Jens

Mueller

School of Arts, Sciences & Business

Education

• Ph.D., Theology. University of Dayton, 2021.
• 1. Staatsexamen. University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, 2014.

Biograpghy

I serve as an Assistant Profess in the Religious Studies Department at Notre Dame of Marylan University. I earned my Ph.D. from the University of Dayton in 2021 and completed my 1. Staatsexamen at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany in 2014. My research interests encompass Catholic social thought, theology of the laity, and American Catholicism. I contributed articles to various journals such as the Journal of Catholic Social Thought or the U.S. Catholic Histories. In addition to my teaching and research, I serve as the Principal Designated School Official (PDSO) for international students at NDMU, assisting with visa-related matters and supporting the global student community.

Research Interests

• Catholic Social Activism
• Catholic Social Teaching and Contemporary Issues
• Theology of the Laity
• American Catholicism

Books

• For the Sake of Labor: Catholic Social Movements and Lay Theology in the United States. Fordham University Press, Forthcoming.

Publications and Presentations

Publications "On Being a Listening Church: The U.S. Catholic Church and Black Lives Matter," Religions 14, no. 12 (2023): 1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14121527 "Specialized Catholic Action in the United States: The Case of the Young Christian Workers," U.S. Catholic Historian 40, no. 4 (Fall 2022): 45-68. "Unlearning Whiteness: Social Media, Truth-Telling, and Racial Justice," Pax Romana Journal (2021): 37-47. "The Power of #Hashtags: Envisioning Solidarity in the Digital Sphere," Journal of Catholic Social Thought 17, no. 2 (2020): 195-218. Presentations "Laudato Si' and Baptismal Renewal: Embracing Ecological Conversion for the Jubilee Year 2025." 79th Annual Convention of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA), Portland, OR, June 12-15, 2025/ "'Soldiers of Christ' Facing Modernity: The Case of the Young Christian Workers in the United States." 50th Anniversary Conference of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, Notre Dame, IN, April 10-12, 2025. “The Sacramentality of César Chávez: Examining His Activism Through a Postcolonial Lens.” 104th Annual Meeting of the American Catholic Historical Association (ACHA), San Francisco, CA, January 4-6, 2024. “Founded on Truth”: Pacem in Terris, Racism, and Truth-Telling.” Justice Sown in Peace: Celebrating 60 Years Since Pacem in Terris, Notre Dame, IN, March 23-25, 2023. “Teaching Theology During a Pandemic: Rethinking Teaching Strategies in Pluralist Contexts.” 76th Annual Convention of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA), Atlanta, GA, June 9-12, 2022. “Whiteness, Truth-Telling, and Racial Justice.” 68th Annual Convention of the College Theology Society (CTS), Detroit, MI, June 2-5, 2022. “César Chávez: Environmental Activist.” 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Catholic Historical Association (ACHA), New Orleans, LA, January 6-8, 2022. “’A House of Hostility!’ The Catholic Worker, Pacifism, and the Doctrine of the Mystical Body.” Annual Fordham Theological Graduate Student Association Conference, New York City, NY, April 2020. “Solidarity 2.0.: Twitter, The Digital Age, and Catholic Social Activism.” The University of Dayton Ph.D. in Theology Twentieth Anniversary, 1999-2019: After Culture, After New Evangelization, Where Do We Go from Here?, Dayton, OH, September 2019. “The Power of #Hashtags: The Praxis of Solidarity in the Digital Sphere.” 65th Annual Convention of the College Theology Society (CTS), South Bend, IN, May 2019. “Hashtags as Liberating Praxis: Twitter, Social Movements, and Solidarity.” Annual Conference of the Midwest Region of the American Academy of Religion (AAR), Muncie, IN, March 2019. “Cesar Chavez and Social Activism through the Lens of Ecojustice.” Annual Conference of the Midwest Region of the American Academy of Religion (AAR), Muncie, IN, March 2018. “Catholic Environmental Movements and Structural Change in the 21st Century: Cesar Chavez, the United Farm Workers, and Social Movement Theory.” 63rd Annual Convention of the College Theology Society (CTS), Newport, RI, June 2017. “Christian Hospitality and Immigration: Toward a Renewed Theology of Hospitality in the Light of Current US Politics.” Annual Conference of the Midwest Region of the American Academy of Religion (AAR), Muncie, IN, February 2017.

Professional Affiliation and Membership

• American Academy of Religion
• Catholic Theological Society of America
• College Theology Society
• American Catholic Historical Association

Awards

• 2022 Outstanding Research Award
• Religious Studies
• University of Dayton