Tomas F. O¹Dea¹s _The Mormons_ Revisited Fifty Years Later

Symposium
Tomas F. O¹Dea¹s _The Mormons_ Revisited Fifty Years Later
February 27, 2008
Utah Valley State College

February 27 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm in SC 206 C. UVSC's Behavioral Science
Department, Religious Studies Committee, and The Center for the Study of
Ethics will host the conference "Thomas F. O'Dea's 'The Mormons': A
Reconsideration Fifty years Later."

The conference is to celebrate the publication fifty some years ago of the
classic sociological work on Mormonism by the noted sociologist Thomas F.
O'Dea, as well as the recent publication by the University of Utah Press of
"Revisiting Tohoms F. O'Dea's The Mormons" edited by BYU sociologists
Cardell Jacobsen, Tim Heaton, and John Hoffman. The latter book includes
essays by UVSC anthropologist David Knowlton and sociologist Lynn England.

This conference will consider the intellectual and social context of O'Dea's
work as well as thoughts on how his work stands up in light of new issues in
Mormonism, such as the massive growth of the Church outside the United
States, where more than 40% of all Mormons now reside, as well as the
appearance of important social actors little considered in the fifties, gays
and women. Important scholars of Mormonism from three universities, Brigham
Young University, Utah State University, and Utah Valley State College will
present their work as it relates to O'Dea's contribution.

This all day event will be an intellectual feast for those interested in the
drama of Mormonism's recent history, its present state, and the scholarly
issues involved in its study.

Contact: David C. Knowlton, Associate Professor of Anthropology, UVSC,
knowltda@uvsc.edu, office 801-863-6196, cell 801 597-0256.

9:00 AM SC 206 C
"Tales from the Field: O'Dea among the Mormons"
Howard Bahr, Brigham Young University

10:00 AM SC 206 C
³Thomas J. O¹Deas The Mormons Revisited²
Tim Heaton and Cardell Jacobson, Brigham Young University

11:00 AM SC 206 C
"Mormonism and Homosexuality"
Richley Crapo, Utah State University

12:00 PM SC 206 C
"O'Dea and Women"
Marie Cornwall, Brigham Young University

1:00 PM SC 206 C
³Pacific Islander Mormons and O'Dea's Mormons:
Would They Recognize Each Other?"
Grant Underwood, Brigham Young University,

2:00 PM SC 206 C
³O'Dea and the Mormon Intellectual Tradition²
Lynn England, Utah Valley University,

³Mormonism and Global Society²
David Knowlton, Utah Valley State College

3:00 PM SC 206 C
³Early Frameworks on Mormon Community Solidarity²
Todd Goodsell, Brigham Young University

4:00 PM SC 206 C
³Are We Men, Mormons, or Lamanites?": Native American Mormons
and the Work of Thomas F. O'Dea²
Jordan Haug, Utah Valley State College

Organized by David C. Knowlton
Supported by the Center for the Study of Ethics

*****
David Richard Keller, Ph.D.
Director, Center for the Study of Ethics
Utah Valley State College
801.863.6363
http://davidkeller.us/