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Franz Volker Greifenhagen
Did You Know?
Luther College students are eligible for nearly $100,000 in academic awards – in addition to scholarships and bursaries awarded by the U of R.
Smaller class sizes at Luther College means more individualized attention and better connections with your professors, classmates, and academic advisors.
The Luther Library has over 24,000 items in its collection, 5,000 books checked out per year, and 7,000 students who come through its door per month.
Luther College appeals to students who want to study in a safe, nurturing, and inclusive environment. We welcome students of all faiths, ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, genders, and sexual orientations.
Free enrolment counselling support and invaluable one-on-one academic advising are available for all programs at Luther College.
Luther College students are U of R students and receive all the same benefits. Upon graduation you will receive a U of R degree.
Wondering where to live? Our student residence, The Student Village at Luther College, is considered a great choice for first-year student accommodation. Individual private rooms mean you can stick to your own schedule and you never have to deal with roommate hassles.
Luther College is a great choice for high school to university transition. Enjoy all the benefits of a larger campus, without feeling lost in the crowd. Our community is full of caring mentors and peers to ensure a positive student experience.
Dr. Franz Volker Greifenhagen
306-206-2109
franzvolker.greifenhagen@uregina.ca
Franz Volker Greifenhagen CV
Dr. Franz Volker Greifenhagen studied the Hebrew Bible and Islam at Duke University, graduating with a Ph.D. in 1998. He has taught at Luther College at the University of Regina since 1994 and served the College as Assistant Dean 2005 - 2012, and as Dean 2012 - 2018.
Dr. Greifenhagen collaborated on the national research project "New Muslim public spheres in the digital age: identity, community, diversity and authority in Canada", and has authored or co-authored various articles and academic papers on the Qur’an and Bible, and on modern Islam, including a textbook on the Hebrew Bible, An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible: A Thematic Approach.
Dr. Greifenhagen has taught in Luther College’s Interdisciplinary Studies Program, received an Inspiring Teacher Award, and has supervised both honours and graduate students. He regularly shares his scholarship with church and community groups. Dr. Greifenhagen grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is married, with two children, a dog, and a cat.
Meet Dr. Volker Greifenhagen
Courses Taught
RLST 100 - Introduction to World Religions
RLST 230 (formerly RLST 290BB) - Religion and Health
RLST 241 (formerly RLST 226) - Introduction to Islam
RLST 245 (formerly HUM 202) - Biblical Literature: Hebrew Bible
RLST 290AK - Reading the Qur'an in English
RLST 341 (formerly 266) - Islam in the Modern World
RLST 890CO - Apocalypticism
RLST 890CV - Satanic Figires: Hebrew Bible & Interestamental Literature
RLST 890DF - Reading Josephus and Philo
RLST 847 - Advanced Studies in Ancient Religions (2015)
RLST 843 - Advanced Studies in Islam
IDS 101 - Interdisciplinary Studies: Contemporary Issues
Recent Grants and Awards
- 2013 - 2007, Collaborator, "New Muslim public spheres in the digital age: identity, community, diversity and authority in Canada", Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Grant of $482,194 over four years. Principle investigator: Roxanne Marcotte, Université du Québec à Montréal.
- 2011 - Principle Investigator, “Development and evaluation of an instructor toolkit of pedagogical strategies for student transition and engagement in introductory courses,” President’s Teaching and Learning Scholars Grant Program, University of Regina Grant of $4,000
Selected Recent Academic Publications
Global Lutheranism: Vitality and Challenges, edited with Peter Vethanayagomony. Minneapolis: Lutheran University Press, 2018.
“Why did Luther want the Qur’an to be published?” Impetus (Luther College, University of Regina), Winter/Spring 2017, https://www.luthercollege.edu/university/academics/impetus/winterspring-2017/table-talks/why-did-luther-want-the-quran-to-be-published
“Muslim Perceptions of Identity, Community, Diversity and Authority in the Internet Age”, 199-213 in Religion and the Internet, ed. Daniel Enstedt, Göran Larsson & Enzo Pace (Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion). Leiden: Brill, 2015.
Lutheran Pedagogy for a Global Context, edited with Peter Vethanayagomony. Minneapolis: Lutheran University Press, 2015.
“Bargaining with Patriarchy in the Book of Ruth”, 239-269 in Celebrate Her for the Fruit of Her Hands: Essays in Honor of Carol L. Meyers, ed. Susan Ackerman, Charles E. Carter & Beth Alpert Nakhai with Karla G. Bohmbach & Franz Volker Greifenhagen. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 2015
“‘Little Mosque on the Prairie’ and Modern Convivencia: An Intervention into Canadian Muslim Identities”, 129-146 in Muslims and the New Information and Communication Technologies: Notes from an Emerging and Infinite Field, eds. Thomas Hoffmann & Göran Larsson (Muslims in Global Societies Series 7). Dordrecht: Springer, 2013.
“Covering Up on the Prairies: Perceptions of Muslim Identity, Multiculturalism and Security in Canada” (with A. Brenda Anderson), 55-72 in Islamic Fashion and Anti-Fashion, eds. Emma Tarlo and Annelies Moors. London: Bloomsbury, 2013.
“A Muslim Non-Heteronormative Reading of the Story of Lot: Liberation Theology for LGBTIQ Muslims?”, Impetus (Luther College, University of Regina), Winter 2013, https://www.luthercollege.edu/university/academics/impetus/winter-2013-impetus/a-muslim-non-heteronormative-reading-of-the-story-of-lot-liberation-theology-for-lgbtiq-muslims
“A Comparison of Genesis 22 to the Qur’an” (30-32), “The Annunciation to Mary in the Qur’an” (312-214) and “A Comparison of Jesus’ Miracles in the Qur’an and the Gospels” (267-270) in Global Perspectives on the Bible, eds. Mark Roncace and Joseph Weaver. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, 2013.
"Qur’an, the Bible in the" (426-427) in the Dictionary of the Bible and Western Culture, eds. Mary Ann Beavis and Michael J. Gilmour. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2012.
Selected Recent Papers
“Navigating the Ocean of Recent English Translations of the Qur'an". Presented at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences for the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion, York University, Toronto, May 28, 2023
“Teaching Jewish, Christian and Muslim Scripture in a Secular Age”. Presented virtually at the Christian Education in a Secular Age Conference, Briercrest College and Seminary, Caronport, Saskatchewan, October 29, 2021.
“Castaway Religion: Robinson Crusoe Meets Hayy Ibn Yaqzan”. Presented at Treasuring Robinson Crusoe: 300 Years of Adventure Symposium, University of Regina, November 15, 2019
“Canadian Muslims, the Internet, and Religious Others: An Initial Probe”. Presented at the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion, Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Vancouver, British Columbia, June 4, 2019.
“The World Religions Course: A Service Course for Global Citizenship|?” Presented at the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion, Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Vancouver, British Columbia, June 4, 2019.
“Doing Research on [and Teaching about] Muslims in a Multicultural Islamophobic Age”. Presented at the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion, Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Regina, Saskatchewan, May 27, 2018.
“The Fantastical Muslim: Media and Digital Imaginings and Interventions”. Presented with A. Brenda Anderson at the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion, Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Calgary, Alberta, May 30, 2016.
“Muslim Digital Spheres in Canada: Framing Research on Transformations of Canadian Muslim Perceptions of Identity, Community, Diversity, and Authority in the Internet Age”. Presented at the Pacific Northwest Regional Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Calgary, May10, 2014, and at the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion, Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, St. Catherines, ON, May 26, 2014.
“Qu’ran and Bible: From Geiger to Reynolds”. Presented at the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion, Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Victoria, BC, June 3, 2013
“Mormons and the Qur’an: The Making of Some Theological, Literary and Historical Connections”. Presented at the Pacific Northwest Regional Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Seattle, May 3, 2013.
“Veiled threats? Saskatchewan Muslim women on the interaction of gender, Muslim identity and security perceptions” (with Brenda Anderson). Presented at the RESOLVE (Research and Education for Solutions to Violence and Abuse) Research Day, October 19, 2012.
“The Story of Lot/Lūt: Comparative Contemporary Performances of Scripture in Relation to Homosexuality by Christians and Muslims”. Presented at the Pacific Northwest Region Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Portland, May 12, 2012.
“Towards a Pluralistic Civil Life: Polemics and Irenics”. Presented at the Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life (University of Alberta) Symposium on “Religious Perspectives on Civil Life”, Edmonton, March 19, 2011
Selected Recent Special Lectures and Presentations
“Voice Against Violent Extremism” panel with Rabbi Jeremy Parnes & Imam Navaid Aziz, Intercultural Dialogue Institute, Regina, May 4, 2016.
“Freedom of Inquiry and Vocation as the Lutheran Perspective”, with Bryan Hillis, Pedagogy Series: Pedagogical Approaches as the Federated Colleges, Centre for Teaching and Learning, University of Regina, March 16, 201
“Getting to Know Our Neighbours: Learning about Islam”, educational event at Trinity Lutheran Church, Estevan, SK, January 16-17, 2016
“Listening in the Face of Religious Terror”, with David J. Goa. North American Interfaith Network Connect Conference, Luther College, University of Regina, July 21, 2015.
“Religion and Violence”, Keynote Address, Saskatchewan International Baccalaureate Conference on Global Issues in Religion, Luther College, University of Regina, May 29, 2015
“Seven Things Everyone Needs to Know About Muslims”, Christ Lutheran Church, Regina, April 12, 2015.
“Our Muslim Neighbours: A Conversation on Christian Understanding and Relationship”, with David J. Goa. First Lutheran Church, Vancouver, March 27 – 28, 2015.
Supervision of Graduate Students
“The Theology of the Cross as a Foundation for Muslim-Christian Dialogue” M.Div. (Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon), (2010).
“The Muslim Identity Crisis: Shari’a as a Mechanism for Decolonization” M.A. (Religious Studies), (2009).
“Sayyid al-Qimni and Hans Küng: A Comparative Study of Power Structure and Resistance in Sunni Islam in Egypt and Catholic Christianity in Europe” M.A. (Religious Studies), (2008).
“Que(e)r(y)ing the Image of God: Challenging the Heterosexual Myth” M.A. (Religious Studies), (2007).