Religious Studies
Recent Submissions
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The Prologue of the Gospel of John: Abstract Theology or Jewish-Christian Polemic?
(2011-01-01)The Gospel of John, a late first-century Christian text, has generated much debate over the centuries because of its use of language and concepts that suggest both Jewish and Hellenistic origin. Hellenism refers to the ... -
Confronting Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: The Role of Secular Courts and their Limitations
(2010-01-01)The sexual abuse of children is an inexcusable act of betrayal. It demands accountability for perpetrators and their enablers, and some form of compensatory justice for the victims. Since 1950, an estimated 50,000 children ... -
Political Articulations of Islamic Identity: A Case Study in the Negotiation of Religion and Secularism in Egypt and Iran.
(2004-01-01)In order to achieve a greater understanding of religious traditions and their respective contributions to the intellectual, ethical, and cultural aspects of modern society, I chose to study Political Islam in Egypt and ... -
Dying to Die Right: A Look at Death in Ancient Rome
(2010-01-01)Valerie M. Hope explains in her book Death in Ancient Rome that many of us in the modern world have a ?hospitalized? relationship to death. With a nearly religious belief in the usage of Western medicine and advanced ... -
Scholarship on African Traditional Religions And Interpretations of Magic
(2009-01-01)This course of study centered on the scholarship on African traditional religions between the years of roughly 1870 and 2000. During the colonial period, these religions were deemed to be animistic and indicative of a ... -
The Iranian Revolution of 1979: A Case Study of the Rise of Political Islam in the Muslim World
(2005-01-01)In a study of Islamic political ideology, the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is the nexus of many lines of thought and theory. The revolution, which installed the only modern day theocracy, was not simply a matter of religion ... -
Muslims in France: Government Policy and Political Integration
(2005-01-01)Islam is the second religion in France. France has historically been a country to accept people from different parts of the world, but Muslims continue to be marginalized in suburban ghettos where crime, drugs, and ... -
The Life and Death of Michel Foucault
(2007-01-01)The focus of this paper is not set, as it might seem, upon the biographical details surrounding one of the 20th century?s most piercing and influential philosophers. For one, the nature of Michel Foucault's work and ideas ... -
An Exploration of Hildegard of Bingen?s Concept Viriditas and Its Implications Concerning Sexuality and the Twelfth Century Catholic Church
(2005-01-01)In 1147, a German abbess, composer, and mystic received instructions from God to describe and interpret the visions which she had been experiencing since her childhood. This reception of divine visions became known as ... -
The Rise and Fall of the Intellectual Class in Iran
(2009-01-01)I plan to do my presentation on the creation and suppression of the Intellectual Class in 20th century Iran. I will cover how it was originally created by Reza Shah Pahlavi in the first quarter of the 20th century as a way ... -
Abu Ghraib: Degrading and Torturing the Feminized Other
(2010-01-01)My research examined the sexual abuse of male detainees perpetrated by United States military personnel at Abu Ghraib detainment center and the context surrounding these events. Though many have seen the photographs of ... -
Selfless Giving: Charity as an Ontological Reality
(2010-01-01)Charity is an exceedingly fascinating institution, one whose complexities are rarely discussed with the appropriate rigor. There is a certain advantage to be gained by engaging in charitable actions, a certain self-satisfaction ... -
Liberalization and the Sino-Russian Border
(2005-01-01)For the past two decades, the world's two largest socialist states, China and Russia have adopted radically different approaches to liberalization. After Gorbachev's reforms failed with collapse of the Communist government ... -
Behind the Veil: Feminism, Racism, and the Call for the Liberation of the Muslim Woman
(2011-01-01)In Western discussions of Arab society, the status of the Muslim woman as an oppressed object has emerged as a central aspect of debate concerning the progress and modernization of Arab society as a whole. Drawing on ... -
Why Bill Maher Is Dangerously Misguided and Why It Matters: A Philosophical Exploration of the Religious Dimension of Human Existence
(2012-07-01)Religion is a word that pervades popular discourse, however, it is frequently misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misconstrued by those who employ it. Often the conversation about religion presents it as a divisive force ... -
The Metaphor and the Literal- language and Deleuze
(2012-07-01)With this project I will provide a reading of the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze emphasizing the role of language. While language was obviously of concern to Deleuze, it remains for the most part only indirectly engaged ... -
Pentecostal Faith and Spirituality in Guatemala
(2003-01-01)During the summer of 2003, I traveled to Guatemala City to investigate why Pentecostalism, a new and fast growing Protestantreligious expression in Latin America, was so influential in the lives of Guatemalans. Using ... -
Reproductive Biotechnology and Ethical Decisions: Buddhist vs. Catholic Standpoints
(2004-01-01)Biotechnology is a rapidly growing industry in our modern medical world. New methods of assisted reproduction and disease control are at our fingertips. Are we further disrupting the natural order by offering more reproductive ... -
The Notion of "Impermanence" and the Comprehension of "Meaningful Work" in Buddhism
(2003-01-01)Today?s life with so many hurries and worries could easily throw one deep into bewilderment, boredom, and depression. To find meaningful work, or to live a meaningful life, has become as important as life and death. It is ... -
From Nirvana to Enlightenment.
(2000-01-01)In 1869, the German scholar Max M?ller wrote: "There, by penance and deep meditation, [The Buddha] attained a state of inner enlightenment?" While this phrase may seem commonplace or trivial, it took nearly two centuries ...
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