Brandon Dean is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Iowa. He teaches courses on a variety of topics, with a particular focus on religion in the United States. His work explores the intersection of American religions and 20th- and 21st-century popular culture.

Professor Dean approaches the classroom with a multidisciplinary and integrative teaching style, emphasizing connections across course materials and between the classroom and everyday life. In addition to courses on the history of Christianity in Europe and the United States from the fall of Rome to the present, he teaches classes on the role of religion in popular culture, including religion and superheroes, sport, true crime podcasts, and horror media.

Professor Dean’s research interests mirror his teaching, examining the impact and importance of religion in contemporary life through the lens of popular culture. His current projects engage topics such as Superman, Chick Tracts, AI-generated portrayals of Jesus on TikTok, baseball, and reality television.

Beyond the classroom, Professor Dean is active in public engagement and experiential learning. He leads an annual walking lecture through Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City, an event that has attracted media attention and crowds of up to 100 people. In 2025, he established the ChurchCrawl, which invites undergraduates to attend a variety of local religious services to gain firsthand experience with religious diversity in the United States. He also organized a departmental visit to the Amish and Mennonite communities of Kalona, Iowa, where students and faculty toured the countryside, met with an Amish casket maker, shared a traditional meal, and—yes—petted goats.

Professor Dean earned his PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Iowa in 2016.

View CV

Selected publications

• “Holy Horror: DC Comics’ the Spectre as Theodic Monster.” In Horror Comics and Religion: Framing the Monstrous and the Divine. Edited by Brandon R. Grafius and John W. Morehead, 38-53. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2024.
• “A TikTok Jesus promises divine blessings and many worldly comforts.” The Conversation, November 15, 2023. https://theconversation.com/a-tiktok-jesus-promises-divine-blessings-and-many-worldly-comforts-213130.

Research interests

• American religious history
• Lived American religions
• Baseball and religion
• Superheroes and religion
• Religion and popular culture

Courses taught

• RELS:1080 Introduction to the New Testament
• RELS:1225/HIST:1025 Medieval Religion and Culture
• RELS:1250/HIST:1050 Modern Religion and Culture
• RELS:1702 Religion in America Today
• RELS:2272 Gods & Superheroes: Myths for the Modern World
• RELS:2877/SPST:2077 Sport and Religion in America
• RELS:2980 Religion and Contemporary Popular Culture
  • Sinners, Scandal, and True Crime
• RELS:2986 Religion and Women

Service and public engagement

• Annual Oakland Cemetery Walking Lecture (2024-present)
  • A fall walking lecture that explores the religious and cultural dimensions of death, memory, and sacred space in Iowa City’s historic Oakland Cemetery. The event regularly draws around 100 attendees and has received local media coverage.
• ChurchCrawl (2025–present)
  • A multi-site experiential learning project in which undergraduates attend diverse religious services across Iowa City. Aims to deepen student understanding of lived religious practice in contemporary America.
• Amish and Mennonite Tour of Kalona, Iowa (2025)
  • A departmental field trip for students and faculty to explore Anabaptist traditions. Activities included touring Amish farms, visiting a casket maker, sharing a traditional meal, and engaging with community members.