(Formerly) The Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies

Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies Dr. Christopher Bache recently took part in a series of conversations with English spiritual teacher, Richard Rudd, on reincarnation.

The YSU Ethics Bowl Team took home the first place trophy by defeating Tufts University at the 2020 APPE[1] Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl National Competition in Atlanta Georgia. The team consists of seniors Moataz Abdelrasoul, Samantha Fritz, and Jacob Tomory along with sophomores Michael Factor and Eva Lamberson. The competition was held over a two days, beginning with qualifying rounds on Saturday, February 22 and quarter, semi-final, and the final round concluding early Sunday evening. As noted on the association’s website:

The competition focuses on selected cases developed by APPE ethics faculty, researchers, and professionals; covering a wide range of disciplines, including but not limited to, business, engineering, journalism, law, medicine, and social work. In the competitions students demonstrate their ability to (1) understand the facts of the case, (2) articulate the ethical principles involved in the case, (3) present an effective argument on how the case should be resolved, and (4) respond effectively to challenges put forth by the opposing team as well as the panel of expert judges.

The team had previously place first the the Ethics Bowl Regional competition in November before heading to Atlanta. Approximately 200 plus teams compete for one of the 36 national spots. Other teams that made the national competition were the University of California Santa Barbara, the University of Central Florida, the U.S. Naval Academy, West Point, Tufts and Stanford, and Yale.

On Thursday 28 March, Dr. Mark Juergensmeyer, distinguished professor of Global Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, presented a lecture on religious violence entitled: “The Global Rise of Religious Violence”.

The lecture analyzed the rise of religious extremism around the world, from Christian militia in the United States and Europe and Jewish nationalists in Israel to Muslim terrorists related to ISIS and al Qaeda and Buddhist militants in Southeast Asia. The talk also explored why these movements are happening now on a global scale, and what religion has to do with it.

Dr. Michael Jerryson was the subject of a panel discussion at the 2018 meeting of the American Academy of Religion. The panel was entitled “WHEN BUDDHISTS ARE VIOLENT:THE ENDURING IMPACT OF MICHAEL JERRYSON ON THE FIELD OF RELIGION AND VIOLENCE”. Excerpts of the event can be viewed below.