The Cognitive and Textual Methods Seminar (2006-2008)

Begun in 2006 with support from the John Templeton Foundation, the Cognitive and Textual Methods Seminar brings scholars from such scientific fields as cognitive science, artificial intelligence, computer science, and linguistics together with scholars from the social sciences and humanities who study religion. The project seeks to move the scientific study of prayer beyond its current emphasis on the instrumental uses of prayer to a more complete understanding of the form and content of prayer and its role in human societies. The project also breaks new ground by bringing recent scientific methods of text analysis, based on concepts from the cognitive sciences, to bear on the analysis of prayer. 2007-2008 was the final year for this project. Events included two public lectures, and weekly presentations by students and faculty. Topics and presenters for 2007-2008 were:

For further information, please contact Rebekah Massengill:  masseng@princeton.edu

Papers presented at the workshop included:

Spring 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Robert N. McCauley, “The Role of Matruationally Natural Cognition in Science and Religion,”

Fall 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Chris Wildeman, "Prayer Requests for Soldiers and Prisoners"
Wendy Cadge and Rebekah Massengill, respondents
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wendy Cadge, "Prayer in Hospitals:  A Textual Analysis"
LiErin Probasco and Alicia Juskewycz, respondents
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Rebekah Massengill, "Prayers of the People:  Liturgy in the Faith-Based Labor and Right-to-Life Movements"
Karen Cerulo and Andrea Barra, respondents
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Cristina Mora-Torres, “Transnational Religious Organizations and the Production of ‘Made for TV’ Conversion Narratives in the US and Brazil”
Jim Gibbon and Amy Sitar, respondents
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Sarah Valentine, "Spiritual Aspects of Poetry in the Moscow Underground"
Courtney Bender and Jim Gibbon, respondents
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Carol Ann MacGregor, "Children's Prayer as a Cultural Object:  Sunday School Resources from Antebellum America to the Present"
Amy Sitar and Wendy Cadge, respondents
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Jim Gibbon, "State-Scripted Religious Discourse:  Islamic Sermons in Turkey"
Rebekah Massengill and Cristina Mora-Torres, respondents
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Robert Wuthnow, "Teach Us to Pray:  The Cognitive Power of Domain Violations"
Sarah Valentine and Chris Wildeman, respondents
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Karen Cerulo and Andrea Barra, "In the Name of:  Legitimate Interactants in the Dialogue of Prayer"
Carol Ann MacGregor and Chris Wildeman, respondents
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Amy Sitar, "Speaking in Tongues in Azuza Street Pentecostalism"
Cristina Mora-Torres and Courtney Bender, respondents
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Courtney Bender, "(How) Does God Speak Back?"
Karen Cerulo and Carol Ann MacGregor, respondents

Spring 2007
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Sarah Valentine, Slavic Studies, Princeton University
"Spiritual Aspects of Poetry in the Moscow Underground"
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Cristina Mora-Torres, Sociology, Princeton University
"The Prayer Ministry of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God"
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Wendy Cadge, Sociology, Brandeis University
"Prayer in Hospitals:  A Textual Analysis"
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Rebekah Massengill, Sociology, Princeton University
"Prayers of the People:  Liturgy in the Faith-Based Labor Movement"
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Courtney Bender, Religion and Sociology, Columbia University
"Authoritative Encounters with the Divine"
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Eastern Sociological Society Meetings, March 15-18
Wyndham Hotel, Philadelphia
Thursday, March 29, 2007
James Gibbon, Sociology, Princeton University
"State-Scripted Religious Discourse:  Islamic Sermons in Turkey"
Thursday, April 5, 2007
John Levi Martin, Sociology, University of Wisconsin
Consultations with project participants
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Amy Sitar, Religion, Princeton University
"Praying for Cover:  Jesus Within, the Devil Without"
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Karen Cerulo and Andrea Barra, Sociology, Rutgers University
"Legitimate Interactants in the Dialogue of Prayer"
Friday, May 11, 2007
Symposium on "What Is Prayer?" (3 p.m. through dinner)
David Hall, Carol Zaleski, Catherine Bell, Mary Margaret Funk, Al Raboteau, Tom Briedenthal

Fall 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Updates on Empirical Projects
Brief updates from project participants
Friday, September 29, 2006
Wendy Griswold, Sociology, Northwestern University
"Masterpieces or Mass Culture:  Which Is More Sociologically Informative and How Do We Use Them Both?"
Consultations with project participants
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Karen Cerulo, Sociology, Rutgers University
"A Cognitive and Cultural Approach to Social Actors"
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Brent Field, Psychology, Princeton University
"Assumptions in Neuroscience Research"
Friday, October 20, 2006
Religion and Neuroscience:  A Symposium (3 p.m., McCormick 101, dinner following)
Clifford Saron, Richard Davidson, Margaret Kemeny, Jonathan Cohen, Wayne Proudfoot, Leigh Schmidt
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Eviatar Zerubavel, Rutgers University, TBA
Consultations with project participants
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Peter Berger, Boston University, "A Conversation on Culture and Religion"
Consultations with project participants
Thursday, November 16, 2006
James P. McCartin, CSR Visiting Scholar
"Catholic Prayer and Changing Concepts of the Self"
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Chris Wildeman, Sociology, Princeton University
"Prayer Requests for Soldiers and Prisoners"
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Carol Ann MacGregor, Sociology, Princeton University
"Children's Sunday School Resources as Cultural Products"

Spring 2006
Thursday, February 9, 2006
Introductions
"Overview of the CTM Project"
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Paul DiMaggio, Department of Sociology, Princeton University
"Culture and Cognition"
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Pascal Boyer, Luce Professor of Individual and Cognitive Memory, Washington University
"Why People Perform Rituals" 4:30 p.m., Friend 101
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Martin Ruef, Sociology Department, Princeton University
"A Formal Method for Interpretive Sociology (with emphasis on cognitive foundations)"
Thursday, March 16, 2006
George Miller , Psychology Department, Princeton University
The Science of Words
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Sarah Valentine, Slavic Department, Princeton University
"Cognitive Poetics"
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Wendy Cadge, Robert Wood Johnson Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University
"Scientific Studies of Intercessory Prayer: Religious, Scientific, and Popular Responses"
Thursday, April 13, 2006
George Lakoff, Professor of Linguistics, University of California, Berkeley
Moffett Lecture, University Center for Human Values, 4:30 p.m., Dodds Aud.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Professor of Philosophical Theology, Emeritus, Yale Divinity School
"Can God Answer Back?" 4:30 p.m., Friend 101
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Hilary Levey, Sociology Department, Princeton University
Demonstration of Atlas TI Text Analysis Software (extended session until 9 p.m., in Wallace Hall)