2016–17 Activities and Events
“A Brief Tour of the Universe: Cosmograms at the Tang,” a talk by Professor Gregory Spinner
Date: October 20, 2016
Time: 5–7 p.m.
Location: Ladd lounge for a reception of cheese and fall fruits, then on to the Tang Museum;
open to the public.
A special guided tour of the new interdisciplinary art exhibit on patterns at the Tang by our own Professor Spinner.
“Slides and Sushi: Religious Studies Open House”
Date: October 25, 2016
Time: 5:30–7 p.m.
Location: Religious Studies Department Lounge, Ladd Hall; open to all students.
Our fall open house for majors/minors and interested students. Bring your friends! Hear about the amazing things your fellow students are doing outside the classroom on study abroad programs and summer adventures.
“Religion and Community-Based Conservation: Ethiopian Church Forests,” a presentation by Pete Scull and Peter Klepeis, Department of Geography, Colgate University; co-sponsored by Environmental Studies
Date: November 2, 2016
Time: 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Location: Emerson Auditorium, Palamountain Hall; open to the public.
“Accidental Environmentalists: Sacred Groves and Forest Conservation in Ethiopia and South India,” a talk by Prof. Eliza Kent
Date: November 10, 2016
Time: 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Location: Ladd 206; open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
These two related events showcase a collaborative research project of Professor Kent's about religion's central role in the conservation of sacred groves, islands of biodiversity in landscapes totally transformed by deforestation.
“Hope After Obama”. Lecture by David Newheiser, Research Fellow, Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry Australian Catholic University
Date: Thursday, March 23, 2017
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Emerson Auditorium, Palamountain Hall
Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign was charged with hopeful feelings, but then things got real. Faced with intransigent opposition and intractable political problems, Obama did not achieve everything he promised. Obama's second presidential campaign seemed weary compared to the first, and his second term ended with the arrival of Donald Trump, who has promised to unravel Obama's legacy. In this dark moment in American political life, Obama's politics of hope can seem in retrospect like a naive fantasy. However, there is a sort of hope that is required to resist the rising tide of racism and xenophobia. This hope is no innocent optimism: instead, we need a hope that has a darkness at its heart, which acknowledges its vulnerability but presses forward nonetheless.