The College of New Jersey is pleased to announce a special program on the theme of “Religion, Culture and Identity” for the academic year, 2007-2008. Initiated by the Religious Studies Committee, the program seeks to enhance the study of Religion at TCNJ, in light of contemporary events that have so clearly demonstrated the importance of this field of knowledge.
In Fall 2007 and Spring 2008, a select group of undergraduates (the “Religion, Culture and Identity Learning Community”) will take a specially designed sequence of courses, offered by faculty in various departments, that investigate the beliefs and institutions of the major world religions and their relation to other aspects of human culture and society in different times and places. Inspired by the critical importance of this topic in modern society and the vast array of intellectual opportunities it offers, the Committee for Cultural and Intellectual Community, the School of Art, Media & Music and The School of Culture & Society have joined the effort and will focus their public programs on these ideas as well. The Learning Community courses coincide with a series of lectures, symposia, films, art exhibitions, and other events open to the entire College community and the general public, exploring different global religions in their historical and contemporary settings, the varied expression of religious belief and practice in writings, art, film, music, and other media, their impact on the evolution of personal and social identity, and their relation to other cultural, social, and political phenomena of the past and the present.
Highlights of the fall program include a lecture October 3 by Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking and Death of Innocents, on morality and the death penalty; a symposium October 17, Bosnia: Reflections on Religion, Nation and State; an art exhibition, Assumed Identities, from October 30 to December 5; and a film festival December 1-2, Spirituality and Film, Two Films of 1997, with screenings of “Taste of Cherry” by Abbas Kiarostami (Iran, 1997) and “The Apostle” (US, 1997).
Highlights of the spring program will include a juried art exhibition, Sacred Spaces, from January 23-February 13; a symposium, Sacred Spaces, February 9; a Tibetan Buddhist sand mandala ceremony February 9-16, by monks from Namgyal Monastery, NY; and a film festival March 22-23, Contested Sacred Spaces, with showings of “Roses in December” (US, 1982) and “In the Name of the Father” (Ireland and UK, 1993).
The program has been organized by the faculty and staff of the Religious Studies Committee (which I chair) in cooperation with the Committee on Cultural and Intellectual Community (CCIC). It is co-sponsored by CCIC, Liberal Learning, the School of Art, Media, and Music, the School of Culture and Society, and individual departments in these Schools. All announced events will be free and open to the public.
Hello everyone! My name is Britt, as I am sure you can tell, and I am in the Learning Community. I have met some of you, and everyone seems to have a bunch of really great ideas for this year. I am working on my internship with Dr. Chazelle, and may have updates to add to the blog from time to time.
On Wednesday, I added a new page onto the Religion, Culture and Society webpage about the art expos this semester. As we get photos from the events, and new things come up, we will update the website and let everyone know on this blog.
I attended the Dialogues on Religion group meeting on Wednesday, and thought that it seemed like a great, very inclusive group. For anyone who is interested in attending the next meeting, it will be on the second Wednesday in October, which is the 10th, from 11:00 to 12:30pm. We talked a bit about Fr. Dear’s Sermons on the Mount during the meeting and about what it means to live peacefully. For next week, we are going to use Reza Aslan’s, “No god but God” as a discussion topic.
I hope everyone can make the art expo on Tuesday, as I am sure there will be some great pieces on display, and it will probably be a good time for everyone to meet. The reception begins at 6pm and goes until 8pm.
By: Britt86 on September 7, 2007
at 10:09 pm
In response to the discussions of September regarding the “Sermon on the Mount” by John Dear, I agree that that Jesus calls everyone to action to bring the kingdom of Heaven closer to Earth. However, I concede to the point that Mr. Dear was in a privileged position making nonviolent action easier for him. I would say that actions without violence follow the teachings of Jesus more closely than violent ones. Those who are not in positions such as Mr. Dear will have to take small steps to acheive progress for humankind.
By: victoriagarneau on September 12, 2007
at 9:10 pm
Hello again! It was great to see so many people at the art expo last week. All of the pieces were fantastic and very unique. For anyone who is interested, I made a few more updates to the website last week, but check back tomorrow (Tuesday) or Wednesday to see the photos from the September 11th art expo. Perhaps there will be one of you in there!
By: Britt86 on September 18, 2007
at 3:12 am