Dowdle, Brett D., Adam H. Petty, J. Chase Kirkham, Elizabeth A. Kuehn, David W. Grua, and Matthew C. Godfrey, eds. Documents, Volume 15: 16 May–28 June 1844. Vol. 15 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2023.
It’s not every day that two Latter-day Saint apostles participate in a press conference attended by historians. This past June 27, Elders Garrett A. Gong and David A. Bednar spoke to a group of scholars as a part of the publication of the last Joseph Smith Papers Project volume. Elder Kyle S. McKay, the Church Historian for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, introduced them and acknowledged the presence of Gail Miller and Kim Wilson, whose generous funding made the Smith Papers financially possible. McKay shared that all documents in the Project were written by Joseph Smith or under his direction. Helpfully, he also called for anyone with knowledge of other documents to submit them to the Church History Department so that they might be included on the JSPP website. Before turning the time to the apostles, McKay shared that “no other modern religious leader” has their papers made available with such thoroughness. That’s certainly true of churches and their publishing arms.
Learning to write a good book review is a skill that will benefit your career in several ways. Writing helps you improve your critical thinking and to put into words what you find valuable or less valuable about pieces of scholarship. Reviews are great (and relatively low-key ways) to build your CV and contribute to the intellectual discourse within a field. Writing helpful reviews establishes you as a person with expertise on the topic that can lead to further opportunities. Perhaps most importantly, writing helpful reviews builds communication skills, especially the ability to summarize, synthesize, and explain complex ideas in short form.
The LDS Church History Library is seeking a candidate for a year long, part-time (28 hours per week during regular business hours) paid internship opportunity, working with archivists in reviewing and preparing historical records for online publication. This internship is an opportunity to work with a fun, energetic, and dedicated team and to gain work experience to enter the archival and historical field.
Call for Applications: Research Grants at the Church History Department
The Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites applications for grants to conduct research in its archival, art, and artifactual collections in Salt Lake City, Utah. The department intends to award three types of grants in 2023:
Domestic Young Scholar: for graduate students, recent graduates, or young professionals living in the United States and researching in Latter-day Saint history, Latter-day Saint art history, or Latter-day Saint studies. This grant, of up to $5,000, is intended to facilitate approximately one week (or more) of research at the Church History Library and/or Museum. Up to three grants may be awarded.
International Young Scholar: for advanced students, recent graduates, or young professionals living outside the United States and researching in Latter-day Saint history, Latter-day Saint art history, or Latter-day Saint studies. This grant, of up to $9,500, is intended to facilitate approximately three weeks (or more) of research at the Church History Library and/or Museum. Up to two grants may be awarded.
Latter-day Saint Project of Significance: for a more experienced scholar, either within or outside the United States, conducting research on a significant project in Latter-day Saint history, Latter-day Saint art history, or Latter-day Saint studies. This grant, of up to $20,000, is intended to facilitate either multiple trips to the Church History Library and/or Museum over an extended period or a single lengthy stay.
To apply for a grant, please submit the following:
Dialogue’s Board of Directors announces a search for a new editor-in-chief to begin in 2024. You can read the original call for applicants HERE.
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought has long served as the journal of record for the intellectual and cultural life of the Mormon people. Thanks to more than five decades of work by editors, authors, and the Board, Dialogue continues to provide space for some of the community’s most vibrant thinking on cultural, historical, theological, and social issues, and remains the premier literary repository for the tradition. Dialogue is a quarterly subscription-based print journal, and all of our content–current and archived–is freely available on our new website at the moment of publication. In addition, Dialogue now has a substantial internet presence with web-only content.
The journal publishes four issues per annual volume. Submissions and peer review are managed through a system provided by the University of Illinois Press. The new editor will continue to liaise with the Press to ensure the journal’s visibility, as well as with the Dialogue Board to build upon the journal’s strengths and fulfill the Dialogue Foundation’s mission. Further, the editor will be expected to be engaged in relevant scholarly and cultural organizations by representing the journal at conferences and other events.
“This Prison… of a Crooked, Broken, Scattered, and Imperfect Language”
June 1-3 2023
Conference Schedule
The full schedule for the conference can be found on this page.
Throughout Mormonism’s scriptural canon, individuals struggle with what Joseph Smith lamented was “this prison… of a crooked, broken, scattered, and imperfect language”. Contemporary scholars, too struggle with “imperfect language”, hemmed in by disciplinary boundaries, language barriers in sources and publication outlets, and a mismatch between terms and definitions native to academic study and religious movements. Many diverse voices remain largely absent from global Mormon studies.
Conference Registration
GMS 2023 is a free conference; however, you must register to get access to sessions, other events, and the Slack workspace where we will share information and encourage conversations. You can register for the conference at this link.
Conducting research accurately and within professional standards under the supervision of project management.
Producing high-quality reports and white papers for both internal and external use. This may require historical research, verification of transcripts of documents against original sources, developing and writing narrative history, performing oral histories, or other tasks as assigned.
Meeting deadlines and performing all assigned tasks according to professional and Church History Department standards.
Engaging in outreach activities with historical organizations and agencies, including participating in collaborative work planning and consultation meetings, making presentations, preparing annotated lists of resources on Church History Department products, and conference/symposia planning.
Planning and conducting oral history interviews.
Working on multiple projects simultaneously and serving on internal committees and working groups. Consulting with management and team members on project management questions.
Contributing to a collegial and professional atmosphere that incorporates the highest standards of behavior and cooperation, promoting teamwork and group purposes.
QUALIFICATIONS
PhD in history, American studies, religious studies, or related field, or a master’s degree with 3 years of experience in researching and writing in the historical field. Strong skills in archival research. Excellent writing skills and the ability to work in a public history setting to the highest academic standards. Experience in conducting oral history interviews and/or with public history projects a plus. Professional and personal integrity required to maintain the trust and confidence of professional colleagues and department leadership and to represent the department in wider scholarly and public circles.
The Church History Museum is hosting two paid curatorial internships this summer (May-August), one working with the Art Curator and one with the Artifacts Curator.
Christopher on LATTER-DAY SAINT THEOLOGY &: “Blake, I get a kick out of your poor reading comprehension skills.
If your comment is directed to Joseph, who posted this description, please understand that…”
Eric Nielson on LATTER-DAY SAINT THEOLOGY &: “Matt, I have signed up with a friend account, but when I try to open the file I am told that I do not have…”
Recent Comments
Christopher on LATTER-DAY SAINT THEOLOGY &: “Blake, I get a kick out of your poor reading comprehension skills. If your comment is directed to Joseph, who posted this description, please understand that…”
Eric Nielson on LATTER-DAY SAINT THEOLOGY &: “Matt, I have signed up with a friend account, but when I try to open the file I am told that I do not have…”
Terry H on LATTER-DAY SAINT THEOLOGY &: “I mean, I know its in the link, but just curious.”
Terry H on LATTER-DAY SAINT THEOLOGY &: “Perhaps I missed something, but when and where is it?”
Matt Witten on LATTER-DAY SAINT THEOLOGY &: “This one? https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/157453”
Eric Nielson on LATTER-DAY SAINT THEOLOGY &: “I would like to read Paulsen's dissertation. Does anyone have some link or way to access it?”