Spring 2007

An Interfaith Dialogue

Fostering Global Harmony Not Conflict

Buddhism          Christianity          Islam          Judaism          Mormonism

A Presentation of

The Center for Global Studies

Purdue University Calumet

Hammond, Indiana 

An unfortunate and distinctive characteristic of our contemporary time is increasing tensions among peoples, nations, and religions throughout the world. Many people, from all walks of life and different parts of the world are questioning many aspects of today’s moral and spiritual free-zone life and existence-the anything goes nonchalant kind of mentality. Are there sources from which we can draw meaning and wholeness to our lives? Are there resources of spirituality that would nourish and sustain our lives in this complex, pluralistic and ever changing world? Can we do anything about the unfolding events? Can diverse religion leaders and thinkers promote interfaith cooperation? Can educational institutions play a role? Can global harmony replace global conflict?

To answer these and other related questions, the Center for Global Studies at Purdue University Calumet will bring together a group of noted scholars and theologians representing Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Mormonism for a highly engaging, informative, and timely panel discussion.

Panelists:

• Professor Xiaoshi Yang, PhD, Coordinator of Asian Studies Program, City College of Chicago. (Buddhism)

• Professor Georges Enderle, PhD, John T. Ryan, Jr., Chair of International Business Ethics, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame. (Christianity)
• Professor Rudiger Seesemann, PhD, Professor of Religion, Northwestern University. (Islam)  

• Professor Miriam Joyce, PhD, Department of History and Political Science, Purdue University Calumet. (Judaism)

• Professor Fred Woods, PhD, Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding, Brigham Young University. (Mormonism)

 Moderator:

• Professor Yahya Kamalipour, PhD, director of the Center for Global Studies and head of the Department of Communication, Purdue University Calumet.

 For About the Center for Global Studies visit:

http://www.calumet.purdue.edu/cca/cgs

www.calumet.purdue.edu

Biography of the Panelists

Dr. Georges Enderle (PhD in economics, Fribourg University, Switzerland) is John T. Ryan, Jr. Professor of International Business Ethics at the Mendoza College of Business, Univer­sity of Notre Dame (Indiana, USA), and former President of the International Society of Business, Economics, and Ethics (ISBEE; 2000-2004). Born in St. Gallen, Switzerland (1943), he studied philosophy in Munich and theology in Lyon. From 1983 to 1987 he was Director of the Center for Business Ethics at the University of St. Gallen, co-founded in 1987 the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN) and was a member of its Executive Committee until 1992. In fall 1992, he joined the faculty at Notre Dame. Since 1994 he has been involved in numerous research and teaching activities in China, particularly at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai. He has authored and edited 18 books and over 100 articles and serves on the Board of Advisors of several academic journals and Centers for Business Ethics. He co-chaired the World Congress of Business, Economics, and Ethics 2000 in São Paulo, Brazil, and the subsequent Congress 2004 in Melbourne, Australia.

Dr. Miriam Joyce (PhD in history from Fordham University) is professor of History, Purdue University Calumet. She is the author of a variety of articles and four books dealing with Anglo-American diplomacy and the Middle East. She received a BRE degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary and a BS degree from Columbia University, both in 1958, and an MA from Manhattan College in 1974. Prior to joining the Purdue University Calumet faculty in 1990 Prof. Joyce taught Jewish history at Spertus College of Jewish Studies. Professor Joyce, who visits Jerusalem annually, is a member of the Chicago Jewish Community Relations Council, where she represents Chicago Friends of Peace Now.

Dr. Yahya R. Kamalipour is head of the Department of Communication and Creative Arts and Director of the Center for Global Studies at Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, Indiana, where he has taught for 21 years.  He has 11 published books, including Global Communication (2^nd Ed., 2007), The Media Globe (with L. Artz, 2007); Bring ‘Em On: Media and Politics in the Iraq War (with L. Artz, 2005); and War, Media, and Propaganda: A Global Perspective (with N. Snow, 2004).   He is founder and managing editor of Global Media Journal (www.globalmediajournal.com), with 11 established editions throughout the world, co-founder and co-editor of Journal of Globalization for the Common Good (www.commongoodjournal.com), and founder of Global Communication Association.  In addition to numerous speeches, mass media appearances and interviews, Kamalipour’s articles have appeared in professional and mainstream publications in the U.S. and abroad.  For further details see www.kamalipour.com.

Dr. Rudiger Seesemann (PhD in Islamic Studies, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz/Germany) works as Assistant Professor at the Department of Religion, Northwestern University Evanston. He has a long record of research, publications, and teaching about Islam, particularly with respect to Africa. His major fields of specialization are Islamic Mysticism, Islam and Modernity, Islam and Politics, Islamism, and Islamic Education, with a focus on the contemporary period and a regional emphasis on Africa South of the Sahara. He has lived, worked, and studied aspects of interfaith relationships in Sudan, Senegal, and Kenya. As the co-principal investigator of a research program based at Northwestern’s Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought in Africa, he coordinates research on religious literature produced by Sufis and participates in a project studying popular Islamic books and videos in Sub-Saharan Africa, the latter being a field that reflects both the competition and dialogue between religions.

Dr. Fred E. Woods (PhD in Middle East Studies, the University of Utah) is a native of Southern California. He completed a BS degree in Psychology (1981), an MS degree in International Relations (1985) at Brigham Young University.  He taught at Rick College (now BYU-Idaho) from 1993-1998 and is currently a professor at BYU where he holds a Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding.  In 1999, Dr. Woods was the Wilkinson research fellow at the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, VA, and in 2000, he was a research fellow at the Mercantile Library in St. Louis. In 2001, he was a research/teaching fellow at the Mercantile Library and for the Pierre LaClede Honors College at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In 2002, BYU awarded him the Richard L. Anderson award for outstanding research in his college. For the past three summers he has been a visiting professor at BYU-Hawaii. Dr. Woods has lectured at a number of colleges and universities in America and is the author/co-author of six books and over fifty articles.

Dr. Xiaosi Yang (PhD in Philosophy and Religion, the Johns Hopkins University) is currently philosophy professor and Asian Study Program Coordinator at City College of Chicago. Dr. Yang received his first Master degree in Chinese Philosophy and Religions in China, and then a second Master’s degree the Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Yang has more than twenty years of experience in teaching Asian philosophies and religions both in China and in the United States. Before transferring to City College, Dr. Yang taught in Purdue Calumet for about two years, and then served as the Director of Asian Study Center at Lake Forest College. He has published numerous articles, book or book chapters on Asian thoughts.