Paul Cassell
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Phone: 602-496-5429
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College of Integrative Sciences and Arts 651 E University Dr Rm. 250 Tempe, AZ 85281
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Mail code: 0604Campus: Tempe
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Paul Cassell is trained in the historical and theoretical interaction of science, philosophy, and religion. His research uses systems theory to identify universal religious community dynamics.
He is author of "Religion, Emergence, and the Origins of Meaning" (Brill, 2015). Previously, he was a postdoctoral fellow in science and religion at the Center for Jewish Studies at Arizona State University, and a lecturer at Barrett, the Honors College at ASU.
- Ph.D. Religious Studies (Science, Philosophy, and Religion), Boston University. Dissertation: A Semiotic and Emergent Theory of Religious Communities. Supervisor: Wesley Wildman
- M.Ed. Secondary Social Studies Education, University of Virginia.
- B.A. Echols Scholar; minors: Mathematics and Religious Studies, University of Virginia
Cassell's current research explores the evolutionary, biological, and cultural roots of religion in human prehistory, and he is interested in grounding confessional theology within emergent accounts of religion.
Dr. Cassell is a Core Faculty member of the ASU Center for Social Dynamics and Complexity, which investigates social dynamics across diverse contexts, ranging from genomes to entire organisms, and from individuals to cultures.
He also participates in the Emergence@ASU research group, sponsored by Beyond: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, which addresses foundational questions regarding the origins and nature of life.
Dr. Cassell is affiliated faculty with the Center for Jewish Studies.
His book Religion, Emergence, and the Origins of Meaning (Brill, 2015) uses systems theory to identify universal religious community dynamics. He argues that religious ritual can facilitate powerful psychological experiences concerning unseen divine agencies, as well as social dynamics that are adaptive and long-lived. Further, ritual links these together in a mutually-reinforcing set. It is addressed to anyone interested in theory of religion, the scientific study of religion, ritual theory, religious experience, and the sociological study of religion, as well as those interested in emergence and complex systems theory.
Courses
2025 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| LST 470 | Liberal Studies Seminar |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
| LST 470 | Liberal Studies Seminar |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
2024 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
2024 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
2024 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
2023 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
2023 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
2023 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
2022 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
2022 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
2022 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| MLS 503 | Ethics, Science, and Culture |
| MLS 503 | Ethics, Science, and Culture |
2021 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
2021 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
2021 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
2020 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 302 | Integration Skills |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
2020 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
2020 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| IDS 301 | Becoming Interdisciplinary |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
2019 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 302 | Integration Skills |
| IDS 302 | Integration Skills |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
| LST 370 | Dimensions of Liberal Studies |
Dr. Cassell was a Series 7-licensed stockbroker with the Vanguard Investment Group in Scottsdale, AZ.