Department of World Religions and Cultures, WMU

07/31/2024

Check out this latest video lecture by Dr. Siebert (he may have retired but he is still going strong!) and a graduate of our department Dr. Byrd.

Jürgen Moltmann was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1926, to an irreligious family. As a youngster, Moltmann adored Albert Einstein, and looked to study mathema...

07/24/2024

Check out this new publication by one of our recent graduates!

This essay proposes a new model for understanding religious transhumanism by extending existing frameworks that have been useful for predicting the success of new religious movements (NRMs). This paper focuses on the Mormon Transhumanist Association as a case of religious transhumanism that is incon...

07/16/2024

Call for papers for upcoming conference at WMU. Please spread the word.

07/08/2024

For those of you out there with an interest in Martial Arts/Self-Cultivation, we're hosting a free symposium and you join from online.
Our 2024 Asian Forum, Self-Cultivation in East Asian Martial Arts, will be held both in person and online on July 27 (Sat). All sessions are open to the public at 1750 Sangren Hall. Please help us spread the word about this free opportunity to your colleagues and students.

Please take 30 seconds to register online at: https://wmich.edu/.../asian-forum-participation-registration. Registration closes on July 22 (Mon).

9:00 Welcome Remarks
Dr. Andreas Niehaus, Ghent University
9:30-11:30 Panel I: Performing Self-Cultivation in Japan
1. Dr. Simona Lukminaitė-Anand (Osaka University), Girl Martial Artists in Meiji Japan
2. Bruce Cabaret (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes), Religious and Spirituals Representations in the Practice of Japanese Martial Arts
3. Martyna Lesniewska, (Freie Universität Berlin), Beyond the Battlefield: The Symbolic Essence of Samurai Armor in the Journey of Self-Cultivation and Martial Philosophy
4. Dr. Scott Martin (Bowling Green State University), Jiu Jitsu and Modernity in the United States, 1900-1925
14:00-16:00 Panel II: Conceptualizing Self-Cultivation: Concepts, Symbolism, and Ideologies
1. Dr. James Dorsey (Dartmouth College), What is This Self We Seek to Cultivate? The Historical and Ritualistic Construction of Self in Japanese Martial Arts
2. Dr. Kate Sylvester, Feel, Explore, Collaborate: A New Movement Literacy that Nurtures Self-Cultivation as an Inclusive Practice in the East Asian Martial Arts
3. Dr. Scott Hurley (Luther College), Classical Chinese Arts and Body Techniques: Master Wu Zhongxian, Martial Arts, and Daoist Soteriology in the Twenty-first Century
4. Dr. Per Faxneld (Södertörn University), Spirituality and Secularity in Swedish Budō

07/01/2024

Check out this new book on religion and alcohol by Dr. Covell and a graduate of our MA program Ryan Lemasters.

04/29/2024

One more on the new course.

The new course will be called “Native American Magic & Power.”

04/29/2024

Check out these articles about a new course we are offering from the fall.

Starting in fall 2024, the Department of World Religions and Cultures will offer a new course titled Native American Magic and Power.

04/15/2024

This Wednesday is giving day at WMU. Please consider donating to support our department. You donations help fund student research, study abroad, departments events (guest speakers, workshops) and so much more. You can earmark your donation, too. I love taking students on study abroad trips so I always donate and ask the funds to be put in our Kevin Nester study abroad scholarship fund (I write it in).

Go to the giving page, search for religion, and give what you can to support all the work we do here. Every dollar counts.

Thank you!

04/08/2024

Interesting article on AI and teaching today by one of our recent graduates. The main article is behind a paywall but if you can use WMU's library you should be able to get for free.

This paper proposes a reevaluation of assessment methods in philosophy higher education, advocating for a shift away from traditional written assessments towards oral evaluation. Drawing attention to the rising ethical concerns surrounding large language models (LLMs), we argue that a renewed focus....

04/04/2024

Please notice the new name on the FB page. After much debate we have changed the name of the department! The previous names of the department have been Religion, and then Comparative Religion. After listening to our students we decided on a name that is more easily understood by students and their families and which better represents the interdisciplinary nature of our work. Previously students struggled to understand what we taught (even a past president used to always ask our chair which religion won the comparison contest). Fellow faculty also regularly misunderstood our department and thought we taught some kind of comparative theology.

The graduate degrees will remain as they are (Comparative Religion and Spirituality, Culture and Health). The undergrad degrees will have their name changed to match the department name.

03/13/2024

In case you missed it before, we have a call for papers out for Self-Cultivation in East Asian Martial Arts. If you are interested or now someone who is, please be sure to let us know.

01/23/2024

Congratulations Donald!

Meet Donald, a Comparative Religion major who was awarded the Gilman Scholarship!

The Gilman Scholarship is a study abroad scholarship, funded by the U.S. State Department, specifically for students who receive the Federal Pell Grant. The Scholarship amount is up to $5,000 for any credit-bearing study abroad program! This is a great opportunity for additional funding to help pay for study abroad program expenses, which is helping Donald study abroad in Hikone, Japan!

The Gilman Scholarship is open for applications NOW until March 7th.

Donald said that he is studying abroad "To develop my Japanese language skills as it pertains to my minor and will be applicable to a future master's program."

When asked what he is most looking forward to, he replied, "Experiencing Japanese culture firsthand, visiting Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in my free time and, of course, the food!"

Thanks for sharing, Donald, and congratulations!

For more information on the Gilman Scholarship and how it can provide additional funding for studying abroad, head over to wmich.edu/studyabroad/gilman