Senior Fellow Ebrahim Moosa recently posted to the University of Notre Dame’s Contending Modernities blog on the works of Shah Waliyullah of Delhi (d. 1762), an Indian scholar on Islamic law, spirituality, and the Qur’an. Moosa discusses Waliyullah’s analysis of prophetic visions as a blending of the senses similar to modern synesthesia.
The Kenan Moral Purpose Award is given for the best undergraduate student essay on the role a liberal arts education plays in students’ exploration of the personal and social purposes by which to orient their future and the intellectual, emotional, and moral commitments that make for a full life. In partnership with the Parr Center for Ethics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, KIE provides the winning undergraduate from each school with a cash prize.
The winning Duke student is Joy Liu, a Trinity junior majoring in public policy and biology (pictured at right). Her essay “Ambition” discusses a pivotal trip to Africa, in which a friendship with a local youth transformed her motivations. The Carolina student chosen, Elizabeth Henderson, is a senior majoring in journalism and mass communication. In “On Open-Mindedness,” she discusses the ways in which her liberal arts education has taken her out of her comfort zone and instilled in her an intellectual curiosity.
Last Sunday, the twelve students of KIE’s DukeImmerse program “Uprooted/Rerouted” recited personal narratives of refugees collected during their field work in refugee camps in Egypt and Nepal earlier in the semester. The narratives revealed themes of hopefulness, despair, isolation, the strength of family, and more. Read about the performances on the Duke Today website.
The Kenan Moral Purpose Award is given for the best undergraduate student essay on the role a liberal arts education plays in students’ exploration of the personal and social purposes by which to orient their future and the intellectual, emotional, and moral commitments that make for a full life. The award extends to include students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, thanks to a partnership with the Parr Center for Ethics. One winner from each school receives $1,000. This contest is open to all currently enrolled undergraduate students at either Duke or UNC.
Essays of between 500-800 words should address either or both of the following questions:
The deadline for the 2013 competition is April 26, 2013.
Contact Rachel Revelle (rachel.revelle@duke.edu) for more information.
This spring, Religions and Public Life at KIE launched a speaker series in tandem with the graduate course “A Paradoxical Politics? Religions, Poverty, and the Re-imagining of Citizenship within a Globalizing World,” taught by KIE Senior Fellows Luke Bretherton (Divinity) and Ebrahim Moosa (Religion). The speakers included:
Cardinal Francis George, OMI, Catholic Archbishop of Chicago: “Catholic Social Teaching and Economic Globalization”
Jose Casanova, Georgetown University: “Post-secularization, Globalization, and Poverty”
Ruth Marshall, University of Toronto: “Pentecostalism, Poverty & Power”
Katherine Marshall, Georgetown University: “Religion and Development”
Peter van der Veer, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity: “The Spiritual, the Secular and the Poor in India and China”
Susan Holman, Harvard Global Health Institute: “Public Health, Poverty & Patristics”
Video of each talk is available in the resources section.
During Jose Casanova‘s visit for the Religions and Public program, the Duke Divinity newsletter Faith and Leadership interviewed him about “Globalization and the Growing Church.”
The Kenan Institute for Ethics is now accepting applications for the 2013-2014 Stephen and Janet Bear Postgraduate Fellowship in Ethics. This year-long position is open to all graduating Duke undergraduate students. Applications are due Monday, April 15 at 5:00 pm. For more information on the position and how to apply, visit the Postgraduate Fellowship page.
The “Religion and Ethics” blog on the Australian Broadcasting website recently asked several experts to weigh on on the implications for the recent election of Pope Francis. KIE Senior Fellow Luke Bretherton respons to the idea of “a post-secular pope.”
Congratulations to our most recent Campus Grant winners. These grants are awarded each fall and spring to members of the Duke community—students, faculty, and staff—to support initiatives that promote ethical or moral reflection, deliberation, and dialogue at Duke and beyond.
The Spring 2013 winners are:
Alana Jackson / Program II in Intersections of Public Health and the Arts
For a performance of dance, compositions, songs, and spoken word as a culminating event from an exploration of the intersections of public health and the performing arts. Inspiration for the pieces will come from participation with the Health Arts Network at Duke and experience serving a population with Parkinson’s disease through a Dance For Parkinson’s Class Series.
Liliana Paredes and Rebecca Ewing / Spanish Language Program
For a panel talk on Immigration, Culture, Sports, & Ethics as part of the Intensive Spanish Summer Institute. A group of experts including Paul Cuadros,Hannah Gill, and Gwendolyn Oxenham will discuss the role of soccer to bridge borders, and the ethical implications of sports in the context of social equity.
Francis Cardinal George, OMI, the Catholic Archbishop of Chicago, was the first speaker of the new Religions and Public Life speaker series, “Paradoxical Politics: Religions, Poverty and Citizenship.” The six speakers chosen for the series are leading scholars and practitioners from the U.S. and abroad. This program is co-sponsored by KIE, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, and the Divinity School.
The Cardinal’s talk focused on Catholic social teaching in the age of economic globalization, and was delivered to a packed room in the Westbrook Building. He discussed the Church’s focus on strengthening communities and the ways in which global capitalism is creating increasingly stratified societies.
To watch the entire talk, visit the Religion and Public Life resources page, where all of the videos for the speaker series will be posted throughout the spring.
The next talk will be on Tuesday night. All remaining talks will be on Tuesdays, beginning at 5:30 pm in room 0014 of the Westbrook Building, next to Duke Chapel.
Jose Casanova | February 19
“Post-secularization, Globalization, and Poverty”
Ruth Marshall | February 26
“Pentecostalism, Poverty & Power”
Katherine Marshall | March 5
“Religion and Development”
Peter van der Veer | March 26
“The Spiritual, the Secular and the Poor in India and China”
Susan Holman | April 9
“Public Health, Poverty & Patristics”