Apply for the Annual Summer Seminar on Mormon Culture<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Mormon Scholars Foundation is currently accepting applications for the 2011 Summer Seminar on "the gold plates as a cultural artifact." Graduate\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithpromotingrumor\/2011\/01\/apply-for-the-annual-summer-seminar-on-mormon-culture\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Apply for the Annual Summer Seminar on Mormon Culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Mormon Scholars Foundation is currently accepting applications for the 2011 Summer Seminar on "the gold plates as a cultural artifact." 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{"id":3993,"date":"2011-01-04T10:19:15","date_gmt":"2011-01-04T15:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.faithpromotingrumor.com\/?p=3993"},"modified":"2011-01-04T10:19:15","modified_gmt":"2011-01-04T15:19:15","slug":"apply-for-the-annual-summer-seminar-on-mormon-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithpromotingrumor\/2011\/01\/apply-for-the-annual-summer-seminar-on-mormon-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Apply for the Annual Summer Seminar on Mormon Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Last summer I had the privilege of participating in the Mormon Scholars Foundation\u2019s\u00a0Summer Seminar at BYU. The seminar remains the high point of my scholarly engagement with Mormonism<\/a> thus far. While reflecting on the experience I was reminded of Oliver Cowdery\u2019s description of transcribing the Book of Mormon: \u201cThese were days never to be forgotten\u2013to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted\u2026\u201d (Latter Day Saints\u2019 Messenger and Advocate<\/em>, Vol. I No. 1 [October 1834]: 14). <\/span><\/p>\n

Sound presumptuous? Here\u2019s what I mean:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>If this sounds like a sales pitch it\u2019s actually intended to be an enthusiastic testimony.\u00a0I\u2019m not saying the seminar was exactly inspirationally akin to the translation of the Book of Mormon, but I certainly experienced days never to be forgotten. Granted, we participants didn\u2019t listen to the\u00a0dictation\u00a0of inspired scripture. Instead, we sat together as ten students researching the foundations of Mormon theology<\/a> with Terryl Givens.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than assuming an authoritative voice, Givens facilitated discussion by asking questions and providing feedback, participating in the dialog. Other students and I were able to critique and advise, encourage and caution, as we dug through old newspapers and developed our own research themes. In a group setting the combined perspectives helped broaden my own perspective (or at other times assisted with narrowing the object of study). Meeting other students with similar interests planted seeds of friendship and fellowship that continue to grow past the 6-weeks in Provo. Also, the invited guest lecturers provided welcome perspective for up-and-comers like me. Hearing stories from researchers who\u2019ve gone before and who continue to add to the growing body of LDS scholarship was a treat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Being able to continue with my research \u201cday after day\u2026uninterrupted\u201d during the seminar was critical. I had recently received my bachelors degree but had not started working on a higher degree yet. The $3,000 stipend made it possible for me to dedicate myself full time to research, study, and writing, while still being able to provide for my family. On the downside, after spending a month doing what I love the most I had to go back to my regular job and get paid for that instead. The stipend money was made available by donors. Their generosity, \u00a0and all of the other people who made the experience possible certainly \u201cawakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t recommend this experience enough. Go apply. The deadline is in six weeks. Feel free to email me or add a comment here if you have any direct questions about the experience, the application process, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"