About the Series
Annually, the Department of Religion invites notable speakers to campus through the series to expand upon topics learned in the classroom, and to explore those topics from contemporary perspectives.
Arti Dhand
Associate Professor in the Department for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto
Public Lecture Abstract:
While many are well familiar with the Gita, the 18 chapter episode that inaugurates the Kuruksetra war, most of us are less acquainted with Book X of the Mahabharata, the 18 chapters that conclude the war. In this discussion, we will consider the structural, psychological, and aesthetic functions of the Sauptikaparva, the Book of the Sleeping Warriors. How should we interpret the events of the Xth book? What might they suggest about the overall design of the Mahabharata?
About:
Arti Dhand’s areas of interest include the Mahabharata and the Ramayana Hindu epics, Hindu ethics, gender issues in Hinduism, and religion and sexuality. She is the author of Woman as Fire, Woman as Sage: Sexual Ideology in the Mahabharata (2008) and numerous articles on topics such as “Engendering Brahmanirvanam in the Mahabharata: A Conversation between Suka and Sulabha,” “Hinduism and Pedagogy: Teaching Hinduism to Hindus in the Canadian Diaspora,” and “The Subversive Nature of Dharma in the Mahabharata: A Tale of Women, Smelly Ascetics, and God.” She has a BA and MA from the University of Calgary, and a PhD from McGill University. Listen to the Mahabharata Podcast with Arti Dhand.
Peter Adamson
Professor of Late Ancient and Arabic Philosophy at Ludwig-Maximillan University in Munich
Spring 2019
- “Philosophy and Feminism"
Chris J. Cuomo, professor of philosophy and women’s studies, University of Georgia; Marianne Janack, chair, professor of philosophy, Hamilton College - "Feminist and Womanist Religious Thought"
Dianne M. Stewart, associate professor of religion, Emory University - "Women and Religion"
Amy Allocco, distinguished emerging scholar in religious studies, Elon University; Teresa Delgado, associate professor of theology and ethics, Iona College, and member of Colgate University Board of Trustees
Spring 2018
Samuel Moyn
Professor of Law and History, Harvard University
Spring 2016
Andrew Chignell
Associate Professor, Cornell University’s Susan Linn Sage School of Philosophy, with secondary appointments in German Studies and Religious Studies
Spring 2015
David F. Ford
Regius Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge, UK, and Director, Cambridge Inter-faith Programme
Spring 2014
Michael J. Murray
Overseer of the Philosophy & Theology, Communications, Public Engagement, and Philanthropic Outreach areas of the John Templeton Foundation and
Jeffrey P Schloss
Distinguished Professor of Biology, T.B. Walker Chair of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, and Director, Center for Faith, Ethics & Life Sciences at Westmont College
Spring 2013
Charles Mathewes
Associate Professor of Religious Ethics and the History of Christian Thought, The University of Virginia
Spring 2012
Walter Echo-Hawk
Native American attorney, tribal judge, author, and law professor
Spring 2019
- “Philosophy and Feminism"
Chris J. Cuomo, professor of philosophy and women’s studies, University of Georgia; Marianne Janack, chair, professor of philosophy, Hamilton College - "Feminist and Womanist Religious Thought"
Dianne M. Stewart, associate professor of religion, Emory University - "Women and Religion"
Amy Allocco, distinguished emerging scholar in religious studies, Elon University; Teresa Delgado, associate professor of theology and ethics, Iona College, and member of Colgate University Board of Trustees
Spring 2018
Dr. Kathryn Lofton
Professor of religious studies and American studies, Yale University
Fall 2016
Rev. Dr. David P. Gushee
Distinguished professor of Christian ethics, Mercer University
Spring 2016
Dr. Lewis V. Baldwin
Professor emeritus in religious studies, Vanderbilt University
Spring 2015
Sister Simone Campbell
Executive director of NETWORK
Fall 2013
Dr. Joanna Brooks
Associate professor of English and comparative literature, San Diego State University
Fall 2012
Dr. Reza Aslan
Associate professor of creative writing, University of California, Riverside
Spring 2012
Dr. Laurie S. Zoloth
Professor of bioethics and medical humanities, Northwestern University
Spring 2011
Dr. Kecia Ali
Associate professor of religion, Boston University
Joint Panel Discussion with Dr. Laurie S. Zoloth
Professor of bioethics and medical humanities, Northwestern University
Spring 2011
Dr. Noah Feldman
Bemis Professor of law, Harvard University
Debate with Dr. John Witte Jr.
Fall 2009
Dr. James H. Cone
Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of systematic theology, Union Theological Seminary
Spring 2009
Philosophy Without Borders: Religion and Philosophy in the African, Chinese, Greek, Indian, and Islamic Traditions