For the next event sponsored by the Japan Foundation and the Leidecker Center for Asian Studies, master musicians Yodo Kurahashi-sensie and Miyuki Yoshikami-sensei will perform a live concert featuring eighth-century instruments, the shakuhachi (bamboo flute) and koto (a 13-stringed instrument). The shakuhachi in particular has been used in some forms of Zen contemplative practice for centuries, and several of the pieces to be performed stem from the Zen tradition. The concert will be Wednesday, April 5th at 4:30pm in Lee Hall 412. Catered reception with gourmet Indian food to follow. This event is free and open to the public - please share widely. … [Read more...]
Religious Freedom Essay 2017
October 20, 2016 by
Students from Mary Washington and Germanna are invited to submit essays on the subject of religious freedom. Prize money totals $1250! Essays due by 11 pm, December 9th, 2016. For more details, check out our page. … [Read more...]
Meet our new faculty in Religion! Q&A with Professor Jennifer Barry
October 6, 2016 by
Meet our new faculty in Religion! Q&A With Professor Jennifer Barry Where are you from or where have you lived? My father was a pilot in the Air Force so we moved around quite a bit. By the time I graduated high school, I had already moved 12 times. As an adult, I have continued to move from place to place for my education and professional opportunities. In total, I have lived in 11 different states in the US and 2 countries overseas (Adana, Turkey and Ramstein, Germany). I have lived in the Virginia area 4 separate times throughout my life. What do you study (area of expertise)? In the Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion, I fall under the R. My specific area of study is early Christianity, but I focus primarily on late antiquity. Late antiquity is that transitional moment when Christianity becomes the favored cult of the late Roman Empire. I study topics such as clerical exile, orthodoxy and heresy, and gender and sexuality. I often describe myself as a … [Read more...]
Mindfulness Week 2016 (October 10-14)
September 19, 2016 by
http://meditation.umwblogs.org/mindfulness-week/ Mindfulness Week 2016 The University of Mary Washington presents the 4th Annual UMW Mindfulness Week (Mon. Oct. 10-Fri. Oct. 14th, 2016), a week-long series of activities that center on cultivating integrated, whole-person wellness through the intersections of mindfulness, creativity, social justice, and contemplative practice. All events are free and open to the public. Schedule of Events Mon. 10/10/16: 1. Introduction to Mindfulness with Guided Meditation Practice, led by Bill Brooks, 4:00-5:30 Lee Hall 411. This workshop provides a general introduction to “mindfulness”, that is, sustained, non-judgemental attention given to what is in the present moment, and how mindfulness can be cultivated through meditation. Tues. 10/11/16: 1. Mindfulness with Mandalas: A Short Film and Workshop, led by UMW Student, Joshua Whiting, 1:00-2:30 p.m., Capital Room, University Center (room 314). In this workshop, Joshua will … [Read more...]
First Think, Then Earn
September 7, 2016 by
From The Atlantic Magazine we learn once again the maybe not so obvious: businesses want and need liberal arts majors. … [Read more...]
UMW Certamen 2016 Results
April 18, 2016 by
The UMW Classics Club and the department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion welcomed eight teams to UMW Certamen 2016 this past weekend! The results are as follows: Level One - 1st Ni River Middle, 2nd Massaponax High School Level One-A - 1st Spotsylvania Middle, 2nd Ni River Middle School Level two 1st Riverbend High School A team, 2nd Riverbend High School B team Level three 1st Riverbend High School, 2nd Brooke Point High school Upper level 1st Riverbend High School, 2nd Massaponax High school Congratulations to all those who participated! For those of you who attended, please take a moment to fill out our survey. And keep an eye out for Certamen 2017 in March! … [Read more...]
Religion alum defends Ph.D. Thesis!
April 18, 2016 by
CPR alum and religion major Jef Pierce successfully defended his PhD dissertation at UVA today. Here is some info from his page on the UVA dept website: Jef's Ph.D. dissertation, entitled “Exaltation of the Goddess: Narrative Expressions of the Feminine Divine in the Devīpurāṇa,” focuses on a subgroup of medieval devotional texts in which the Goddess is for the first time acknowledged as supreme within the Sanskrit Brahmanical milieu. By considering the intertextual relationships of the previously untranslated Devīpurāṇa – a foundational and influential Śākta text – and by drawing out the Tantric elements of the work, his research demonstrates the ways in which the text inherits an orthodox narrative vocabulary but reinvents it for an innovative vision of reality colored by local/indigenous considerations of the powerful feminine divine. … [Read more...]
Club Med is back!
February 9, 2016 by
The Center for Asian Studies is holding throughout the semester a series of meditation sessions, open to all interested students, staff, and faculty. All sessions will be led by students currently enrolled in CPRD 304, Contemplative Practice II, and will take place in the Leidecker Center of Asian Studies, Trinkle B39. For times, please consult the calendar. … [Read more...]
CANCELLED: 2016 Jefferson Lecture
January 24, 2016 by
The department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion regretfully announced that due to the effects of Winter Storm Jonas the 2016 Jefferson Lecture has been cancelled. As of now and unless otherwise indicated, the lecture will not be rescheduled. … [Read more...]
Mysterium Humanum 2016: Religion and Violence
January 6, 2016 by
In spring 2016 we are offering CPRD 299 Mysterium Humanum Studies on the theme Religion and Violence (CPRD%20299%20FLYER%20POSTER). This will be a course built around an interdisciplinary speaker series, organized by Mehdi Aminrazavi (M & W 3-4:15; Trinkle 204), open to the public. Please join us! No reservations required. … [Read more...]