Susanna Morrill

Susanna Morrill teaches courses in United States religious history. She received her doctorate in the history of religions from the University of Chicago. Her work in the recent past has focused on how early Mormon women used popular literature in order to argue for the theological importance of their roles in the home, community, and church.

Academic Credentials

PhD 2002 University of Chicago

MA 1993 University of Chicago

BA 1989 Bryn Mawr College

Teaching

Fall 2025 Courses

CORE 120: WORDS
MWF 1:50pm-2:50pm
Words teaches students to explore the meaning and significance of texts via close reading and
analysis, and to express that analysis orally and in writing. Specific content and topics will vary
with instructors.

RELS 341/441: Religions of the Northwest
MWF 10:20am -11:20am
Exploration of the religious history of the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on Oregon and Washington. Examination of the religious traditions of regional Native American tribes, early Protestant missions, and the growth of Catholicism and Mormonism in the region, as well as recent immigrant religions (such as Vietnamese Buddhism), nondenominational Christian groups, and alternative forms of spirituality. Using theoretical models from religious studies to consider why the Northwest does not carry the imprint of a dominant religious tradition or traditions, as most other regions of the country do. This course is cross-listed with RELS 441.
Students taking the 300-level version of this course will complete a guided research project, identifying and mastering the range of scholarly positions on a theme, critical issue, or essential primary text, and will produce a technically sound research paper. The course can only be taken once and cannot be repeated at the other level.

Research

Professor Morrill teaches courses in United States religious history up to 1865; United States religious history, 1865-present; colonial American history; women in United States religious history; the body and health in United States religious history; and a seminar focusing on American religions. These courses reflect her interests in researching women in United States religions and, specifically, in finding women (and men) in American history by looking at non-traditional, popular sources—the places in American culture that women were able to safely create and inhabit.