By GuestAugust 2, 2012
[This is the first guest post from Saskia Tielens.]
Last spring, I taught a course called The Book of Mormon and American Culture at the TU Dortmund University in Dortmund, Germany. It was an elective class and meant for undergraduate students.
The first thing my students asked me last spring was whether I was Mormon.
Actually, that’s not true. The first thing they asked me was something incomprehensible in German. Since I prefer my German the American way (slowly and loudly), I stared at them for a moment before letting them know that however much I appreciated being addressed as Frau Tielens (it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?), Ms. Tielens would do for now.
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By Ben PAugust 1, 2012
We are extremely excited to introduce our new guest poster, Saskia Tielens. Saskia has commented sporadically on JI before and has proven herself to be an astute observer of Mormonism and Mormon studies. A summary of her presentation on Mormonism’s gold plates and material culture can be found here. This is how she introduces herself.
Saskia Tielens earned her BA and MA in American studies from Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. She is about to start her second year as a PhD student in Dortmund, Germany, and is writing her dissertation on the ritualization of Mormon history as well as teaching various courses in the American studies department there. Most recently, she was a participant in this year’s summer seminar on Mormon culture, led by Richard Bushman. Saskia particularly enjoys coming at Mormon studies as a non-Mormon, and considers the concept of funeral potatoes to have enriched her life.
Her first contribution, reflections on teaching a class on Mormonism as a non-Mormon in Europe, will go up tomorrow morning.
Join us in giving Saskia a warm welcome.
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