Urban Studies Professor Appointed to Senior Fellowship at University of Chicago

Dr. Noah Toly, associate professor of Urban Studies and Politics & International Relations, has been appointed a Senior Fellow at the University of Chicago Divinity School’s Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion.

Senior fellows are provided with resources to pursue scholarly projects at the Marty Center while on sabbatical from their home institutions. The goal of the yearlong fellowship is to advance interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of the study of religion and other academic disciplines.

“In my research and teaching, I find explorations at the intersection of theological ethics and urban and environmental politics to be the most intriguing, challenging, and rewarding work that I do,” Toly says. “The most important outcome of this fellowship would be the ability to do that work better.”

Toly is working on several research and writing projects during the fellowship. He will also attend courses in theology and ethics at the University of Chicago and participate in a seminar with other fellows.

“The most substantial project I’m working on is a book relating theological and ethical thought to the problems of scarcity, tragedy, and risk in modern environmental thought and global environmental governance,” Toly says. “Hopefully, when that is finished, I'll have built a framework that will be the basis for a future book on the city, as well.”

Toly, who directs the Urban Studies program at Wheaton College, will present his work at a Senior Fellow Symposium at the University of Chicago in May 2013.