By Bri Brands

What can Chicago Cubs fans teach us about religion? How do religious institutions influence social movements? What does Dolly Parton have to do with academia? These were among the questions students explored during the 2026 E.P. Adler Graduate Student Conference.

Hosted by the Department of Classics and Religious Studies, the conference, “Honoring the Past: Religion, Power, and Time,” kicked off a celebration of one hundred years of studying religion at Iowa.

Across four panels held Sept. 25–26, graduate and undergraduate students examined how religion shapes communities and influences people's understanding of the world. Presentations explored the role of religious spaces in social movements, while others considered questions of morality and religious identity.

Among the presenters was Will Stum, a master's student in musicology, who examined how Chicago Cubs fans use music and shared sounds to form a collective identity. His research explored how traditions at sporting events can take on religious characteristics and shape a sense of belonging among fans.

For conference chair and organizer Allison Isidore, a PhD candidate in religious studies, the range of scholarship demonstrated how religious studies extends beyond a single department.

“What stood out was how interdisciplinary this field is,” Isidore said. “You don’t necessarily have to be within our field. You could be in musicology or history and still be engaging in our understandings of religious expression or religious space, and how that impacts the ordinary and everyday lives of people.”

For graduate students, organizing the conference was an opportunity to take on responsibilities beyond their individual research. Paul Dilley, departmental executive officer of the Department of Classics and Religious Studies, said many students enter the program with master's degrees, which prepare them to take a more active role in shaping academic discussions.

“They get to choose a topic and work collaboratively to find something that interests students in different areas of specialization,” Dilley said.

The department's broader centennial celebration included additional lectures and events planned to recognize the century of religious studies at Iowa. One such event was “9 to 5 Eve” on Thursday, Sept. 24, which included a lecture and conversation with Iowa State University’s ethnohistorian Sarah Dees, who writes and lectures on the spiritual and cultural legacy of Dolly Parton. There was also a reception with live music, and a call to collect books for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. In addition to being another event that promoted community, this event honored Parton almost a month following her passing.

“Dr. Sarah Dees’ lectures, both at our Dollybration and as the keynote speaker at the E.P. Adler Graduate Conference, remind us that religion is not confined to ancient texts or church sanctuaries,” Brandon Dean, director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies, said. “It is woven throughout the lyrics of the songs we listen to, the museums we visit, and the ways we choose to live our lives—from the ethical decisions we make to how we construct meaning in the world around us.”

Dean found Dees’ lectures to be both “intellectually rich and remarkably accessible, engaging experts and curious newcomers alike,” an effort that has become central to exploring religious studies at the University of Iowa in recent years.