The Initiative in Religion, Culture & Policy was established in January of 2015 and is managed by Owen Gottlieb, Ph.D., affiliate of the MAGIC Center and Assistant Professor of Interactive Games & Media. Gottlieb’s scholarship in digital media and games for learning crosses the fields of the learning sciences, religious studies, educational technology, Jewish studies and education, cultural anthropology, communication studies, and social studies education.
He is the founder and director of ConverJent: Jewish Games for Learning (www.converjent.org). His mobile augmented reality game Jewish Time Jump: NY was nominated for Most Innovative Game at the 2013 Games for Change Festival and has been featured in The Atlantic, The Village Voice, and Kill Screen.
Gottlieb is an ordained Reform rabbi (HUC-JIR) with industry experience in software project management for large corporate and non-profit clients. He has written screen and teleplays for Paramount and Universal, and worked for over twelve years as a director’s liaison for the Telluride Film Festival. He is a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis; the Writers Guild of America, West; and the International Game Developers Association.