Past Events

 

Rosemary Radford Ruether
"Ecofeminism and Feminist Interreligious Dialogue"
Tuesday, 17 February 2009, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Storm Hall 344

 

"Rosemary Radford Ruether has been a pioneer Christian feminist theologian for over three decades, and among the most widely read feminist theologians in North America… To categorize her as a feminist theologian, however, is to risk neglecting the broad scope of her interests… She is seemingly at home in such diverse fields as patristics, the historical and theological roots of anti-Semitism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the history of women in American religion, liberation theology, the mythology of the Ancient Near East, and ecology."—Grant D. Miller Francisco (1999). Dr. Ruether currently has a joint appointment at the Claremont Graduate School-Claremont School of Theology. With 45 books to her credit, she continues to publish on ecofeminism, postmodernism, and social justice.

 

Co-sponsored by the Department of Women's Studies and the Many Paths Fund of the Department of Religious Studies, San Diego State University

 

"Science and Religion: Irreconcilable Differences?"
A Panel Discussion
Thursday, 16 April 2009, 4:00 p.m.
Geology, Math and Computer Science, Room 301.

 

A panel of experts will examine the intersection between religion and science, and discuss fruitful ways of considering the two. This dialogue goes far beyond debates about evolution and creation as it considers alternatives to traditional paradigms for thinking about science and religion. Panel members include: Dr. Chris Frost, Associate Dean, Division of Undergraduate Studies; Dr. Linda Holler, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Letters; Dr. Stephen Roeder, Dean, Imperial Valley Campus, San Diego State University; Dr. Mark Wheeler, Chair, Department of Philosophy. Moderator: Dr. Rebecca Moore, Chair, Department of Religious Studies

 

Sponsored by the Department of Religious Studies, ISTEP and SDSU’s Common Experience

 

The Department of Religious Studies is also participating in a workshop on "Darwin in the Classroom" for K-12 Educators on Thursday, April 30.

 

For more information, visit the ISTEP website: http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu.edu/dept/istep/

 

 

Graduation 2008

 

 

Ghandi Day

San Diego State University and the San Diego Indian American Society cordially invite you to celebrate the 140th Anniversary of the Birth of Mahatma Gandhi on Thursday, October 2, 2008

4:00 p.m. Casa Real

 

Student panel from Religious Studies, Philosophy, and International Studies and Conflict Resolution discussing the book The Virtue of Nonviolence: From Gautama to Gandhi, with its author, Prof. Nicholas F. Gier. Moderated by Prof. Dipak Gupta.

7:00 p.m. Casa Real, Aztec Center, San Diego State University

 

Dancers from the Nrityakala Academy perform two dances in Bharathanayam style to Gandhi's favorite songs, "Vaishv Jana To," and "Vande Matram."

7:15 p.m. Casa Real

 

Lecture by Prof. Nicholas F. Gier on "Gandhi and Religious Pluralism: The Relevance for World Peace."
Dr. Gier, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years and Coordinator of Religious Studies for 23 years, was also Senior Fellow in the Martin Institute for Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution for 10 years. He has published four books, 38 articles, and eight book chapters.

 

Photographic exhibit on Gandhi for the entire month of October…

A collection of photographs provided by the Gandhi Memorial Center will be on display in Library and Information Access. This exhibit brings to life the person and personality of Mahatma Gandhi at key moments in his career: his childhood, his studies in England, his activities in South Africa, and his struggle for Indian Independence. Sponsored by San Diego State University Library and Information Access.

 

Events in October in observance of the life and teachings of Mohandas K. Gandhi
Co-Sponsored by the Department of Religious Studies-Many Paths Fund, The Fred J. Hansen Foundation, SDSU Library and Information Access, the ISCOR Student Society, and the San Diego Indian American Society

 

 

 

March 20, 2008
Crisis Carnival 2008
Transgressions of the Sacred and Profane

 

3:45-5:15
Scripps Cottage
Session with Religious Studies Faculty:

 

Featuring the following session with Religious Studies Faculty:

Wilburn Hansen, “Sex and the Siddhi: Pornography as a Substitute for Sex”

Sthaneshwar Timalsina, “Vasistha and Borges: In Quest of Postmodern Enlightenment”

Rebecca Moore, “The Sacred and the Profane in Wilson Harris’ Jonestown”

Roy Whitaker, “The Bible in Hip-Hop Music: How KRS-One Overcomes the Sacred/Profane Dichotomy”

Pam Fox Kuhlken, “Does God Sleep Alone or Sleep Around? Between the Covers of William Dever’s Did God Have a Wife?”

Thursday, April 10, 7:00 p.m., Smith Recital Hall on the SDSU Campus

 

"COMMON CHORDS" will feature the Pakistani rock star Salman Ahmad (guitar) and internationally renowned Indian tabla player Samir Chatterjee in concert with acclaimed klezmer ethnographer Yale Strom (and members of his band Hot Pstromi).  This concert celebrates the common roots of Muslim and Jewish music.

 

And, Thursday, April 10, 3:00-4:30 p.m., in Smith Recital Hall

 

A musical workshop featuring Salman Ahmad and Yale Strom.

 

Salman Ahmad formed his band Junoon (They just played at the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in Oslo 2007) in the early 1990's.  Since then, Junoon has become a phenomenon on the South Asian music scene and beyond. Ahmad has combined Sufi poetry, Qawaali singing and improvisation with rock music and has used his popularity to promote humanitarian efforts throughout the world. As a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, one of his main goals is to foster mutual respect and understanding between Muslims and Jews by bringing these two groups of people together in concert settings. Through his dialogue, poetry and music, he demonstrates the many mutual "common chords" (especially music) these two ancient civilizations share.

 

Yale Strom and Ahmad first performed together in February 2007 at Queens College in NYC as part of a large exhibit called "The Grandeur of Islamic Art in Image and Object." After the concert, they realized how effective their jamming together, a Jew and a Muslim, on stage was for the audience. They decided to continue having these musical dialogues across the country, hoping to demonstrate and foster positive and constructive conversations between people from all walks of life.  These great artists and friends now bring this spiritual and musical energy to San Diego State University.

Co-Sponsored by Institute for Islamic and Arabic Studies, The Jewish Studies Program at SDSU, The SDSU Cross-Cultural Center, and the Department of Religious Studies-Many Paths Fund

 

SORRY THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Friday, April 25, 3:00 p.m. "The Unity of Religious Ideals”

 

Lecture by Murshida Rabia Ana Perez-Chisti

 

Dr. Perez-Chisti is head of the Sufi Movement International in the United States, and is a core faculty member and chair of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology’s Global doctoral program. She is also a Professor at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, teaching in the Distance Learning Program in the Department of Religion and Philosophy. This lecture will address the univeral principles that underlie all religions. Sponsored by the Department of Religious Studies Many Paths Fund.

 

Sunday, May 18, 2:00 p.m. "The Humanism of Confucius”

 

Lecture by Prof. Julius Tsai, Assistant Professor of Chinese Religions, Department of Religious Studies, San Diego State University
Wangenheim Room, San Diego Public Library, Downtown Branch
Sponsored by the San Diego Humanist Fellowship of San Diego

 

April 1 to May 23, 2008 "The Mind of Krishnamurti: World Citizen, World Teacher"

 

Exhibition at the Love Library, San Diego State University

This exhibit, sponsored by the Krishnamurti Foundation of America, features artifacts from the life of Krishnamurti, an important philosopher and teacher from India. An opening reception will be held in the Love Library, Room 430, on Thursday, April 10 at 4:00 p.m.