CSR-undergrads-list September 2004

csr-undergrads-list@lists.fas.harvard.edu

1 participants
4 discussions

by Thomas A. Lewis

To: All undergraduate Religion Concentrators: Re: New Course Announcement I had hoped to present my courses that are open to undergraduates at the CSR reception last evening, but was unable to attend at the last minute for unforeseen reasons. However, I do wish to extend an invitation to undergraduates who are interested in a course that I am offering on "Christianity, War, and Peace from Augustine to Iraq." Due to a couple of late course changes, I'm not sure that this course was properly listed among the current offerings, so I wanted to make sure that it was brought to your attention. The course meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 - 1:00. All discussion sections will also meet during that time period, and will be periodically scheduled throughout the course. A full syllabus is now available at the following url: http://icommons.harvard.edu/~hds-2279/ A link to a course web page on the FAS servers will be established in the very near future, but in the meantime, please use the above link with the Divinity School course number. The purpose of this course is to do both historical and theoretical work that will facilitate a discussion of how to understand, interpret, and approach the current U.S. war in Iraq from within Christian intellectual traditions. Certainly one of the primary ways that the war is now discussed in public discourse is under the rubric of the "just war." We will look carefully at stages in the development of just war argumentation since early Rome, the contributions of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and contemporary theorists, but also look at the larger intellectual and religious context of varieties of ways to understand war throughout the long history of Christian thought. Hence, we will discuss "holy war" and the Crusades, but also read critics of war from Erasmus in the sixteenth century to Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day in the 20th century. Our goal is to work through the common questions, concerns, methodological issues, and ethical claims to try to learn a set of critical tools that will assist us in talking more intelligibly and with more intellectual integrity than is often the case in our currently divided and polemically oriented field of public exchange about the war. This should be the case whether or not one finds the current justifications for the war that have been offered by a variety of contemporary thinkers (and our current Presidential administration) finally persuasive or seriously flawed. Our goal, first and foremost, is not to agree or disagree with the war, but to take a historical-critical look at our current "tools of discourse" and what is at stake in our ways of understanding them. Again, given some uncertainties as to the status of the course listings, I want to make sure that undergraduate concentrators in Religion are aware of the course and are formally invited to participate if this is an area of study which is of interest to any of you. With regards, P. Provost-Smith Assistant Professor of the History of Christianity, Harvard Divinity School Member of the Committee for the Study of Religion, Harvard University

19 years, 7 months

FW: Radcliffe Fellowship Program Research Assistant Opportunity

by Thomas A. Lewis

>Dear Department Administrator, > >I am writing to inform you of an exciting and unique research >opportunity for >undergraduates at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Please >pass this >information on to your department concentrators. > >In 1991, Radcliffe initiated the Radcliffe Research Partnership (RRP) >program as >part of a commitment to increase the opportunities for undergraduates >to work >with Radcliffe scholars and staff. It matches undergraduates (junior >partners) >with senior scholars (senior partners). It fosters intellectual growth, >develops skills, builds confidence, and offers exceptional role models. >Nearly >five hundred junior partners have participated in the program, working >with >more than three hundred senior partners. Projects have been in such >diverse >fields as science, public policy, gender studies, the humanities, and >the >arts. > >I myself participated in the program, and think it is one of the best >experiences I have had at Harvard, and certainly the best work >experience. >Through the program, students come into close contact with talented >scholars, >learn the ropes of individualized research, and get to work in a job >which is >more interesting, fulfilling, and exciting than most others available on >campus. > >For more information, please consult the RRP website at: >http://www.radcliffe.edu/fellowships/rrp/index.php. Here you will find a >more >detailed description of the program, as well as the project proposals of >the >2004-5 fellows looking for junior partners. If you have any questions, >please >contact Diana Carey at rrp(a)radcliffe.edu. Applications are available on >the >website. > >Thank you! > >Sarah Thomas > >-------------------------------------------------------------------- >mail2web - Check your email from the web at >http://mail2web.com/ . Thomas A. Lewis Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Study of Religion Committee on the Study of Religion and the Divinity School Harvard University Barker Center 409 12 Quincy Street Cambridge, MA 02138 phone - 617.495.2085 fax - 617.496.5798

19 years, 7 months

Reminder - Religion Meeting on Monday 9/20

by Thomas A. Lewis

Dear Religion Concentrators, Welcome back. With so much going on in the next few days, please don't forget the mandatory concentrators' meeting on Monday (September 20) at 5:30 in the Thompson Room (1st floor of the Barker Center). The meeting will be followed by a picnic on the lawn of the Barker Center. I look forward to seeing you there. With all best wishes, Thomas A. Lewis Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Study of Religion Committee on the Study of Religion and the Divinity School Harvard University Barker Center 409 12 Quincy Street Cambridge, MA 02138 phone - 617.495.2085 fax - 617.496.5798

19 years, 7 months

religion concentrators' meeting and other updates

by Thomas A. Lewis

Dear Religion Concentrators, Welcome back! Whether you were working, researching, or relaxing--or perhaps a combination of all three--I hope you have enjoyed the summer. With the semester quickly approaching, I wanted to remind you of a couple of things. The Concentrators' Meeting is on Monday September 20 at 5:30 pm in the Thompson Room (on the first floor of the Barker Center). We will have information on religion courses offered this semester, introductions of students and faculty, and more general announcements--including some important changes in the concentration. Juniors will also have a chance to meet briefly with their tutorial leaders. Remember that the meeting is mandatory for all concentrators. The meeting will be followed by a picnic on the lawn of the Barker Center. The meeting and the picnic are a great opportunity to catch up with people you haven't seen in a while, meet new ones, and chat with faculty and other students about courses for the fall. Also, remember to be thinking ahead about meeting with your advisor during the first week of classes. You should have received my email in July with your advisor's name and email. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. For those of you who would like to meet with me during the first week of classes, I have set up extended meeting times Tuesday from 2:40-5:00 and Wednesday from 2-5. To make an appointment during those times, call Kit Jaeger at 495-5781. (Note that she is only arranging my appointments for those two days; normally you should email me directly.) If you cannot make it during those times, email me directly at tlewis(a)fas.harvard.edu. Finally, I am enjoying the position of Director of Undergraduate Studies and looking forward to a great year. I've already spoken and/or corresponded with a number of you and look forward to seeing the rest of you next Monday. With all best wishes, Thomas A. Lewis Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Study of Religion Committee on the Study of Religion and the Divinity School Harvard University Barker Center 409 12 Quincy Street Cambridge, MA 02138 phone - 617.495.2085 fax - 617.496.5798

19 years, 7 months

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CSR-undergrads-list September 2004