Religion

Professor Reuven Firestone was born in northern California and educated at Antioch College, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Hebrew Union College, where he received his M.A. in Hebrew literature in 1980 and Rabbinic Ordination in 1982, and New York University where he received his Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic studies in 1988. For his research on holy war in Islam and in Judaism he was awarded the Yad Hanadiv Research Fellowship at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Brain, body, and mindfulness: New understandings of the “self” Lecturer: Catherine Kerr, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Director of Translational Neuroscience Contemplative Studies Initiative, Brown University This talk will describe recent studies drawn from the neuroscience of embodiment in order to lay out a novel understanding of the “self”.

Body feelings: Investigating neural mechanisms underlying embodiment and contemplative practice Lecturer: Catherine Kerr, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Director of Translational Neuroscience Contemplative Studies Initiative, Brown University This presentation describes recent investigations into two body perception networks in the brain.

Lecture by Professor Joshua Rubongoya, Roanoke College, “The Politics of Homophobia in Africa: Lessons from Uganda”

“Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates, and men decay” —Oliver Goldsmith, “The Deserted Village” (1770) Inequality is on the rise in the contemporary global economy, both within prosperous economies and between developed and developing countries. Can democracy sustain itself while acquiescing in a growing gap between the world’s haves and have-nots? Does the American dream depend on a foundation of shared prosperity that is increasingly a historical artifact?

Roundtable Discussion: Peter LIndert, Paul Pierson, and David Rueda Chair: Will Pyle, Director, International Politics and Economics Event will also be “live streamed” to Crossroad’s Cafe. SPONSORS: International Politics and Economics Program, Jones Economics Enrichment Fund, Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs, Academic Enrichment Fund, the Departments of History, Political Science, and Religion, the Programs in European Studies and in Privilege & Poverty, the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life, and Atwater, Brainerd, and Cook Commons

Panel Two: Who Wants What?

Panel Three: American Amnesia: The Forgotten Sources of our Shared Prosperity by Paul Pierson, John Gross Professor of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley Moderator: Allison Stanger, Political Science Student Chair:Brian Rowett Event will also be “live streamed” to Crossroad’s Cafe. SPONSORS: International Politics and Economics Program, Jones Economics Enrichment Fund, Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs, Academic Enrichment Fund, the Departments of History, Political Science, and Religion, the Programs in European Studies and in Privilege & Pove

Panel One: Inequality from 1650-2050 by Peter Lindert, Distinguished Professor of Economicsm, University of California-Davis Moderator: Leticia Arroyo Abad, Economics Student Chair: Grecia De La O Abarca Event will also be “live streamed” to Crossroad’s Cafe. SPONSORS: International Politics and Economics Program, Jones Enrichment Fund, Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs, Academic Enrichment Fund, the Departments of History, Political Science, and Religion, the Programs in European Studies and in Privilege & Poverty, the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Li

What is it like to be working at the grass-roots level in Tibet today? What are the challenges as well as the bright sides? What positive social changes have been taking place in Tibet? What still needs to be done? Come join us for a talk by Dr. Losang Rabgey, founder of Machik, a leading grassroots organization devoted to incubating social innovation in Tibet. Following the talk, there will be a screening of “Tharlo”, the latest feature by the renowned Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden.