Dr. Oren Stier
Religious Studies, Judaic Studies

Dr. Stier's main area of interest might be called Jewish Cultural Studies, with a special emphasis on the contemporary period and all aspects of present-day Jewish life and thought. 

His current research concerns Holocaust memory and representation; Committed to Memory addresses the roles the contemporary media and modes of cultural mediation play in shaping consciousness of the legacy of the Holocaust.  In this book, Dr. Stier asks what role forgetting can and does play in the memorial landscape, demonstrating how critical attention to our memorial investments, and to the mechanics and media of memory's construction and transmission, can uncover what is both gained and lost in these committments.

Other developing research interests include Hasidism and South African Judaism, the latter growing out of his experiences living and working in Cape Town for three years. While he is responsible for teaching classes in all areas of Judaic Studies from the rabbinic period onwards, his current teaching leans toward the modern: current and future courses include Religion and the Holocaust, Jewish Mysticism, Modern Jewish Thought, Religion in the City: Jerusalem and Banaras, and Religion and Literature.  Dr. Stier teaches in the greater Miami community as well, with lectures and adult education courses at local synagogues and at the Miami Art Museum.