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Extra
Credit Opportunities
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Various
groups on campus will organize events during the quarter which are
related to our course or to the study of religion in our world. You
are encouraged to attend, both as a citizen of the University and
as a student of religious studies this term.
You will receive extra credit if, in addition to attending the
event, you analyze and reflect on it in a 2-3 page paper (Note:
extra credit can only be credited if all required assignments
have been completed). In your paper, introduce the speaker,
date, and title of the event in the first paragraph. In the
body of your paper, explore the speaker's career more fully
(use links below) and summarize and analyze the presentation.
To do this successfully, break out paragraphs that address the
following questions:
- What has the speaker published, and/or with what organizations
is the the speaker affiliated?
- What were the central points of the presentation?
- What insights did the speaker offer?
- In what ways do the speaker's points relate to our course?
In the final paragraph of your paper, evaluate the speaker's presentation.
What did you appreciate most? What did you learn? Was there anything
that was problematic about the presentation, or any points you would
argue with? Why?
This paper should follow the formatting directions for a short assignment
available at Style
Sheet. The paper must be submitted within a week of the event.
The following events are eligible for extra credit in this class.
The list will be updated weekly, so check back in regularly. If you learn of any events that might be appropriate for extra credit, propose them to the professor beforehand for approval.
| Date |
Time |
Event |
January 12
Wednesday |
6:00-7:30
p.m. |
"The
Ethics of Governance," The Honorable Jamil Mahuad,
former President of Ecuador
Mayer Theater
Dr.
Mahuad has served on the faculty of the Pontifical
University of Ecuador and has served in numerous economic
and political positions, including as President of Ecuador
from 1998-2001 (he was deposed in a coup). This event
is open to all SCU students, faculty and staff, but please
RSVP ahead of time to Audrey
Vowell at the Ethics Center. Part of the William P.
Laughlin Lecture on Global Leadership and Ethics, sponsored
by the Markkula
Center for Applied Ethics. |
January 19
Wednesday |
12:00-1:00
p.m. |
"Global
Labor Rights, SCU Apparel, and the End of the Multi-Fiber
Arrangement: How Should SCU Respond?" James Briggs,
William Sundstrom, Stephanie Camoroda
Weigand Room, A&S
Briggs is Executive Assistant to Rev. President Paul Locatelli.
Sundstrom
is a Professor in the Economics Department at SCU. Camoroda
is an SCU Senior and Chair of the SCCAP Labor Action Committee.
Part of the Ethics at Noon series sponsored by the Markkula
Center for Applied Ethics. |
January 27
Thursday |
12:00-1:00
p.m. |
"Is
There Such a Thing as Social Justice? A Conversation,"
Daniel Klein, Paul Fitzgerald, SJ
Place TBD
Klein
is a Professor in the SCU Economics Department and the
Civil Society Institute, and Fitzgerald
is an Associate Professor in the SCU Religious Studies
Department and Associate Dean in the College of Arts and
Sciences. Part of the Ethics at Noon series sponsored
by the Markkula
Center for Applied Ethics. |
February 14-28
Monday-Monday |
Open |
"Our
Sister's Voices: From Africa to the Americas," Poster
Series Exhibit
Benson
This exhibit celebrates contemporary women from Africa
and the American diaspora as they confront war and oppression,
racism and poverty. Some graphics honor individuals, while
others commemorate the many anonymous participants in
the ongoing struggle for peace and justice. Co-sponsored
by the Women
of Color Network and the Program
for the Study of Women and Gender. |
February 25
Friday |
1:00-2:00
p.m. |
"The
Friar and the Sultan: St. Francis of Assisi's Mission
to the Egyptian Sultan al-Kamil," Dr. John Tolan
Benson Parlor D
Tolan
is Professor of Medieval History at the Université
de Nantes. His area of specialization is the history,
civilization, archaeology and art of the ancient and medieval
western world; his most recent book is Medieval Christian
Perceptions of Islam (New York: Routledge, 2000).
Co-sponsored by the Medieval
and Renaissance Studies Program and the Religious
Studies Department. |
March 2
Wednesday |
12:00-1:00
p.m. |
"What
Catholic Environmental Ethics Says about Our Debt to the
Future," Keith Warner, OSF and Shana Weber
Wiegand Room, A&S
Warner
is the Director of the Faith, Ethics & Vocation Project,
and Weber
is director of Campus and Community Programs for the SCU
Environmntal Studies Institute. Part of the Ethics at
Noon series sponsored by the Markkula
Center for Applied Ethics. |
March 3
Thursday |
7:30-9:00
p.m. |
"'America's
Jesus," Thomas Sheehan, Stephen Prothero and Richard
Fox
It is unlikely that Americans will ever come to any consensus
about who Jesus really is, but they have agreed for some
time that Jesus matters. Join a historian and two religious
studies scholars for a lively conversation on Jesus' role
in the course of American history. Stanford' Sheehan
is professor of religious studies and professor emeritus
of philosophy at Loyola University Chicago. He specializes
in contemporary European philosophy and its relation to
religious questions. Boston University's Prothero
is chairman of the Department of Religion where he teaches
courses on American religious history, Buddhism and Hinduism
in America, and Jesus. His book, American Jesus: How
the Son of God Became a National Icon. USC's Fox
is professor of modern American history He is especially
intrigued by the curious intermingling of religiosity
and secularity in the United States. His book, Jesus
in America: Personal Savior, Cultural Hero, National Obsession,
was published in 2004. Part of the Aurora
Forum. There is no charge, but seating is limited.
|
March 6
Sunday |
2:00-3:30
p.m. |
"Olivier
Messiaen's 'Visions de l'Amen," Dr. Stephen Schloesser,
SJ
Recital Hall
Messiaen
was musically influenced not only by European traditions,
but also by Indian and Japanese, and his music evokes
a mysticism that eludes categorization. He also composed
an opera, "Saint Francis of Assisi," recently
performed in San Francisco, as well as the "Quartet
for the End of Time," which he composed and performed
while imprisoned in a Nazi POW camp during WWII. Schloesser
is an Assistant Professor in the History Department at
Boston College. He will introduce this musical performance,
one of the most stirring and mysterious pieces of religious
music composed in the 20th century. The piece will then
be performed by Korean pianist Hyesook
Kim (Music Department, Calvin College) and Canadian
pianist Stéphane
Lemelin (Music Department, University of Ottowa. Note: The extra credit paper for this event will be due in class on Thursday, March 10. |
March 6
Sunday |
4:30-6:00
p.m. |
"From
Jewish Message to Gentile Mission: How Peter, Paul and
James Invented Christianity," Dr. Amy-Jill Levine
First Congregational Church, 1980 Hamilton Ave, San Jose
Levine
is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament
Studies and the Director of the Carpenter Program in Religion,
Gender, and Sexuality at Vanderbilt University's Divinity
School. Come hear one of the leading scholars of the New
Testament and early Christianity! Note: The extra credit paper for this event will be due in class on Thursday, March 10. |
March 8
Tuesday |
7:00-8:30
p.m. |
"Innocence
and the Death Penalty," Juan Roberto Melendez
Benson Parlors
Melendez
was sentenced to death and spent nearly 18 years on Florida's
death row before his exoneration and release in January
2002. He has since travelled throughout the United States
speaking to audiences about his story of supreme injustice.
When he is not speaking in this country, he works at home
in Puerto Rico in a plantain field where he counsels troubled
youth who work alongside him. As a former migrant worker,
his idol and inspiration was/is César Chavez. Pizza
will be served, so if you're planning on going, you will
need to sign up at the event
web site. Sponsored by the Bannan
Center for Jesuit Education. Note: The extra credit paper for this event will be due in class on Thursday, March 10. |
Due by March 10
Thursday |
N/A |
Essay
on Religious Violence OR Mel Gibson's Movie
Read one of the following essays and write an extra credit
paper that speaks about the author's background (see the
section on the contributors in the Passion books, and
for Juergensmeyer see his web
site), summarizes the article, ties it to our
class, and evaluates the presentation. It is recommended
that you select essay(s) related to the topic of your
final required short essay for the class. All three books are on reserve at the circulation desk in the library.
- Religion and Violence in Islam
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- Mark Juergensmeyer, Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence (Comparative Studies in Religion and Society; Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000)
- Eligible chapters: 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
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- Religious Violence and Mel Gibson's "The Passion
of the Christ"
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- Philip A. Cunningham, ed., Pondering the Passion: What's at Stake for Christians and Jews? (Lanham, Maryland: Sheed & Ward, 2004)
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- Eligible essays: Berger (ch. 6), Rudin (ch. 8), Cunningham (ch. 14)
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- J. Shawn Landres and Michael Berenbaum, eds., After The Passion Is Gone: American Religious Consequences (Walnut Creek, California: AltaMira, 2004)
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- Eligible essays: Silk (ch. 1), Torjesen (ch. 6), Siker (ch. 10), Heschel (ch. 13), Davis (ch. 16)
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