Elena Dugan

I have been fascinated by religion for over a decade, especially the long and tumultuous histories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I received my BA in Religion and Arabic from McGill University, my MSc in Biblical Studies from the University of Edinburgh, and my PhD from Princeton University in Religion. As a researcher, at Princeton University, I was a John D. Rockefeller Jr. fellow, a Harold W. Dodds fellow, and a postdoctoral associate with the Department of Religion. But teaching has been my passion from a young age, and I came to Andover because its classrooms are filled with students who are also friends, neighbors, and teammates. I deeply value this environment. The nature of studying religion and philosophy is often personal, disarming, strange, and exciting. Andover classrooms are so special because they draw from a strong, friendly community, and allow us to explore in good company. There is nothing so wonderful, to me, as a friendly class of students getting excited about just how differently people can see the world, and trying on (however temporarily or permanently) new lenses themselves.