Michael Penn

Associate Professor of Religion & Gender Studies

Contact:
201B Skinner Hall
413-538-2876

Michael Penn received his Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Princeton University, a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, M.A., and Ph.D. at Duke University. As a specialist in biblical studies and the history of early Christianity, Professor Penn explores how early Christian communities forged their own identity, especially in the context of religious and ethnic pluralism. His class offerings include courses in the Hebrew Scripture and the New Testament and seminars such as "What Didn’t Make It into the Bible," and "Sex and the Early Church." His first book Kissing Christians: Ritual and Community in the Late Ancient Church was published in 2005 by the University of Pennsylvania Press. His current research investigates the reactions of early Eastern Christians to the Islamic conquests, a project for which he has received awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Center for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Academy of Religion.

Before joining the Mount Holyoke College Department of Religion in 2002, Professor Penn was a postdoctoral fellow at Brandeis University, and taught religion and Women Studies courses at Haverford College, Bryn Mawr College, and Duke University. He has also been a secondary school teacher, including six years as the director of forensics at Durham Academy High School, where he ran a nationally competitive policy debate team. In addition, he has held research positions at Apple Computers, the Weizmann Institute (Israel), Palo Alto Veterans Hospital, and Ames Research Center, NASA.

Curriculum Vitae