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Rachel Wagner is Professor of Religious Studies in the Department of Philosophy and Religion. Rachel's work centers on the study of religion and culture, including especially religion and film and religion and virtual reality. She has published on religion and virtual reality in Halos and Avatars: Playing Games with God, ed. Craig Detweiler; the second edition of God in the Details, ed. Eric Michael Mazur and Kate McCarthy; Understanding Religion and Popular Culture, ed. Dan Clanton and Terry Clark; Halo and Philosophy, ed. Luke Cuddy; CrossCurrents Magazine; Digital Religion, ed Heidi Campbell; Feminism in the Twenty-First Century, ed. Gina Messina Dysert and Rosemary Radford Reuther; and Resisting the Place of Belonging: Uncanny Homecomings in Religion, Narrative, and Art, ed. Dan Boscaljon. Rachel's single-author book, Godwired: Religion, Ritual and Virtual Reality is part of the Media, Religion, and Culture series. Short pieces relating to this research project can be found in Religion Dispatches and in the Society of Biblical Literature Forum. Rachel teaches courses on: religion and culture; religion and film; religion and media; religion and gaming; religion and science fiction; New Testament; and religion and health. Most of her courses include elements of media and culture analysis. Rachel serves on the steering committee of the American Academy of Religion's Religion, Media, and Culture Group.
Rachel also teaches in the Innovation Scholars Program and the Honors Program.
Rachel is also the Coordinator of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and teaches courses relating to religion, gender, and queer theology.