Interview

What a Christian Judaism Professor Does in His Free Time

            By the time I had scaled the four flights of steps to the top floor of Minard Hall, I was huffing and puffing. It was not yet nine a.m. What was I doing at such an ungodly hour, you ask? Going to ask my History of Judaism professor, the esteemed Dr. Sean Burt, what he does in his free time. I sat down with Dr. Burt in his cozy office in the religion department. Two of the room’s walls were entirely lined with colorful books of all varieties. I started off the interview on a topic that I was very excited to discuss, the topic of books. When asked what his favorite book was, Dr. Burt’s eyes brightened, and he showed me a copy of The Hour of The Star by Clarice Lispector. His copy had post-it notes sticking out of it, most likely marking his favorite sections. “It’s a book about the experience of living.” Burt explained. Next I asked Dr. Burt about his favorite movie, and was very surprised by the answer I received. Dazed and Confused was the reply, showing a more laid-back side of the professor. Near the end of the interview, Dr. Burt shared with me that he also enjoys doing active things, and “getting out of my own head,” such as racquetball. It was a very enlightening conversation, and rather nice to get to know someone who I am going to be spending seventy-five minutes listening to lecture about things like the Second Temple Period of Judaism for the next three months.