Professor Norman Jones is a distinguished historian whose career has been dedicated to understanding one of the most important and sensitive aspects of human culture: the interplay of religion and culture, particularly at the "cultural fault lines" where different religious traditions meet and where national identities are shaped through religious allegiances. As Professor Emeritus of History and Religious Studies at Utah State University, Professor Jones brings both scholarly depth and an award-winning teacher's ability to make complex historical and religious concepts accessible and meaningful.

His doctorate from Cambridge University—one of the world's premier institutions for historical study—provided rigorous training in historical methodology and access to unparalleled research resources. This Cambridge education, combined with decades of teaching and research, has made Professor Jones particularly skilled at helping travelers understand how historical events and religious movements continue to shape contemporary cultures and conflicts. His specialty in the Elizabethan world gives him expertise in a pivotal period when England was defining its national identity in relationship to both Catholicism and Protestantism, while his work on Christianity-Islam relations provides crucial context for understanding the Middle East and the broader Islamic world.

What makes Professor Jones particularly valuable as a tour leader is his focus on "cultural fault lines"—those places and periods where religions meet, sometimes peacefully and sometimes in conflict, and where the resulting tensions and exchanges shape both religious traditions and broader cultural identities. This perspective is essential for understanding many of the destinations Spiekermann Travel visits: the Middle East, where Christianity and Islam have coexisted and competed for centuries; the Balkans, where Orthodox Christianity, Catholicism, and Islam meet; and even Western Europe, where Reformation conflicts between Catholic and Protestant continue to influence culture and politics.

As an award-winning teacher, Professor Jones has demonstrated the ability to engage students and make historical and religious studies both intellectually rigorous and genuinely interesting. His teaching focuses on the history of Christianity, but always with attention to how Christian history intersects with other religious traditions, particularly Islam. This comparative perspective—understanding religions not in isolation but in relationship to each other—is exactly what travelers need to make sense of the complex religious landscapes they encounter when visiting regions where multiple faiths have shaped history and culture.

Professor Jones's scholarly reputation has earned him visiting positions at some of the world's most prestigious institutions. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard University, perhaps America's most renowned university; at Oxford University, Cambridge's great English rival; at the University of Geneva, in the heartland of Calvinist Protestantism; at the University of Hong Kong, bringing his expertise to Asian contexts; and back at his alma mater, Cambridge. These visiting professorships reflect the high regard in which his scholarship is held and have given him diverse international perspectives that enrich his ability to contextualize different cultures and religious traditions.

Additionally, Professor Jones has been a research fellow at two of America's great libraries for Renaissance and early modern studies: the Huntington Library in California and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. These fellowships provided access to rare books, manuscripts, and documents essential for understanding the Elizabethan world and early modern religious conflicts. The research conducted at these institutions has deepened his expertise in the precise period when the modern world was taking shape, when the Protestant Reformation was creating new religious divisions, when European powers were beginning their global expansion, and when encounters between Christianity and Islam were intensifying.

For more than a decade, Professor Jones has been leading tours for Spiekermann Travel, bringing his historical and religious expertise to travelers seeking deeper understanding of the places they visit. His longtime association with Spiekermann reflects both his commitment to educational travel and his effectiveness in "helping travelers contextualize what they are seeing." He doesn't just point out buildings and describe events—he provides the historical and religious frameworks that allow travelers to understand why places look the way they do, why conflicts developed, how different religious communities have interacted, and how historical legacies continue to influence contemporary life.

His publications on the Elizabethan world and Christianity-Islam relations demonstrate both scholarly rigor and an ability to communicate complex ideas clearly. These works address fundamental questions about how religious identity and political power interact, how states manage religious diversity, how different faiths understand and misunderstand each other, and how historical religious conflicts have shaped modern international relations. For travelers visiting regions marked by religious complexity—whether the ancient Christian communities of the Middle East, the Islamic architecture of Spain, the Crusader castles of the Levant, or the religiously diverse societies of the Balkans—Professor Jones provides historical depth and contemporary context that transforms tourism into genuine cultural education.

Perhaps most importantly, Professor Jones brings to his tours an understanding that religious traditions are lived experiences, not just abstract doctrines. He helps travelers appreciate how ordinary people have navigated religious diversity, how communities have built shared cultures across religious boundaries, and how faith continues to provide meaning and identity for billions of people worldwide. This humanistic approach—combined with rigorous scholarship and award-winning teaching ability—makes every journey with Professor Jones an opportunity for intellectual growth and cultural understanding.