogue. He has written several encyclopedia articles on American Religions and is researching a text book comparing the Abrahamic Religions. His conference presentations have included the following articles: "The Thematic Structure of The Hymn of the Pearl," "The Wager: Reconsidering the 'Patience' of Job," "The Soteriology of a 'Subversive' Bishop," "A Meditation on the Judeo-Christian Feminist Story" and "Jihad: Theory and Perception."

Students and friends are invited to access information regarding his Teaching Philosophy and Research Agenda, and to view some Pictures of his former students and family.

Dr. Rogers belongs to two professional societies, The American Academy of Religion and The Association for Religion and Intellectual Life, and is an active member of two local organizations, The Detroit Scholars' Trialogue of The National Conference for Community and Justice and The Interfaith Round Table of Washtenaw County.
Personal Information

I am married to Susan Kesling Rogers, ABC, APR.

My hobbies include tennis, basketball, playing chess, surfing the Net and playing with my Scottish Terrier, Bodhi (Wise Guy). 

My favorite novel is Dmitri Merejkowski's The Romance of Leonardo Da Vinci, and my favorite novelists are Iris Murdoch, Walker Percy, Mary Renault and Dorothy L. Sayers. Reading John Herman Randall's essay on Western Civilization, The Making of the Modern Mind, led me to a career in scholarship. Walter Kaufmann's The Faith of a Heretic was my tutor in the power of critical thinking. My introduction to religious studies, a field of research that I have come to embrace passionately, was an exciting encounter with Huston Smith's The World's Religions.

However, it was my Grandfather, C. C. Lowe, who in my youth inspired me with a love of wisdom and later encouraged me to seek out academic service. My favorite quotation from my Grandfather's favorite author keeps me intellectually grounded:
As we acquire more knowledge,
things do not become more comprehensible
but more mysterious.
(Albert Schweitzer, Paris Notes).

 
xxx xxx