The Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford is proud to announce the appointment of Professor Mark Jordan to the George Eastman Visiting Professorship for the Hilary Term 2023/4.
Professor Mark Jordan, currently serving as the R. R. Niebuhr Research Professor at Harvard University, holds an a MA and PhD from the University of Texas. He has also been notably affiliated with St. John's College in Annapolis and Santa Fe. At Harvard, he has offered courses on the Western traditions of Christian soul-shaping, the relations of religion to art or literature, and the prospects for sexual ethics. Professor Jordan has written extensively on sexual ethics, producing books that are widely regarded as opening important new conversations. But he has also continued to explore longstanding topics at the boundaries of philosophy and Christian theology. In 2019, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. A fuller biography can be found on the Harvard website.
Professor Jordan will be a fellow of Balliol college and we eagerly anticipate his contributions to our academic community. He stated: 'For someone with my intellectual interests, Oxford offers unsurpassed opportunities for study and conversation. I am particularly eager to hear from students about their animating questions.'
Professor William Wood, Chair of the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Theology and Religion, said: “Over the course of his career, Professor Jordan has done interesting and important work at least three separate fields: scholastic theology, genres of theological writing, and the theology of sex and gender. I have long been a fan of his work in all three areas, and so I am thrilled that he will spend Hilary Term with us.”
The news comes at an exciting time for the Faculty, which recently appointed Professor Frank Griffel as the next Professor of Abrahamic Religions. He will join in July from Yale University.
As part of the prestigious Visiting Professorship, Professor Jordan will deliver a public lecture entitled 'After their Kind: Sexual Identities in Christian Theology' which will take place on 23rd February, 5-6PM at the University Church. He will also hold a postgraduate seminar based on the lecture in 7th or 8th week, further details to follow.
