Assistant Professor of Christian Social Ethics
Drew University, Theological School
Kate's research is in the fields of Christian social ethics, moral theology, and childhood/youth studies. She is particularly interested in issues of sexuality, race, and global consumerism as they shape our sense of moral agency and choice. Her recent academic and activist work place children and youth at the center of inquiry using a feminist and critical social ethics lens. Her most recent book is Sex + Faith: Talking with Your Child from Birth to Adolescence. Dr. Ott is also co-editor of Just Hospitality: God’s Welcome in a World of Difference and the forthcoming Faith, Feminism, and Scholarship: The Next Generation. For more information on her research and teaching visit kateott.org.
Yes, you read the title correctly. No, I’m not going to argue that everyone has to do the same exercise program to become a better writer. Seven years ago, I moved from the nonprofit world to a tenure track position because I wanted more time to write. Within a few months, the work of being […]
The United States has seen major changes in the past week. Healthcare subsidies were upheld for residence of states not participating in the federal healthcare exchange. Same-sex/gendered partners can marry in all 50 of the United States. Social institutions and laws can change the social fabric and cultural rules by which we live. Legal decisions […]
I was drawn to the academic discipline of ethics because it was about making moral claims, calling for actions, and evaluating the impact of current and past social and religious structures. Doing Christian ethics, I thought, could be synonymous with activism. However, as I spend more and more time in front of a computer or […]
Today is Super Bowl Sunday. Does it make you reflect on God? The past week has been full of questions about deflated balls, playing through injury, media requirements for players, halftime hype and fan party planning. In the midst of the usual pre-Super Bowl media frenzy, a smaller story broke about God’s role in football. […]
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has made major news headlines over the past two months. The challenge went viral on social media this summer, but it didn’t start there. For a few years, various organizations have promoted “cold water challenges” that couple dosing friends with requesting donations. In summer of 2014, a few celebrity personalities […]
A version of this blog was posted previously on Gathering Voices a blog of TheThoughtfulChristian.com. Consider the following two experiments. First, if you are on Facebook, have you probably noticed that many of your friends are missing from your newsfeed. It isn’t because they don’t post updates. It’s because their updates don’t fit with your […]
In the past, I’ve shared my thoughts about celebrating Mother’s Day. Today, I find myself considering very similar gender based issues on Father’s Day. In a single thought, I’m not a fan of Hallmark Holidays that reinforce gender divisions. Instead, I hope we can use these moments to reflect more deeply on the moral act […]
Lately, it seems the news is plagued by stories of sexism and violence related to young women and girls globablly and in the U.S. While I think we all need to express collective outrage at such blatant and systemic acts of gender-based oppression and violence, we also need to see the daily impact of sexism […]
Valentine ’s Day has been civilized and capitalized, hallmarked and disneyfied, all in an attempt to clean up love and signify sexuality into a compartmentalized relationship standard, tied nicely with an over romanticized bow. As a cradle Catholic, the veneration of saints has been part of my religious heritage. I still remember elementary school projects […]
Talking about sexuality AND religion for a living can be a daunting task. These topics come with a host of stereotypes, not to mention a presumption of privacy. Another way to describe what I do is to say that I “talk taboos.” Now, that’s not new news for most feminists. Speaking and writing about the […]