Pamela E. Klassen is a Professor in the Department for the Study of Religion at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, co-appointed to the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto and

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the ''Journal of Law and Social Policy'', and the ''Osgoode Hall Law Journal ...

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

. In 2019, Klassen was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Canada judges to have "made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life" ...

Education

Klassen completed her undergraduate studies in Political Science at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

in 1989. In 1992, Klassen earned The Graduate Gold Medal for Master of Arts at

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a Public university, public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Ontario, Waterloo, Brantford, Ontario, Brantford and Milton, Ontario, Milton. The ...

for her thesis "Going by the Moon and the Stars: Stories of Two Russian Mennonite Women."

Career

Klassen joined the Department for the Study of Religion Faculty at the

(U of T) in 1997 after earning her PhD. In 2002, she was granted

tenure Tenure is a type of academic appointment that protects its holder from being fired or laid off except for cause, or under extraordinary circumstances such as financial exigency or program discontinuation. Academic tenure originated in the United ...

by the University and eventually promoted to Full Professor by 2011. Under supervision of

Karen McCarthy Brown Karen McCarthy Brown (August 12, 1942 – March 4, 2015) was an anthropologist specializing in the anthropology of religion. She is best known for her groundbreaking book '' Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn'', which made great strides in de ...

, Klassen completed her PhD thesis on religion and home birth in 1997. She joined the Department for the Study of Religion at the

shortly thereafter. Her doctoral work was published as a book entitled ''Blessed Events: Religion and Home Birth in America'', which described how women who give birth at home use religion to make sense of their births and in turn draw on their birthing experiences to bring meaning to their lives and families. Her next book, ''Spirits of Protestantism: Medicine, Healing, and Liberal Christianity'', won the

American Academy of Religion The American Academy of Religion (AAR) is the world's largest association of scholarly method, scholars in the List of academic disciplines, field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association, serving as a profess ...

Award for Excellence in 2012. In 2012, she was the recipient of the American Academy of Religion Award for Excellence in Religion for her book ''Spirits of Protestantism: Medicine, Healing, and Liberal Christianity.'' Three years later, she received the

Anneliese Maier Anneliese Maier (; November 17, 1905 in Tübingen, Germany – December, 1971 in Rome, Italy) was a German historian of science particularly known for her work researching natural philosophy in the middle ages. Biography Anneliese Maier was th ...

Research Award, which included a €250,000 grant to study the role of religion and memory. That year, she also received the Northrop Frye Award for distinguished achievements in linking teaching and research, for a third-year Religion in the city course co-taught with Professor Frances Garrett, and a Museums and Material Religion course with Professor Ajay Rao. In 2016, Klassen was appointed Vice-Dean of Undergraduate Education at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the University of Toronto. In 2018, she published ''The Story of Radio Mind: A Missionary’s Journey on Indigenous Land'' through

The University of Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the university press of the University of Chicago, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It publishes a wide range ...

. In 2019, Klassen was elected a

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klassen, Pamela Living people Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Canadian women academics Academic staff of the University of Toronto Wilfrid Laurier University alumni McGill University alumni Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Drew University alumni