Glen Ryland

Education:
University of Notre Dame (PhD)
Simon Fraser University, University of Notre Dame (MLS, MA)
Trinity Western University (BA)

Office: T175
Phone: 403.440.8528
E-mail: gryland@mtroyal.ca

Scholarly Interests:

I'm an Associate Professor of General Education and History at Mount Royal University, where I’ve been teaching since 2009. My research focuses on nineteenth-century German cultural and religious history, particularly around colonialism, race ideology, and the global missionary movement. I study German missionary activity in Namibia and, more recently, in Rwanda, and its cultural and political impact in Germany and Europe. I'm especially interested in how religion, race, and society intersect, as well as how historical texts and literature shape our understanding of the present and help us connect with diverse human experiences across time and place. In the classroom, I bring these themes into conversation with broader issues, such as peacebuilding, genocide and memory, law and society, justice, fairness, and equity. I also work with MRU’s first-year experience and academic writing programs, helping students build foundational skills, confidence, and critical thinking as they begin their university journey.

Teaching Statement:

My teaching reflects the values of liberal education: a student-centered approach that fosters critical thinking, ethical reflection, and personal responsibility through engagement with diverse perspectives and global issues. The classroom is a place where students can develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world. To support that, my students explore such topics as colonialism, genocide, and race ideology while building analytical skills and civic awareness. Academic rigour matters; so does creating a space where students feel they belong, speak freely, and enjoy learning: a space that is safe, challenging, and supportive. I’m committed to helping students become thoughtful, engaged citizens who not only understand the world more clearly but also feel empowered to improve it. Whether we’re reading literature or studying history, I want students to cultivate curiosity, think analytically, and understand who they are, what they believe, and how they want to live.

Relevant Publications and/or Presentations:

Manarin, Karen. Critical Reading in Higher Education : Academic Goals and Social Engagement. 1st ed. Bloomington, Indiana ; Indiana University Press, 2015.

Ryland, Glen P. Translating Africa for Germans: The Rhenish Mission in Southwest Africa, 1829–1936. PhD diss., University of Notre Dame, 2013. https://doi.org/10.7274/tx31qf88446.

Ryland, Glen P. “Stories and Mission Apologetics: The Rhenish Mission from Wars and Genocide to the Nazi Revolution, 1904–1936.” Symposia 5 (2013): 17–32.

Ryland, Glen P. “Soldiers of Faith: Missionary Albert Hoffmann and the Evangelization of German Soldiers from the Eastern Front, 1916–1919.” Paper presented at Faith and the First World War, University of Glasgow, Scotland, 2016.