Wednesday, January 31st, 4 – 5pm in Sparks 133: Roundtable on Social Science approaches to the Study of Religion.
Gary Adler, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Wendell Schwab, Senior Undergraduate Studies Adviser
Cathy Wanner, Professor of History, Anthropology and Religious Studies, Barry Director of the Paterno Fellows Program
Wednesday, February 21st, 4 – 5pm in Borland 121: “Exploring the Resources of the The Association of Religion Data Archives (theARDA.com)”
Roger Finke, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Religious Studies, and International Affairs, Director of the Association of Religion Data Archives
Respondent, Scott Bennett, Associate Dean for Research, Distinguished Research Professor of Political Science
Quick Facts on theARDA.com
Tuesday, March 27th, 2:30 – 4pm at Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development, Memorial Lounge: “A GlobalPlus conversation: How religion and science can work together for the common good”
Join three leading scholars, Elaine Ecklund, Christopher Scheitle, and Jenny Trinitapoli, in a global dialogue on science and religion. The GlobalPlus conversation, the second of a five-part series exploring critical issues in religion at major universities throughout the world, features groundbreaking research offering new pathways to cooperative efforts on issues from evolution and climate change to eradicating disease.
Tuesday, March 27th, 7 – 8:30pm in Alumni Lounge at the Nittany Lion Inn: Harshbarger Lecture in Religious Studies.
WHAT RELIGIOUS PEOPLE THINK ABOUT SCIENCE AND SCIENTISTS THINK ABOUT RELIGION
Elaine Ecklund, Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology, Rice University
Based on five years of data collection Ecklund will tell us the real story of the relationship between science and religion in American culture, one that is more nuanced and complex than the media and pundits would lead us to believe.
CO-SPONSORED BY
The Humanities Institute, The Rock Ethics Institute, Center for Ethics and Spiritual Development, The Department of Sociology, The Association of Religion Data Archives and the International Association of Religion Journalists.
Tuesday, April 3rd, 5 – 6pm in Alumni Lounge, Nittany Lion Inn: “Qayrawān in the making of the new Jewish ‘Bookshelf’”
Menahem Ben-Sasson, Chancellor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Professor of the History of the Jewish People
Wednesday, April 4th, 2 – 5p in 102 Weaver: Symposium. Kairouan – a Mediterranean Society model
2:00pm – Linked States of Knowledge in the Islamic West (c. 800-1150):
Nina Safran
2:30pm – The Jewish communities of Kairouan as part of a Mediterranean Society:
Menachem Ben Sasson
3:00pm – Muslim scholarly communities – a deep dive into the libraries of Kairouan:
Jonathan Brockopp
3:30pm – Break
4:00pm – Roundtable on recovering the lost histories of early Muslim North Africa
Readings:
“The Mature Scholarly Community of Kairouan, 880–950”, Jonathan Brockopp
“Linked States of Knowledge”, Janina Safran
“Varieties of Inter-Communal Relations in the Geonic Period”, Menahem Ben-Sasson