Page 9 - Religion in the Media Age Media, Religion & Culture

Acknowledgements

No project like this is possible without the support of many people. This is
particularly so here both because it is based in a collaborative project and
because it has stretched across a longer period than is often the case. While
it was underway, I was called upon to serve two terms as Interim Dean of
the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of
Colorado. This experience reinforced my appreciation of the commitment
of our university’s leadership to scholarship on our campus.
The research reported here was made possible by a series of grants from
the Lilly Endowment, and I want to recognize the advice and support of Dr
Craig Dykstra and Dr Chris Coble, and thank the Endowment for its
commitment to, and faith in, our efforts. Craig Dykstra became interested in
our work at an early stage, and his reflections and encouragement are doubly
significant because of his own record as a scholar of lived religious practice.
In these pages, I recognize many of the contributions of our research
team to my efforts. Lynn Schofield Clark has been my collaborator and co-
investigator in the projects represented here. I thank Lynn for her vital
input, advice, and encouragement at various stages of this project, as well
as her efforts as director and a member of the research teams. Our
approach to research involves team members both in field research and in
reflection and analysis. Here I thank Henrik Boes, Diane Alters, Joe
Champ, Lee Hood, Denice Walker, Michelle Miles, Christoph Demont-
Heinrich, Scott Webber, Anna Maria Russo Lemor, Jin Kyu Park, Monica
Emerich, Curtis Coats, and Cari Skogberg for their efforts in the field and
in the various aspects of our research process.
Colleagues from across the disciplines of media studies, cultural studies,
and religious studies have contributed much to this project in many ways,
great and small. For their advice, reflection, reaction, and encouragement, I’d
like to thank Catherine Albanese, Nancy Ammerman, Kwabena Asamoah-
Gyadu, Liz Bird, Brenda Brasher, Heidi Campbell, Jim Carey, Joy Charlton,
Cliff Christians, George Conklin, Nick Couldry, Daniel Dayan, Jay Demerath,
Fred Denny, Erika Doss, Mara Einstein, Jan Fernback, John Ferré, Dena Pence
Frantz, Faye Ginsburg, Eric Gormly, Ron Grimes, Larry Gross, Ingunn
Hagen, Cees Hamelink, Don Handelman, Mary Hess, Birgitta Hoijer, Peter