Faculty Directory
Dr. Brian Bennett
Professor of Religious Studies
- Email:
- bbennett@niagara.edu
- Phone:
- (716) 286-8454
Bio
Originally from San José, California, Dr. Bennett earned his B.A. from Princeton summa cum laude and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
Bennett is a comparativist whose research examines the place of ancient religious languages and scripts in contemporary society. He has published two books:
- Religion and Language in Post-Soviet Russia (Routledge 2011) focuses on Church Slavonic - церковнославянский язык
- Sacred Languages of the World: An Introduction (Wiley 2017) surveys Latin, Pali, Arabic, Sanskrit, Hebrew, Coptic, etc.
His current work looks at some aspects of Latin in Russian cultural history:
- "When Russians Spoke Latin," published in the Jesuit magazine America
- "Latin in Early Modern Russia," forthcoming
Another project, tentatively titled The World of Braille, explores the devotional and cross-cultural significance of the tactile writing system.
Dr. Bennett's courses include the following:
- Introduction to Religion
- World Religions
- Comparative Religion
- Religion and Language
- Topic: Religion and Design
- Topic: Cults
- Topic: Religion & Revolution in Russia