tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12641975245927737992024-03-12T19:51:44.227-05:00Duke University Religion DepartmentThis is the weblog for news and views from the Religion Department at Duke UniversityMark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-24260312449139929692010-03-18T06:33:00.000-05:002010-03-18T06:33:17.865-05:00New Department of Religion WebsiteOur new website here at the Duke University Dept of Religion went live today. Let us know what you think:<br />
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<b><a href="http://religiondepartment.duke.edu/">Duke University Religion Departmemnt</a></b>Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-73308678771227899042010-03-15T19:59:00.000-05:002010-03-15T19:59:46.700-05:00Between God and the Secular: The Future of Citizenship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2HPCOrSlAUwiC145OIXwpDBsy1iahpKJA3x_IgYenWc9AW6Wvz-3DwXplrua-6jV72vneLtU5NbiyqryS7VXM4VsOS-Jvhzz8uytsVLX9YTQzShh6hKiOHNq_6fESi96dTvasvBNV/s1600-h/Peter_Steinfels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2HPCOrSlAUwiC145OIXwpDBsy1iahpKJA3x_IgYenWc9AW6Wvz-3DwXplrua-6jV72vneLtU5NbiyqryS7VXM4VsOS-Jvhzz8uytsVLX9YTQzShh6hKiOHNq_6fESi96dTvasvBNV/s200/Peter_Steinfels.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><b>Between God and the Secular: The Future of Citizenship</b><br />
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<b>Tuesday March 23 2010, 5.30pm</b><br />
<b>Room 0012 Westbrook, Divinity School</b><br />
<br />
<b>Peter Steinfels</b><br />
<b>Religion Columnist for the New York Times and Co-Director of the Fordham University Center on Religion and Culture</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
What does it mean for American public life and specifically for our politics to live in a post-secular world where neither religious faith nor secularization shows any signs of disappearing? To bar religious argument and appeals from our political debates would be both impossible and impoverishing. But for a pluralist, for a religiously diverse society to avoid intractable conflicts it needs a new ethic of "post-secular citizenship" involving both literacy and enlarged sensibilities on the part of believers and non-believers.<br />
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A two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee and former senior religion correspondent for the <i>New York Times</i>, Dr. Steinfels created and continues to pen his biweekly column "Beliefs," dealing with religion and ethics. His books includes <i>A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America</i> and <i>The Neoconservatives</i>, and he co-edited <i>Death Inside Out</i>. Dr Steinfels and his wife, Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, became the founding co-directors of the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture in 2004. The Center explores questions that arise when religious faith intersects with contemporary culture and fosters dialogue on the challenges posed to the culture.<br />
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The lecture is being sponsored by the Department of Religion, the Dennis and Rita Meyer Endowment Fund, Evelyn and Valfrid Palmer Roman Catholic Studies Endowment Fund, and the John-Kelly C. Warren Roman Catholic Studies Endowment Fund.Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-9613133821304432542010-02-09T06:58:00.003-05:002010-02-09T07:46:20.616-05:00Q & A with Mohsen KadivarToday's <i>Duke Chronicle</i> has a Q & A with Mohsen Kadivar:<div><br /><div><b><a href="http://dukechronicle.com/article/qa-mohsen-kadivar">Q & A with Mohsen Kadivar</a></b></div><div>By Ciaran O'Connor</div><div><blockquote>Mohsen Kadivar, a visiting professor in the religion department, spent 18 months in an Iranian prison for speaking his mind.<br /><br />Kadivar, 50, who is teaching an undergraduate class and a seminar in the Divinity School, is a prominent Iranian cleric and political dissident. Most recently, along with four other leading opposition figures outside Iran, Kadivar drafted and signed an open letter calling for the resignation of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, free elections, the release of political prisoners, greater freedom of speech and an independent judiciary . . . .</blockquote></div></div>Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-34265081810524995032010-02-03T14:27:00.006-05:002010-02-12T11:30:17.614-05:00Remembering Mary Daly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfPwskHenoekLeGETf9wj3Cyf3lQQ-JpAw4_odHvA00Ve8Jez7s3nKNDZBY604VZihRwpbSkryivmxAt7FPuFlY5QM5XplESLuje81veBrKsed_jGeg1gpZLk-CwEPUU5rUWEFpdt/s1600-h/marydaly.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfPwskHenoekLeGETf9wj3Cyf3lQQ-JpAw4_odHvA00Ve8Jez7s3nKNDZBY604VZihRwpbSkryivmxAt7FPuFlY5QM5XplESLuje81veBrKsed_jGeg1gpZLk-CwEPUU5rUWEFpdt/s320/marydaly.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437394739595760066" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Remembering Mary Daly</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Reflection of Her Life and Work</span><br /><br />Thursday February 18<br />5.00pm<br />0015 Westbrook Duke Divinity School<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><ul><li>Elizabeth Clark, Dept of Religion, Duke University</li><li>Mary McClintock Fulkerson, Duke Divinity School</li><li>Amy Laura Hall, Duke Divinity School</li><li>Kathy Rudy, Women's Studies Program, Duke University</li><li>Randall Styers, Dept of Religious Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill</li><li>Reflections by Duke and UNC Graduate Students</li></ul>Reception to follow in 118 Gray, Dept of Religion<br />The reception is sponsored by the Dennis and Rita Meyer Endowment for Catholic Studies, Department of Religion, Duke University</div></div>Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-30047552880871468852010-01-29T21:19:00.002-05:002010-01-29T21:22:01.455-05:00Follow us on TwitterYou can now follow Duke University Department of Religion on Twitter. Our twitter feed will feature news, events, announcements and it is a great way of keeping up to date with our activities:<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://twitter.com/dukereligion">Follow us on Twitter</a>.</div>Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-7862862261787800672009-10-24T06:36:00.019-05:002009-10-24T09:19:54.987-05:00DukeEngage Returns to India's Pearl City, Hyderabad!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleFrMyQK6cNYGqEqloZ2CWTC_4WpokU-_msE6plq7qBKw8i9Qt16Z-qZFaCs_3gTQhpefH8r_aLed0R9-LX_7Q8DwvRH8gibbG3yNKs9C8TynvlixIRUx1Q0bUyIdNS-_yM-OdY0jSzxw/s1600-h/2008+Group+Luther.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleFrMyQK6cNYGqEqloZ2CWTC_4WpokU-_msE6plq7qBKw8i9Qt16Z-qZFaCs_3gTQhpefH8r_aLed0R9-LX_7Q8DwvRH8gibbG3yNKs9C8TynvlixIRUx1Q0bUyIdNS-_yM-OdY0jSzxw/s320/2008+Group+Luther.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396136595493899650" border="0" /></a><br />In its second year's run, <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">The Loom & the Wheel: Literacy & Livelihood</span></span> <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">in Hyderabad</span> will once again see Duke undergraduates in the Pearl City in the summer of 2010 (June 7- August 7)<span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> </span>. The program, co-directed by Leela (Dept of Religion, Duke) and Prasad (<a href="http://vivekingroup.com/aboutus.htm">Vivekin Group</a>) is a collaboration with the <a href="http://www.aidindia.org/main/">Association for India’s Development</a> and the <a href="http://smileforlife.org/">Smile for Life</a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZf_RdHkLt3NeOUR0T95ZC2yUnLy5W_RSkJkXK5m_HbQh6i8taxjziMWWjvt9GwtUm_GLRAc66TGPKIWL26PuyG3fKx4rS3WPeEnkYukNjmN9S2U1HIzkwNxqOrX0qsVitS_t_XlTqVm0/s1600-h/pearls2.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 138px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZf_RdHkLt3NeOUR0T95ZC2yUnLy5W_RSkJkXK5m_HbQh6i8taxjziMWWjvt9GwtUm_GLRAc66TGPKIWL26PuyG3fKx4rS3WPeEnkYukNjmN9S2U1HIzkwNxqOrX0qsVitS_t_XlTqVm0/s200/pearls2.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396152044218179922" border="0" /></a><a href="http://smileforlife.org/"> Foundation</a>. Like in 2008, we will work with elementary school children in economically underprivileged communities on communicative English and storytelling skills, basic science experiments, and visual-art and theater-art projects. The goal: to make the experience of education fun, fruitful, and far-reaching, even transformative, for everybody involved in this collaboration.<br /><br />Hyderabad is a beautiful city, known to its historians and its fans as the city that materializes the cusp between Muslim and Hindu cultures. Although these are two prominent populations of Hyderabad, it is home to other religious communities like Sikhs, Christians and Parsis, for example. One of the fastest growing cities of India, Hyderabad has become a global technology site in which its new glass architecture <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2dIPAkwV_Wd3AEMAKok-hQwipEs-PKtAzOmRrSTOsxcO5wV2-YKn1tcAK9KKsboeyHrt9Q6gMNCfxU5K-EBPcD2QpqPcY2t1f5e3x5xIUcgG7hFe7s8Du-75UuBtc7ZS19WOywlwB3O7/s1600-h/Oracle+Hitech.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2dIPAkwV_Wd3AEMAKok-hQwipEs-PKtAzOmRrSTOsxcO5wV2-YKn1tcAK9KKsboeyHrt9Q6gMNCfxU5K-EBPcD2QpqPcY2t1f5e3x5xIUcgG7hFe7s8Du-75UuBtc7ZS19WOywlwB3O7/s320/Oracle+Hitech.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396147401532424946" border="0" /></a>now sits intriguingly amidst its magnificent 500-year old stone monuments.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17NVWriqEtTjn0e5YxGSE5XM6lx58KHpcGnNAqsrJMsSl8MhXjJFev1mKXKEtYGv9ESaP966lsgR9iBK3ca0gon10UmV1r_TcvjuxwKddJbTLuTcI3wjmy1w3ff4bB-vhm7f7l2hvCH1q/s1600-h/Tomb_of_Muhammad_Quli_Qutb_Shah_in_Hyderabad_W_IMG_4738.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17NVWriqEtTjn0e5YxGSE5XM6lx58KHpcGnNAqsrJMsSl8MhXjJFev1mKXKEtYGv9ESaP966lsgR9iBK3ca0gon10UmV1r_TcvjuxwKddJbTLuTcI3wjmy1w3ff4bB-vhm7f7l2hvCH1q/s320/Tomb_of_Muhammad_Quli_Qutb_Shah_in_Hyderabad_W_IMG_4738.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396161811156765698" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Our DukeEngage team will explore these and other juxtapositions and intersections, the glories and the worries they produce, and discover the rhythms of Hyderabadi daily life, food, its world-famous pearls and bangles, and the arts.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEB3a0JhXGKlt1tFI-vMtTn7jKXrKCmcYjdZiADGQIbJI4wNtxFJGVlu8GdOpdOAWYUR1WoZFlUr6xYgUT-5KdpuOeywOgm-C7zAhKqKGJLex8IPuqn1QmlM3lEafhXhR1A7H0INlS5zf/s1600-h/ChudisCropped.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEB3a0JhXGKlt1tFI-vMtTn7jKXrKCmcYjdZiADGQIbJI4wNtxFJGVlu8GdOpdOAWYUR1WoZFlUr6xYgUT-5KdpuOeywOgm-C7zAhKqKGJLex8IPuqn1QmlM3lEafhXhR1A7H0INlS5zf/s320/ChudisCropped.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396150504053559090" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />For more details, see <a href="http://www.duke.edu/%7Eleela/dukeengage/">http://www.duke.edu/~leela/dukeengage/</a><br /><br />To apply for this program, <a href="https://www.dukeonline.duke.edu/dea/students/create">click here</a>Leela Prasadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08764585271607098745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-5488350609131515312009-10-22T10:28:00.003-05:002009-10-22T10:33:58.015-05:00New Faculty Profile: Mona Hassan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxmolLd55y2QTEXnyYEFOMpkIyVgPdlOY5MUahJSWrZVNYDeYJ3L8HGG7sUsTS8dpZINbMt7ixK8VVjM347Ak5_BXpkLN3V3kfUGWWdTvZls-xfNGna9_f6KXGDdqBTAxkI7pf4gK/s1600-h/hassan468.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxmolLd55y2QTEXnyYEFOMpkIyVgPdlOY5MUahJSWrZVNYDeYJ3L8HGG7sUsTS8dpZINbMt7ixK8VVjM347Ak5_BXpkLN3V3kfUGWWdTvZls-xfNGna9_f6KXGDdqBTAxkI7pf4gK/s200/hassan468.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395447051005336002" /></a>On<a href="http://www.duke.edu/today"> Duke Today</a>, you can read about one of our new faculty members, Mona Hassan, assistant professor of Islamic Studies and History in the Department of Religion:<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://news.duke.edu/2009/10/hassan.html"><b>Mona Hassan: The History of Emotions and Religious Imaginations</b></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Religion professor explores how the Muslim past shapes imaginations of the future</span><br />By Andrea Fereshteh<br /></div>Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-38089706796626030172009-09-26T13:10:00.000-05:002009-09-26T13:12:11.316-05:00Online Office Hours with Mark GoodacreMark Goodacre appeared live on Duke University's Ustream Channel on Friday September 18, for an hour, in "Online Office Hours", answering questions sent in by the general public on the topic of the New Testament and Christian Origins. You can watch these online office hours here:
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<br /><a href="http://72.52.212.139/frontpage/09/21/2009">Duke Chronicle</a> published an article about this new venture at Duke, <a href="http://72.52.212.139/article/professors-offer-online-office-hours">Professors offer online office hours</a>, on Monday.
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<br />Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-68563114081103659182009-01-12T10:08:00.000-05:002009-01-12T10:10:03.722-05:00E. P. Sanders, Jesus and Judaism<a href="http://www.duke.edu/today">Duke Today</a> reports on the two books recently published that honor Ed Sanders's work, <a href="http://www.augsburgfortress.org/store/item.jsp?clsid=194828&productgroupid=0&isbn=0800662997">Common Judaism</a> and <a href="http://undpress.nd.edu/book/P01243">Redefining First Century Jewish and Christian Identities</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2009/01/sanders.html">Duke Religion Professor E. P. Sanders Honored with New Books</a></span><br /><br />The piece features an eight minute video interview:<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.duke.edu/today/player/index.swf?lid=23692" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" base="http://www.duke.edu/today/player/" name="DukeTodayPlayer" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swliveconnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" width="320" height="290"></embed>Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-6506082497053366592008-12-10T22:18:00.003-05:002008-12-10T22:21:08.144-05:00Graduate Program in Religion: Fall News 2008The latest version of the Graduate Program in Religion newsletter is now available online:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.duke.edu/web/gradreligion/documents/GPRnewsfall2008.pdf">GPR Fall 2008 News</a></span> (PDF)<br /><br />The newsletter features the latest from faculty and graduate students, and some reflections from Professors Moody Smith and E. P. Sanders.Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-15843947715533572392008-10-29T10:24:00.003-05:002008-10-29T11:04:25.188-05:00Duke in IsraelThe <a href="http://www.duke.edu/religion">Department of Religion</a> (along with <a href="http://www.duke.edu/web/ames/">Ancient and Middle-Eastern Studies</a>) is sponsoring a wonderful new Study Abroad Program this summer (2009): DUKE IN ISRAEL. A six week program located in Jerusalem, it will feature two courses: one on Biblical Archaeology, and one on the city of Jerusalem itself! The program includes a long field trip to the most important archaeological sites in Israel and also some in Jordan, such as Petra, a World Heritage site described by UNESCO as "one of the most precious cultural properties."<br /><br />An optional 5-week <a href="http://dukeengage.duke.edu/">Duke Engage</a> program, following the academic program, is available.<br /><br />The following document gives full details of the program:<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.ntgateway.com/dukeinisrael.pdf">Duke In Israel</a><br />May 17 to June 28 2009Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-86697314722217646492008-07-29T11:39:00.001-05:002008-07-29T11:40:36.321-05:00New Graduate Program WebsiteThe Graduate Program in Religion is proud to unveil its new website:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.duke.edu/web/gradreligion/index.html">Graduate Program in Religion, Duke University</a></span><br /><br />Feel free to post your comments here.Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-7324726094319446722008-07-15T14:37:00.003-05:002008-07-15T16:38:08.111-05:00Harry Partin DiesWe are sorry to report the death of colleague Harry Partin, who taught the history of religions and Duke for thirty years. <a href="http://www.duke.edu/today">Duke Today</a> has the story here:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://news.duke.edu/2008/06/partin.html">Harry Partin, Long-time Teacher of History of Religions, Dies</a></span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Former faculty member was 82</span><br /><br /><br />Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-16794270783763100112008-04-28T11:53:00.003-05:002008-07-29T12:02:58.504-05:00Wesley Kort wins teaching honor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6qFJGnGbEfSGfr2P2T6-cNXApl8P3jNeEqEYn9Ex1ouS6SYfCd_TQkXq-choBkJZcCEnp57uGj7OZWXE7lLsmWLnaPfQ3m69qC7j4_9eb7ialFnW7tdC_Lx5y9HudUQSyG8D_ESc/s1600-h/kort2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6qFJGnGbEfSGfr2P2T6-cNXApl8P3jNeEqEYn9Ex1ouS6SYfCd_TQkXq-choBkJZcCEnp57uGj7OZWXE7lLsmWLnaPfQ3m69qC7j4_9eb7ialFnW7tdC_Lx5y9HudUQSyG8D_ESc/s320/kort2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228482340221669074" border="0" /></a>Congratulations to Professor Wesley Kort on winning the prestigious Richard K. Lublin Teaching Award. The full story is in <span style="font-style: italic;">Duke Today</span>:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://news.duke.edu/2008/04/kort.html">Wesley Kort: Lectures that Make a Difference</a></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Long-time faculty member wins second teaching honor</span><br />By Nancy Oates<br /><br />Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-72840398221777795272008-02-02T08:34:00.007-05:002008-10-14T21:22:27.083-05:00Leela Prasad Initiates a DukeEngage Summer Program in India<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">The Loom & the Wheel: Literacy and Livelihood in Hyderabad, India</span><br /><br />My work with “lived ethics” in the town of Sringeri has made me aware of the ways in which ethical thought is articulated and embodied in everyday routines, conversationally-shared stories, stylized performances, and in material and visual practices. I wrote about these explorations in <a href="http://cup.columbia.edu/main/AuthorAwards.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Poetics of Conduct</span></a> (2007), in which I mention how I was referred to two “Gandhians” in the town. While both individuals had met Gandhi briefly, perhaps unsurprisingly neither had explicitly identified himself as a “Gandhian.” This raised two simple questions, both not terribly original, but which, at least preliminarily, shape my interest in contemporary formulations of “Gandhian ethics”: What do people imagine Gandhi to be? What does it mean to live out Gandhian ideals or principles?<br /><br />Gandhi's autobiography, among other things, is a profound lesson in understanding the concept and the practice of "service."<br /><br />In December 2007, I visited <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad,_Andhra_Pradesh">Hyderabad</a> supported by a site exploration grant from <a href="http://dukeengage.duke.edu/">DukeEngage</a> to see how Duke students and I could collaborate with two organizations that in different ways have "Gandhi" in their imaginary. Both organizations do inspiring work in child literacy. With a program grant awarded by DukeEngage, I will be setting up with my husband, <a href="http://vivekingroup.com/aboutus.htm">Prasad</a>, the first summer program in Hyderabad between June and August 2008. Our team, which consists of 8 highly-motivated Duke undergraduate students, will work with with Safrani Memorial School in the Darga locality and with the Hyderabad chapter of the Association for India’s Development (AID) in government city schools in Secunderabad. We will work with 5th-7th graders who come from severely underprivileged economic backgrounds. Our plan is to teach the children communicative English and basic reading skills, demonstrate basic science experiments in schools, work with school children on “free content” learning by collaboratively writing and directing skits and short plays, develop illustrative materials for subjects like geography and history, and work with a local education-supportive media studio to produce simple educational DVDs that will be used to broadcast to schools state-wide.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Why is the project called "The Loom & the Wheel"?<br /></div><br />The hand-loom (<span style="font-style: italic;">magga</span>) and the spinning wheel (<span style="font-style: italic;">charkha</span>) are both considered central symbols of Gandhian political and social philosophy. Gandhi’s rejection of western machine-made cloth that came out of the exploitation of Indian land and labor accompanied his adoption of the spinning wheel to make yarn out of indigenous cotton, and the hand-loom to weave Khadi cloth of this yarn.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Safrani Memorial School is run by 78-year old Suraiya Hasan Bose whose family <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OmjUD4gPwOU/R6SvciqcGdI/AAAAAAAAAGE/JM2ptAWC_hs/s1600-h/Safrani+School+Bldg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OmjUD4gPwOU/R6SvciqcGdI/AAAAAAAAAGE/JM2ptAWC_hs/s320/Safrani+School+Bldg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162443977749436882" border="0" /></a>has close ties <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrypPc3vanNcmjT1dRyyXr16_8Yb0MkaYLtS4tEBqmyJ6lZ8hhL2dsf12M7p9Y2F7QofTyhCvI48xSlQiJbKGGTRePYtHBRVTdaa_sYXzlk_p9spSFGTTzbLHEVgbHTxac189elXA9rG0o/s1600-h/Safrani+School+Bldg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrypPc3vanNcmjT1dRyyXr16_8Yb0MkaYLtS4tEBqmyJ6lZ8hhL2dsf12M7p9Y2F7QofTyhCvI48xSlQiJbKGGTRePYtHBRVTdaa_sYXzlk_p9spSFGTTzbLHEVgbHTxac189elXA9rG0o/s320/Safrani+School+Bldg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163669778595584578" border="0" /></a>to Gandhi and Subhas Chandra Bose, both leading figures in the Indian Independence movement. The school connects to Mrs Hasan Bose’s other urgent project, whose central instrument is the loom: Centuries-old traditional handloom weaving is suffering a dramatic decline in Andhra Pradesh with mechanization, woeful State support, and emerging manual-labor markets created by rapid urban development. Acute unemployment has driven alarming numbers of debt-ridden weavers to suicide, or to migrate to Hyderabad, or give up weaving altogether in rural areas. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9NrhLad-eZOt0jkuMo06W6Mh9DoiBrFYfqGflCYIaX5FUQFZU-tC8xJ3qRyCeepOEUM74eT8bi27zFkv22oSYrA1NJ5rHYnFonL6jTeU6a9KxTJA0y8SsKl6ISZKfUhHcicWe_NnDNOR/s1600-h/HKDLoom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9NrhLad-eZOt0jkuMo06W6Mh9DoiBrFYfqGflCYIaX5FUQFZU-tC8xJ3qRyCeepOEUM74eT8bi27zFkv22oSYrA1NJ5rHYnFonL6jTeU6a9KxTJA0y8SsKl6ISZKfUhHcicWe_NnDNOR/s320/HKDLoom.jpg" alt="" id="Weaving at HKD" border="0" /></a>Mrs. Hasan-Bose employs women weavers, many of them widowed or deserted, in her workshop (<span style="font-style: italic;">House of Kalamkari and Dhurries</span>), which focuses on revitalizing older Persian and Andhra weaving traditions. Children of these weavers alongside neighborhood children from households of laborers, small business owners, or vegetable vendors, attend the adjacent Safrani Memorial School (K-10).<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://aidindia.org/">Association for India's Development</a> (AID) is a US and India based volunteer organization that promotes Gandhian ideals of “sustainable, equitable and just development.” AID’s philosophy draws on the constructive, interconnected approach symbolized by the Gandhian “charkha” (spinning wheel). <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OmjUD4gPwOU/R6S1biqcGeI/AAAAAAAAAGM/AActEz8-r8o/s1600-h/AID+Volunteer+With+Adikmet+Kids.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OmjUD4gPwOU/R6S1biqcGeI/AAAAAAAAAGM/AActEz8-r8o/s320/AID+Volunteer+With+Adikmet+Kids.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162450557639334370" border="0" /></a>As faculty advisor of AID’s Duke <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63Vx3q3Mv7MUkoJM0osfZttEoTCsYwBGrVa86dcdOu4UboDrM5DlECBzgCirtp8xn6IiLY6cfFuSZynrRdfwA7icqHK55hA7sLQCkskya_GrvuaPH-x2vB3rSP1scqXIYkuVlJyoNgb6i/s1600-h/AID+Volunteer+With+Adikmet+Kids.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63Vx3q3Mv7MUkoJM0osfZttEoTCsYwBGrVa86dcdOu4UboDrM5DlECBzgCirtp8xn6IiLY6cfFuSZynrRdfwA7icqHK55hA7sLQCkskya_GrvuaPH-x2vB3rSP1scqXIYkuVlJyoNgb6i/s320/AID+Volunteer+With+Adikmet+Kids.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163669224544803378" border="0" /></a>chapter, I am familiar with the immersive process underlying AID projects. The AID-Hyderabad team, led by Dr. Vidya Jonnalagadda and Srihari Dukkipati, works with K-10 government English-, Telugu- and Urdu-medium schools in Hyderabad to provide an imaginative education in science and math, an acute need given the paucity of teachers and resources. The picture shows a AID volunteer offering supplementary lessons to an enthusiastic bunch of kids at the Govt school in in Adikmet.<br /><br />We are looking forward to the exciting work ahead of us....<br /></div>Leela Prasadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08764585271607098745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-17530331574200254852008-01-21T12:22:00.000-05:002008-01-24T19:03:35.772-05:00The Talpiot Tomb Controversy Revisited[This slightly revised version was posted on 24 January]<br /><br />A firestorm has broken out in Jerusalem following the conclusion of the “Third Princeton Theological Seminary Symposium on Jewish Views of the Afterlife and Burial Practices in Second Temple Judaism: Evaluating the Talpiot Tomb in Context.” Most negative assessments of archaeologists and other scientists and scholars who attended have been excluded from the final press reports. Instead the media have presented the views of Simcha Jacobovici, who produced the controversial film and book “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” with Hollywood director James Cameron, and who claims that his identification has been vindicated by the conference papers. Nothing further from the truth can be deduced from the discussion and presentations that took place on January 13-17, 2008. <br /><br />A statistical analysis of the names engraved on the ossuaries leaves no doubt that the probability of the Talpiot tomb belonging to Jesus’ family is virtually nil if the Mariamene named on one of the ossuaries is not Mary Magdalene. Even the reading of the inscribed name as “Mariamene” was contested by epigraphers at the conference. Furthermore, Mary Magdalene is not referred to by the Greek name Mariamene in any literary sources before the late second-third century AD. An expert panel of scholars on the subject of Mary in the early church dismissed out of hand the suggestion that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus, and no traditions refer to a son of Jesus named Judah (another individual named on an ossuary from the Talpiot tomb). Moreover, the DNA evidence from the tomb, which has been used to suggest that Jesus had a wife, was dismissed by the Hebrew University team that devised such procedures and has conducted such research all over the world. The ossuary inscribed with the name “Jesus son of Joseph” is paralleled by a find from another Jerusalem tomb, and at least one speaker said the reading of the name “Jesus” on the Talpiot tomb ossuary is uncertain. Testimony from archaeologists who were involved in the excavation of the Talpiot tomb leaves no doubt that the “missing” tenth ossuary was plain and uninscribed, eliminating any possibility that it is the so-called “James ossuary.”<br /><br />The identification of the Talpiot tomb as the tomb of Jesus’ family flies in the face of the accounts of Paul and the canonical Gospel, which are the earliest traditions describing Jesus’ death and burial. According to these accounts Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb of a prominent follower named Joseph of Arimathea. Since at least the early fourth century Christians have venerated the site of Jesus’ burial at the spot marked by the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In contrast, not a single tradition, Christian or otherwise, preserves any reference to or recollection of a family tomb of Jesus anywhere in Jerusalem.<br /><br /> The smoking gun at the conference was the surprise appearance of Ruth Gat, the widow of the archaeologist who excavated the tomb in 1980 and has since passed away. Mrs. Gat announced that her husband had known about the identification all along but was afraid to tell anyone because of the possibility of an anti-Semitic reaction. However, Joseph Gat lacked the expertise to read the inscriptions. Jacobovici now says that Mrs. Gat’s statement has vindicated his claims about the tomb.<br /><br /> To conclude, we wish to protest the misrepresentation of the conference proceedings in the media, and make it clear that the majority of scholars in attendance – including all of the archaeologists and epigraphers who presented papers relating to the tomb - either reject the identification of the Talpiot tomb as belonging to Jesus’ family or find this claim highly speculative.<br /><br />Signed,<br />Professor Mordechai Aviam, University of Rochester<br />Professor Ann Graham Brock, Iliff School of Theology, University of Denver<br />Professor F.W. Dobbs-Allsopp, Princeton Theological Seminary<br />Professor C.D. Elledge, Gustavus Adolphus College<br />Professor Shimon Gibson, University of North Carolina at Charlotte<br />Professor Rachel Hachlili, University of Haifa<br />Professor Amos Kloner, Bar-Ilan University<br />Professor Jodi Magness, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill<br />Professor Lee McDonald, Arcadia Seminary<br />Professor Eric M. Meyers, Duke University<br />Professor Stephen Pfann, University of the Holy Land<br />Professor Jonathan Price, Tel Aviv University<br />Professor Christopher Rollston, Emmanuel School of Religion<br />Professor Alan F. Segal, Barnard College, Columbia University<br />Professor Choon-Leong Seow, Princeton Theological Seminary<br />Mr. Joe Zias, Science and Antiquity Group, Jerusalem<br />Dr. Boaz Zissu, Bar-Ilan UniversityMark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-23839764986206851492007-11-13T23:08:00.000-05:002007-11-13T23:14:41.883-05:00Duke Religion Second in the Country for Scholarly ProductivityThe <a href="http://chronicle.com/">Chronicle of Higher Education</a> ranks Duke <span style="font-style:italic;">second</span> in its "Top Research Universities Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index" for Religion / Religious Studies in 2007, below only Harvard. The full chart is available here:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity/page.php?year=2007&primary=10&secondary=216&bycat=Go#">Top Research Universities Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index: Religion / Religious Studies, 2007</a></span><br /><br /><br />Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-85476026163205718802007-11-01T21:47:00.000-05:002007-11-01T21:59:02.553-05:00Ebrahim Moosa's New WebsitePlease visit Ebrahim Moosa's new illustrated website, which features details of his publications, his awards and honors, multimedia resources, a new blog and more:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.ebrahimmoosa.com">Ebrahim Moosa</a></span><br /><br />Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-31024340451450939142007-10-18T09:24:00.000-05:002007-10-18T09:48:01.195-05:00Ebrahim Moosa lectures before the King of Morocco<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToTGkHPMYxmqfVN0FPElq45DhS-yVVIHVHIHn_KIy1tkYm-WLgVDWJHCyywhVvGibw57gRQp7vW4SCTNoUIOl5ayPhNeNNYErY0TeR6b4rEgACboNtnngTf0pCUOR4SZSs5yISFbI/s1600-h/moosa2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToTGkHPMYxmqfVN0FPElq45DhS-yVVIHVHIHn_KIy1tkYm-WLgVDWJHCyywhVvGibw57gRQp7vW4SCTNoUIOl5ayPhNeNNYErY0TeR6b4rEgACboNtnngTf0pCUOR4SZSs5yISFbI/s200/moosa2.jpg" border="0" alt="Ebrahim Moosa speaks at the Qarawiyin Mosque"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122683104300370098" /></a>The Religion Department's <a href="http://www.duke.edu/religion/home/moosa/moosa.html">Ebrahim Moosa</a> has been in the news after delivering a lecture “Ethical Challenges in Contemporary Islamic Thought” hosted by His Majesty King Muhammad VI of Morocco. Duke in the News has the full story:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2007/10/moosa.html">King of Morocco Attends Lecture By Duke Professor Ebrahim Moosa</a></span><blockquote>This week, Moosa delivered a lecture, “Ethical Challenges in Contemporary Islamic Thought,” that was hosted by His Majesty King Muhammad VI of Morocco and was held in the renovated Qarawiyin Mosque in the historic city of Fez. Attending the lecture, which came during the holy month of Ramadan, were the king, a royal entourage, scores of diplomats, Moroccan government representatives, ministers and senior representatives of the armed forces, among others.<br /><br />“It was a real honor to be invited to speak to such a distinguished audience,” said Moosa . . . </blockquote>Click on the link above to read the full story, which was also covered in the <a href="http://www.dukechronicle.com/home/">Duke Chronicle</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2007/10/17/News/Prof-Lectures.To.Moroccan.Monarch-3037695.shtml">Prof lectures to Moroccan monarch</a></span><br />By: Sam Choe<br /><br />Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-64682369755110880142007-09-29T23:23:00.000-05:002007-09-29T23:23:23.990-05:00American Religion at Duke and UNC Chapel HillWe have a new website devoted to the study of American Religion at Duke and UNC Chapel Hill. Please explore the site and let us know what you think:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.unc.edu/depts/rel_stud/duke-unc/">The Study of American Religion at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill</a></span><br /><br />Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-23791431358622635202007-09-23T23:11:00.000-05:002007-09-23T23:11:25.027-05:00Article on Eric Meyers in News and ObserverThe following article appeared in Friday's <a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/">News and Observer</a> (excerpt below; for full article, click on the link):<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/711266.html">The congregation's voice before God</a></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">As cantor on Yom Kippur, a Duke professor unites spiritual life and lifelong love</span><br />Yonat Shimron, Staff Writer<blockquote>For nearly four decades, Duke University professor Eric Meyers has been known best as an archaeologist and teacher. But his passion is singing, and on the Jewish High Holiday he serves in the rarefied role of a cantor.<br /><br />His commanding lyric baritone will fill the sanctuary tonight to mark the beginning of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, considered the holiest day of the Jewish year.<br /><br />For Meyers, 67, the work of the cantor, or musical prayer leader, is not so much a sideline as a lifelong love. From the time he was 8, growing up in Norwich, Conn., Meyers has been singing -- first in his childhood synagogue's choir, and later in pulpits in Massachusetts and New York, and in concert halls across the Triangle. Through singing, he said, he has been able to connect with a spiritual side -- one his academic work can't fully touch.<br /><br />"Music keeps one human," Meyers said. "It's a totally different experience in the brain and heart. It takes you to a different place." . . . .<br /></blockquote>Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-7108817511567897412007-08-30T13:39:00.000-05:002007-08-30T13:47:45.398-05:00Late Ancient Judaism PositionDuke University's <a href="http://www.duke.edu/religion">Department of Religion</a> in Trinity College of Arts and Sciences invites applications and nominations for a tenure-track assistant professor position in late ancient Judaism to begin August 2008. Candidates should have expertise in classical Jewish literature and an interest in Jewish interactions with late-ancient Christianity and/or early Islam. Additional areas of interest may include art, archaeology, gender studies or any discipline related to the cognate fields of Classical Studies, History, or Islamic Studies. The appointment includes graduate and undergraduate instruction. The appointee will participate in Duke's <a href="http://www.duke.edu/web/gradreligion/">Graduate Program in Religion</a> and <a href="http://www.jewishstudies.aas.duke.edu/">Judaic Studies</a> Program. They also will collaborate with faculty members in the <a href="http://www.unc.edu/depts/rel_stud/index.shtml">Department of Religious Studies</a> at the nearby University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. We prefer candidates send a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference electronically to <a href="mailto:nhurtgen@duke.edu">nhurtgen@duke.edu</a>. Applications submitted by mail should be directed to Chair of the Late-Ancient Judaism Search Committee, Department of Religion, Box 90964, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0964. Applications received by October 15, 2007 will be guaranteed full consideration but the search will continue until the position is filled. Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Women and minorities strongly are encouraged to apply.<br /><br />Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-12531875965406307012007-08-30T13:31:00.000-05:002007-08-30T13:41:48.395-05:00Islamic Studies PositionDuke University: <a href="http://www.duke.edu/religion">The Department of Religion</a> in Arts & Sciences invites applications and nominations for a tenure-track position in Islamic Studies at the assistant professor level to begin August 2008. Candidates should have a commitment to critical and comparative approaches to the study ofreligion and culture. Subfield and geographic areas of concentration are open. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency to conduct research in and teach the relevant languages related to their primary area of expertise. Successful candidates will be required to offer a range of undergraduate classes. The appointee will participate in Duke's <a href="http://www.duke.edu/web/gradreligion/">Graduate Program in Religion </a>and collaborate with faculty members in the <a href="http://www.unc.edu/depts/rel_stud/index.shtml">Department of Religious Studies</a> at the nearby University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. We prefer candidates send a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference electronically to <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:nhurtgen@duke.edu">nhurtgen@duke.edu</a>. Applications submitted by mail should be directed to Chair of the Islam Search Committee, Department of Religion, Box 90964, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0964. Applications received by October 15, 2007 will beguaranteed full consideration but the search will continue until the position is filled. Duke University is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Women and minorities strongly are encouraged to apply.<br /><br />Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-72684936573834598512007-08-25T21:08:00.000-05:002007-08-25T21:11:14.977-05:00Fall 2007 class on Arab and Middle-Eastern ChristiansFrom an <a href="http://dukereligion.blogspot.com/2007/07/library-repair-causes-plea-to-pope.html">earlier blog message</a> you might have understood that for the next three years I will be sitting and waiting in Rome for the Vatican Library to reopen, hopefully in 2011. But that is not the case! In fact, one of my fall 2007 classes is an undergraduate seminar on “Arab and Middle-Eastern Christians in the United States” (REL 185.04). There still are a few spots open. We would be particularly interested in having students who somehow, through their own experience, or through friends, neighbors, relatives, parents, or grandparents feel some connection with one of the many Christian communities in the Middle East: Antiochian Orthodox, Armenian, Assyrian, Chaldean, Coptic, Maronite, Melkite, Rum-Catholic, Rum-Orthodox, Syrian-Orthodox, Syrian-Catholic, or any other denomination. The focus will be on the life of these communities in the United States. Whatever you might be able to contribute, would be most welcome. <br />Info: <a href="mailto:rompay@duke.edu">rompay@duke.edu</a><br /><br />Lucas Van RompayMark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264197524592773799.post-60401263404698797472007-08-16T19:33:00.000-05:002007-08-16T19:56:51.053-05:00Leela Prasad wins Best First Book in the History of Religions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/catalog/data/023113/0231139209.HTM"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6KJ4AZecsNzE2gphyphenhyphenDxBT4EgVvSU-bQRDb_7cKUIV9mcmW_EEEi4QXHjzbZPNsbADIjY6FK6Cs1hfZ3kCSzpVi6EWasJGP4LgZvVXMPpKqCDKjWimKtV6uEZJOQURKgbDgut7YW_/s320/prasad_poetics.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099466468806387810" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.duke.edu/religion/home/prasad/prasad.html">Leela Prasad</a>, Associate Professor of Ethics and Indian Religions, has been awarded the <a href="http://www.aarweb.org/">American Academy of Religion</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Best First Book in the History of Religions</span> for <span style="font-style: italic;">Poetics of Conduct: Oral Narrative and Moral Being in a South Indian Town</span> (Columbia University Press, 2006). Here are some details about the award:<blockquote>The Best First Book in the History of Religions Award was established by the American Council of Learned Societies in 1891 and is now administered by the American Academy of Religion. This award honors exceptional publications. Eligibility for the award is determined by three criteria: (1) the nomination must be the first book published by the nominee; (2) it must be in the field of "History of Religions" (in the broad sense that it raises historical and/or comparative methodological questions in the field of religion); (3) it must have been published within the calendar year of the given award period.<br /><br />A committee of five, appointed by the Board of the American Academy of Religion, screens books nominated for the award. The nomination process is initiated by individual presses, who send copies of the nominated book, with a letter stating that the book meets the three criteria mentioned above. Presses may also include statements of the merits and special features of the book.</blockquote>Awards will be presented at the AAR’s 2007 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, November 17-20, 2007. Today's press release is available on the AAR site:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.aarweb.org/Public_Affairs/Press_Releases/2007/20070816.asp">The American Academy of Religion 2007 Book Awards</a><br /><br /></span>Mark Goodacrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115370166754797529noreply@blogger.com0