Get Involved
with AAR
The AAR is a member organization run by and for our members. Members volunteer their time and expertise for service in working groups, committees, juries, and governance bodies, including the Board of Directors. Each year AAR issues calls for nominations for various open volunteer leadership positions. Members can then nominate themselves or others. We put notice of these calls for nominations on our website, social media, and in our newsletter. Make sure you are following us and opted in to receive our communications so that you don't miss these announcements.
Other opportunities for involvement include service on Program Units and Seminars as chairs and steering committee members. To get involved with these groups, members can attend a unit's business meetings at the online and in-person annual meetings; they can also email co-chairs of units of interest to obtain further information.
Learn more about the expectations and responsibilities of being an AAR committee member and view a full list of our groups, committees, juries, task forces, and governance bodies below.
Governance
Group
Committee on Professional Conduct
The AAR Committee on Professional Conduct is responsible for promoting ethical conduct by scholars in the study of religion at the highest professional level.
Group
Executive Committee
A Committee of the Board, the Executive Committee monitors the effectiveness of the AAR and the Committee evaluation process, and such other tasks as the Board may delegate.
Group
Finance and Audit Committee
A Committee of the Board, the Finance and Audit Committee oversees the AAR’s financial aspects including planning, annual budgeting, investments and the review and acceptance of the annual audit and tax filings.
Group
Governance and Leadership Development Committee
A Committee of the Board, this committee presents to the AAR Board candidates to run for each AAR Director position elected by vote of the membership.
Group
Program Committee
A Committee of the Board, the Program Committee oversees the Annual Meetings Program.
Grant and Award Juries
Group
Annual Meeting Travel Grants Jury
To select the recipients of Annual Meeting Travel Grants, the Judith Plaskow Travel Grant, and the Annual Meeting Religion and the Arts Travel Grant.
Group
Book Award Juries
To select the winners of the Awards for Excellence in the Study of Religion, Best First Book in the History of Religions, and the Religion and the Arts Book Award.
Group
Journalism Awards Juries
The Journalism Award recipients are selected by the members of the Best In-Depth Newswriting jury and the Best In-Depth Multimedia Journalism jury.
Group
Student Awards Jury
Selects winners of the International Dissertation Grant, the Selva J. Raj Endowed International Dissertation Fellowship, and Undergraduate Research Grant.
Member Constituencies
Group
AAR Status Committee Caucus
The Status Committee Caucus fosters collaboration for intersectional work among the status committees and advises the board on best practices and policies.
Group
Academic Labor and Contingent Faculty
Supports the efforts of the AAR to address a wide range of issues connected to educational institutions’ reliance on contingent faculty.
Group
Graduate Student Committee
Addresses the needs and concerns of graduate students and promotes their professional development and participation in AAR and the academy as a whole.
Group
International Connections Committee
The ICC fosters attention to the worldwide scope of scholarship in religion and the international composition of the Academy’s membership.
Status Committees
Group
The Status of LGBTIQ+ Persons in the Professions Committee
Recommends policies and practices, and develops programs to assure the full access, belonging, and academic freedom of LGBTQI+ persons within the academy.
Group
The Status of People with Disabilities in the Professions Committee
Works to assure the full access and belonging of people with disabilities within the Academy and to advance their status within their professions.
Group
The Status of Racial and Ethnic Minoritized People in the Professions Committee
Recommends policies and practices to assure the full access, belonging, and academic freedom of racial/ethnic minoritized persons.
Group
The Status of Women and Gender Minoritized Persons in the Professions Committee
Recommends policies and practices to assure the full access, belonging, and academic freedom of women and gender minoritized persons within the Academy.
Professional Development
Group
Academic Relations Committee
Promotes attention to and develops resources for enhancing members’ professional development and the institutional forms within which the study of religion takes place.
Group
Applied Religious Studies Committee
Discusses the diversity of career opportunities for scholars of religion, acknowledging that there are many pathways into and out of the PhD.
Group
Teaching and Learning Committee
The Teaching and Learning Committee promotes excellence in teaching and learning in religion by developing programs for members.
Publications
Group
Publications Committee
The Publications Committee develops policies and good practices for AAR’s in-house publications, the book series, JAAR, and Reading Religion.
Regions
Group
Regional Council
The Council is charged with supporting and promoting the work of the regional groups, and with the recommendation of regional policies to the board.
Religion and the Public
Group
American Lectures in the History of Religions Committee
Selects and recommends a lecturer; facilitates the planning and execution of the American Lectures in the History of Religions.
Group
Committee on the Public Understanding of Religion
The Committee on the Public Understanding of Religion Committee fosters attention to the broad public understanding of religion and the role of religion in public life.
Task Forces
Group
Task Force on Valuing and Evaluating Public Scholarship in Religion
The task force is creating guidelines that reflect and encourage best practices among institutions of higher education, and in the guild itself, to provide guidance and support for public scholarship.
Group
Taskforce on Strategic Planning
Develops a strategic plan consistent with AAR’s mission and focused on sustainability, fiscal responsibility, and organizational health in a rapidly changing educational environment.