Stephanie Yep

Dr. Stephanie Yep is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Appalachian State University. Her scholarship bridges Islamic and Jewish studies with a focus on emotion, ethics, and power dynamics in religious narratives.

Education:

• Ph.D., Emory University
• M.A., Wake Forest University
• B.A., Illinois College

Research Focus: Dr. Yep examines how premodern sacred biographies (especially of Muhammad) use emotional narratives to model ethical behavior. She argues for integrating emotion as a core analytical framework in religious studies, akin to gender studies. Her work also explores Jewish studies' interdisciplinary role and critiques systemic marginalization of non-dominant traditions.

Publication Trends: Her sole recent article (2023) pioneers a post-taxonomic methodology for emotion analysis in Islamic hagiology, reflecting her innovative approach to deconstructing traditional religious taxonomies.