Education
|
2004-Current |
PhD
Candidate Department of Sociology,
University of Alberta Dissertation
title: Paul Ricoeur, Defilement in Contemporary
Ethical Thinking, and Death Metal as a Discourse of the Grotesque Expect
to Convocate in May 2009 |
|
2002 |
Master’s
of Arts in Religious Studies University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta Thesis
Title: The Trauma of Identity in Mennonite
Scholarly and Literary Representation. Specialization
in Cultural and Critical Theory, Religion and Identity, Psychoanalysis |
|
1998 |
B.A.
Religious Studies, with distinction University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba |
|
1996 |
B.A.
Music Major Concordia University College of Alberta Practical
Major: Classical Guitar, a focus on Indian Sitar music. |
|
1995 |
Certificate
of Sacred Music Canadian Mennonite Bible College, Winnipeg,
Manitoba Major:
Classical Guitar |
Academic Work Experience
Teaching Assistant
Positions:
|
Fall 2007 |
Sociology 212:
Sociological Imagination, Discussion and Tutorial Leader. |
|
Fall 2006 |
Sociology
212: Sociological Imagination, Discussion and Tutorial Leader. |
|
Winter 2006 |
Sociology
321: Youth, Crime, and Society. |
|
Winter 2006 |
Sociology
423: Crime & Public Policy. |
|
2003 |
Psychology 443:
Social Cognition |
|
2001 |
Religious Studies
327: Witchcraft and the Occult |
|
2000 |
Religious Studies
375: Shamanism |
|
1999: |
Religious Studies
101: World Religions |
Other Positions:
|
Winter 2007 |
Research
Assistant for Dr. Charles
Barbour. Intermedia Research Studio
directorate |
|
2004 – Fall 2006 |
Research
Assistant for Dr. Stephen Kent, University of Alberta, Department of
Sociology |
|
2000 |
Teaching
Practicum, University of Alberta, Department of Comp. Lit./Rel.
Stud./Film Med. Stud. Practicum advisor: Earle Waugh. |
Volunteer Academic
Service
|
2007 |
Organizer;
Guest Lecture, Jonathan Guest, Visiting Assistant Professor at the
University of Maryland, co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology and
Intermedia Research Studio. |
|
2005 – 2006 |
SGSA Social Events Coordinator, University of Alberta, Department
of Sociology. |
|
2005 |
Space, Fear and the Subject of Violence Conference Organizing
Committee Member, University of Alberta, Department of Sociology. |
|
2004 – 2005 |
GSA Representative for the SGSA, University of Alberta,
Department of Sociology. |
|
2004 |
Belabouring Derrida Conference Organizing Committee
Member, University of Alberta, Department of
Sociology. |
|
|
Member of the
Space and Culture Reading Group, Department of Sociology, University of
Alberta. |
|
|
Member
of the ‘Post-Secular Theory’ Reading Group, Department of Sociology,
University of Alberta. |
Select
Conference Presentations and Publications
Referreed Contributions:
Unger,
M.P. "Intersubjectivity,
Hermeneutics, and the Production of Knowledge in
Qualitative
Mennonite Scholarship."
International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 4(3), Article
4, 2005.
http://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm/ backissues/4_3/html/unger.htm.
Other
Referreed Contributions:
Unger,
Matthew. “Corrupting Music: Death Metal and the Contemporary
Experience of Defilement.”
Unger,
Matthew. “Paul Ricoeur, Defilement, and Death Metal as a Discourse of the
Grotesque” Presented at the Society for Ethnomusicology Annual Conference, Columbus, Ohio;
October 2007.
Unger,
Matthew. “Death Metal, Religion, and the Grotesque” Presented at the CSA Annual
Meeting, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, May 2007.
Unger,
Matthew. "Contingency and the Irreducibility of Religious Experience in
Contemporary Social
Theory,"
Presented at the SSSR Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon October 2006.
Unger,
Matthew. "The Trauma of Mennonite Scholarship: Mennonite Historiography
and Sociology
and the Secularization Thesis." presented
at the CSSR Annual Meeting, Toronto, Ontario, May 2006.
Unger,
Matthew. "Contemporary Critical Hermeneutics" presented at the W.
David Pierce Research
Colloquium,
Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, November 2005.
Unger,
Matthew. " Trauma and The Contingency of Identity
in Patrick Friesen's 'The Shunning'."
presented at the Religious Studies Graduate
Students' Colloquium, University of Alberta, March 2001.
Unger,
Matthew. "Willed Into Being: The Identity Crisis in Puccini's 'Madame Butterfly'
and David
Henry
Hwang's 'M.Butterfly'." in Concord College Music
Journal, Linda Schwarz, Ed. Summer, 1998.
Awards
|
Summer 2008 |
Department of Sociology Research Grant |
|
|
|
|
Fall 2007 |
Department of Sociology Travel Award |
|
|
|
|
Fall 2007 |
J Gordin Kaplan
Graduate Student Award |
|
|
|
|
Spring 2007 |
Department of Sociology Travel Award |
|
|
|
|
Fall 2006 |
Society for the Scientific Study of
Religion Student Travel Grant |
|
|
|
|
Spring 2006 |
Department of Sociology Travel Award |
|
|
|
|
2005-2006 |
Provost Doctoral Entrance Award (Renewal) |
|
|
|
|
2004-2005 |
Provost Doctoral Entrance Award |
Relevant
Work Experience
|
2002 –
2003 |
English as a Second Language
Teacher, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
|
|
|
|
2000 – 2002 |
Child Care Worker/ Mentor, Welcome Home
Community, Edmonton, Alberta; Position entailed
childcare and supervision for children of low-income and at-risk families,
researching and facilitating a men’s support and discussion group, and
helping participants access community organizations. |
|
|
|
|
1998 – 1999 |
Residential Worker/Key Worker, Independent
Counseling Enterprises, Edmonton Alberta; Worked with adult clients with FAS
and ADD/HD. Position involved
counseling and crisis intervention, community access with the clients and
facilitation of day programs and working opportunities. |
Membership in
Academic Associations
Society for the Scientific Study of
Religion
Canadian Association of Sociology
Canadian Society for the Study of
Religion
Society for Ethnomusicology