Dr. Zeff Bjerken, Associate Professor

Zeff Bjerken is originally from Santa Barbara, and he has been teaching at the College since 1999. He teaches courses on the religions and cultures of India, Tibet, China, and Japan, on the sacred texts of Asia, and on theory and method in the study of religions.

Dr. Margaret Cormack, Professor

Margaret Cormack teaches courses on World Religions, Christianity, and Islam. The topics of her upper level seminars include Medieval Christianity and the Cult of Saints.

Dr. Matthew Cressler, Associate Professor

Matthew Cressler graduated from Northwester University and he began at Harvard Divinity School where he cultivated a fascination with the intersection of religion, race, and nation.  He specializes in U.S. Catholic and African American Religions.

Louise Doire, Senior Instructor

Louise Doire regularly teaches course in World Religions, Evil & Suffering, Comparative Religious Ethics, Women & Religion, and the Christian tradition.

Dr. John Huddlestun, Assoicate Professor

John Huddlestun received his PhD from the University of Michigan and has lived in Europe and Israel.  Before following his passion in Near Eastern Religions he worked as a professonal musician.

Dr. Lee Irwin, Professor

Lee Irwin received his PhD from Indiana University and began teaching at the College in 1991.  His area of focus is comparative religions of Native North American (including Maya and Aztec) and shamanism of Asia and Siberia and he also has a very strong interest in eastern religions (MA thesis on Taoism) and Islamic Sufism.

Dr. June McDaniel, Professor

June McDaniel is originally from New York, NY.  She recieved her PhD in History of Religions at teh University of Chicago and began teaching at CofC in 1988.  June teaches courses on religious experience, especially in the Hindu tradition.

Dr. Elijah Siegler, Department Chair and Associate Professor

Elijah Siegler is originally from Toronto, Canada, and he has been teaching at the College of Charleston since 2004.  He is a historian of American religions, with expertise on new religious movements, religion and popular culture, and Asian religions in America.

Dr. Andrew Aghapour, Adjunct Faculty

Andrew Aghapour is an alumnus of the College of Charleston but he has returned to his alma mater to teach during the summer.  Andrew has taught world religion and religion, art and culture courses at the College.

Dr. Todd LeVasseur, Visiting Instructor

Todd LeVasseur received a PhD graduate from the University of Florida where he studied religion and nature,  environmental ethics, and North American religious history. An alumnus of the College of Charleston, he returned to his alma mater and has taught since 2010.

Professor Courtney Tepera, Visiting Instructor (2014-15)

Courney Tepera’s focus is on American Religions, and her research interests are the intersection of Protestant Christianity in America, identity, and music.  She is also interested in New Religious Movements, especially those that have formed from Protestant Christianity in America.

Tracie Mitchum, Administrative Assistant

Tracie Mitchum graduated from the College of Charleston in 2006 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication.  She has been working at the College since 2008.