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"Neither Radical Nor Secular: The West Struggles with the New Islamism" by Dr. Blain Auer, assistant professor, was published in Religion Dispatches. His forthcoming book, Symbols of Authority in Medieval Islam: History, Religion, and Muslim Legitimacy in the Delhi Sultanate, will be published by I. B. Tauris Press in May.
Guest Author, "Classical Buddhism, Where To?: A Contemporary Writer's Perspective," Hiromi Ito. Hiromi Ito is one of the foremost writers of contemporary Japan. After gaining recognition as a feminist writer in the 1980s, Ito has written a great deal about Buddhist thought and literature. She will speak about her recent books on the Heart Sutra, the Japanese Buddhist teacher, Shinran, and their influence on contemporary existence. Dr. Stephen Covell, chair of WMU’s Department of
Comparative Religion, and Dr. Jeffrey Angles, associate professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and director of the Soga Japan Center, will join Ito for the discussion on classical Buddhism. Sponsored by The Soga Japan Center, and the Departments of Foreign Languages and Comparative
Religion. 2028 Brown Hall,Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2-3:40 p.m.
Dr. Kevin Wanner, associate professor, has been approved as a candidate for the Fulbright Specialists Roster by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars. The Roster is a list of all approved candidates who are eligible to be matched with incoming program requests from overseas academic institutions for Fulbright Specialists. As a candidate, Dr. Wanner will be considered a potential match for program requests from around the world that require someone with his expertise. Dr. Wanner may remain on this prestigious list for up to five years. Story.
The 2012 Religion and Culture Study Abroad Seminar will take participants to three Japanese locations: Tokyo, one of the world’s largest cities and a center of religious and culture life both modern and traditional; Nikko, a cultural heritage site near Tokyo; and Kyoto, a city famous for its ancient temples. In Tokyo we stay at Zojoji, a temple located just under Tokyo Tower. We travel to the HQ of new religions, to Shinto shrines, museums and receive behind the scenes tours of Buddhist temples. In Nikko we stay at Manganji, where we do waterfall purification and help with the fire ceremony. We later take the bullet train to Kyoto to explore the walkways and temples of this wonderful city. A past student said, “I have learned more and been exposed to more Buddhism than is possible in a lifetime of reading and studying in the United States.” Join us for an amazing learning experience.