Dr. Jason Bivins speaking, prior to his lecture, with Charles Day, whose family and friends have generously made this series possible. In this concluding episode of our five-part series on the 4th Day Lecture, Dr. Bivins summarizes the central themes of his lecture, providing a few closing remarks on the commonalities between religion and jazz. If you want to learn more about the Annual Day Lecture, click here. The Fourth Annual Day Lecture 2016: Dr. Jason Bivins, Episode 5 from […]
Category: Public Events
Posts in this category discuss the Department’s various public events — whether announcing them, providing an excerpt from a speaker’s talk, or commenting on their significance and application.
The 4th Annual Day Lecture, Episode 4
Dr. Jason Bivins speaking with audience members after the conclusion of his lecture; at the far left is Mr. Charles Day, whose family & friends have made this series possible. In the fourth episode of this five-part series, Dr. Bivins presents his second case study on Sun Ra, an American jazz composer from the 1960s well known for his experimental music and cosmic philosophies. […]
The 4th Annual Day Lecture, Episode 3
Spirits Rejoice! by Dr. Jason Bivins discusses in further detail the research he presented in his lecture on jazz and religion. In this third installment of the 4th Day Lecture, Dr. Bivins introduces one of the many case studies from his book Spirits Rejoice!. This case study focuses on Albert Ayler, a jazz composer from the 1960s who “proceeded from a predictable location into something wild.” […]
The 4th Annual Day Lecture, Episode 2
An attentive audience listens to Dr. Jason Bivins present his lecture on the “smoky” associations between jazz and religion. In this second installment of the 4th Day Lecture, Dr. Bivins explains exactly why everything seems so smoky to him and provides an overview of how he set about conducting his research. […]
REL 360 Presents: Bend it Like Beckham
REL 360–our one credit hour course–will be ending the semester with the film Bend It Like Beckham. The film’s protagonist, Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra, is obsessed with football (more aptly known as soccer in the U.S.), but her fascination with the sport doesn’t align with her parents’ traditional ideas of a young woman’s future. When she joins a soccer team, tensions worsen within her family and she must chose between following her parents’ wishes or pursuing her passion. […]
Coming Attractions: The Fourth Annual Day Lecture
In a few weeks we’ll be hosting Prof. Jason Bivins for the fourth annual Day Lecture on Religion and Popular Culture. In preparation, you might enjoy this interview, form last year, concerning his latest book. #Day2016 […]
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REL 360 Presents: Citizenfour
The second meeting of REL 360–our one credit hour course–will be viewing Citizenfour. This 2014 documentary follows director Laura Poitras during her investigation into the rise of government-run monitoring programs in the U.S. after the September 11th bombings. During her research, she begins to receive emails from a stranger known only as Citizenfour, who leaks classified information concerning illegal wiretapping practices conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA). Poitras and two other investigative journalists fly to Hong Kong to meet with Citizenfour, who soon agrees […]
#RELResearch: Professors Simmons, Loewen, and Altman Publish Together
If you pick up the most recent issue of the venerable journal Method and Theory in the Study of Religion you will find three essays from REL faculty discussing the recently published Norton Anthology of World Religion. Rather than a simple review of the multivolume work, the essays from Merinda Simmons, Nathan Loewen, and Mike Altman consider what the publication of the anthology means for the larger field of religious studies. Each essay puts the anthology into a larger context of how […]
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REL Movie Nights Return with Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Our one credit hour course–REL 360–returns for the fall semester with the showing of Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. This 1999 crime/action film follows “Ghost Dog”, a hit-man for the mafia who models his life by the code of the samurai. When one of his missions goes awry, causing him to leave a witness alive, Ghost Dog himself becomes a target of the mafia. […]
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Whose Line Is It Anyway?
It’s a new academic year so, yes, we have some new posters going up around Manly Hall — one being the new and improved faculty display case. Located between the offices of Dr. Jacobs and Dr. Touna, this new poster reveals, for the first time ever, some fun facts that you probably didn’t know about your professors. […]