The Ethics Faculty Advisory Committee recently announced the recipient of the University Faculty Fellowship in Ethics: Dr. David Clark Knowlton, associate professor of behavioral science, received $7,000 for the 2008-2009 academic year.
"I was overwhelmed when I learned I had received the award. From what I have been told, the competition was stiff," Knowlton commented. "There are a lot of very fine faculty members at UVSC each with outstanding projects they are working on."
The grant will go toward Dr. Knowlton’s research regarding the study of the ethics and anthropology of Christianity amongst the indigenous people of Bolivia.
"I am excited," Knowlton said. "I can now bring to conclusion a research project I have been working on ever since I first did field work in Bolivia some twenty-nine years ago."
The purpose of the University Faculty Fellowship in Ethics is to facilitate faculty scholarship in interdisciplinary ethics, exploring moral challenges in a variety of disciplines.
In this specific case, the grant gives Dr. Knowlton the opportunity to buy off several classes that are normally part of his teaching load. This allows him more time to research and write.
As a social anthropologist, Dr. Knowlton has been actively involved in researching religious and social change in Bolivia as well as the development of supranational religions, the main focus being the Mormon, or LDS, religion.
"I will be traveling to Bolivia to meet with people from a village I originally worked with and update my research," Knowlton said. "It takes a lot of time to read material I need for context, as well as think through the material, and write a manuscript. I am thrilled to now have that time thanks to this award."
Since his first conversations with rural Bolivians, who tutored him in their culture, Knowlton has been concerned with the different ways globalized society impacts lesser-known areas of the world, such as Bolivia.
Dr. Knowlton will present his findings on his research and scholarship during his fellowship year as the University Ethics Faculty Fellow keynote address during Ethics Awareness Week in 2009.
