“Buddhism and Science: A Minority Report” guest lecture with Dr. Donald Lopez (11/29)

The Department of Religious Studies is pleased to host guest lecturer Donald S. Lopez Jr., who will speak on “Buddhism and Science” on November 29. Dr. Lopez has written and edited numerous books on Tibetan Buddhism and Buddhist Modernism, including Buddhism and Science: A Guide to the Perplexed, which explores the complex relations among science, religion, and Western modernity. He is the Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the University of Michigan and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Lopez’s lecture will take place in Arnold Hall in the Jewish Studies Building at 3:30 on 11/29.

Graduate School Information Session (10/27)

Join Professors Katie Hladky and Roddy Knowles on Thursday October 27 when they meet with interested students to discuss the process of applying to graduate programs, resources and grant support, types of programs and what to expect in graduate school. This informal information session will take place in the Religious Studies Lounge from 3:30-5:00 pm at 4A Glebe.

Grad-Info-2011

Religious Studies Film Series: “For the Bible Tells Me So” (10/27)

Queering and Querying Religion

A Religious Studies Film Series for Diversity Week

Thursday October 27th, 7-9pm, ECTR 219

“For the Bible Tells Me So” is an American documentary film about homosexuality and its perceived conflict with religion, as well as various interpretations of what the Bible says about same-sex sexuality. It also includes lengthy interview segments with several sets of religious parents (including former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt) regarding their personal experiences raising homosexual children, and also interviews with those (adult) children.

diversityweek2011

Religious Studies Film Series: “Fire” (10/26)

“Queering and Querying Religion”

A Religious Studies Film Series for Diversity Week

Wednesday, October 26, 7-9 pm in ECTR 113

Banned in India, “Fire” is the first film to confront lesbianism in a Hindu culture adamantly denying such a love could ever exist.  Shabana Azmi shines as Radha Kapur in this taboo-breaking portrayal of contemporary India and the hidden desires that threaten to defy traditional expectations.  In a barren, arranged marriage to an amateur swami who seeks enlightenment through celibacy, Radha’s life takes an irresistible turn when her beautifiul young sister in-law seeks to free herself from the confines of her own loveless marriage and into the supple embrace of Radha.  A tender and passionate love story develops that signals the slow and painful dissolution of the old order in this contemporary story of women breaking the bonds of obedience, fidelity and silence; and of men struggling to maintain their traditional advantages while exploring the freedoms of westernized life.

diversityweek2011

Religious Studies Film Series: “Jihad for Love” (10/24)

“Queering and Querying Religion”

A Religious Studies Film Series for Diversity Week

Monday October 24th, 5-7pm, RSS 235

Jihad for Love (2007) is the world’s first documentary film on the coexistence of Islam and homosexuality. The title refers to the Islamic concept of jihad as a religious struggle. The film seeks to reclaim this concept of personal struggle for gay Muslims, rather than how it is used in the media almost exclusively to mean “holy war” and to refer to violent acts perpetrated by extremist Muslims.

diversityweek2011