Calvin College Seminars

Calvin College, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is holding two seminars this summer that might be of interest to you:

Being Muslim in the United States, Directed by Lamin Sanneh, July 14 - August 1, 2008.

Congregations and Religious Diversity, Directed by R. Stephen Warner, June 23-July 18, 2008.

Successful applicants receive a stipend, housing, and some transportation expenses to facilitate their participation in the seminar. Deadlines are approaching rapidly, so take a moment to look at the details if you think you might be interested in this opportunity for research.

National Academy of Sciences and Creationism

The National Academy of Sciences has published a new book on evolution and creatonism. Science, Evolution, and Creationism is their newest addition to the ongoing discussion. A one-line summary for the book might read that science and faith are compatible, and that creationism is not suited for the science classroom. It has received good reviews, and is worth adding to your library if you are interested in the science-religion dialogue.

Ph.D. Studentship at Queen's University

This announcement comes from Thomas Lawson at Queen's University, Belfast.

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A 3-year PhD studentship, to begin September/October 2008, is being offered by the Institute of Cognition and Culture (School of History and Anthropology, Queen’s University – Belfast) as part of a collaborative research grant with partner US institutions. The project is titled ‘Cultural Variation in Vigilance and Precaution Themes’ and focuses on the hazard-precaution psychology underlying individual precautionary measures as well as those precautionary themes expressed in collective rituals. Both UK/EU nationals and international applicants are eligible for this studentship which shall run parallel to the three-year duration of the grant. To be eligible applicants should at minimum have:

1. a bachelor’s degree in cognitive psychology, evolutionary psychology, cognitive anthropology, or other relevant fields
2. nothing that would prevent fieldwork in locations like sub-Saharan Africa, US, continental Europe, potentially Southeast Asia
3. an interest in explaining human behavior from a cognitive and evolutionary psychological perspective

The applicant chosen shall develop a PhD research project in concert with the general project’s aims. An experimental component is required. The student will work with the two primary investigators, Professor Thomas Lawson and Dr Joel Mort.

The student will receive funds for tuition, fees, and maintenance for three years. Most research costs (subject costs etc) will be covered by the grant but any additional costs must be accounted for by the student through additional grants etc. Postgraduate office space will be provided at the Institute of Cognition and Culture (including network access). Interested persons should send applications via email to t.lawson /at/ qub.ac.uk no later than 1 Feb 2008. In addition a signed hard copy of the application materials should be mailed to:

Professor E. Thomas Lawson
Institute of Cognition and Culture
Queen’s University
2-4 Fitzwilliam Street
Belfast BT7 1NN
UK

A short-list of finalists will be chosen from all applications and those short-listed will be interviewed.

Application materials required:

• QUB application form
(http://www.qub.ac.uk/home/ProspectiveStudents/PostgraduateStudents/ApplyingtoQueens/ )

• Two academic references
• University transcripts

APA Div. 36 Mid-Year Conference

The APA Division for the Psychology of Religion has announced the slate of invited speakers for its conference to be held Feb. 29 - March 1 at Loyola College in Maryland. The list includes:

• Merle Jordan: All Psychotherapy is Clinical Theology


• James W. Jones: Violence on the Mind -- Violence, Religion and Contemporary American Christianity


• Annette Mahoney: Marriage and Pregnancy through the Lens of the Sacred: A Descriptive Study of a Community Sample of Pregnant Married Couples


• Lee Kirkpatrick, author of the fascinating and groundbreaking book, Attachment, Evolution, and the Psychology of Religion


• Raymond Paloutzian, co-editor of Handbook of the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality and editor of The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion.
  

There will also be a pre-conference, held Feb. 28. It will include:

1. Healing Emotional Affective Response to Trauma (HEART), A Christian Model for Working With Traumatized Clients
   Presented by Benjamin B. Keyes



2. Sexuality and Spirituality: Challenges to Integration from a Clinical Perspective
   Presented by Sheila Harron



3. Trauma, Resilience and the Spirit
   Presented by Maria Mouratidis



4. Helping Clergy Achieve Healthy Psychological Integration
   Presented by James Burns and David Marcotte



5. A Cognitive-Theological Approach to Supermodern Anxiety
   Presented by Kirk Bingaman



6. Evidence Based Clinical Practice with Religious and Spiritual Issues
   Presented by William L. Hathaway



7. Working With Groups From Beginning to End: Creative Activities to Use Purposefully in All Stages of Group Development
   Presented by Joan Saltman



8. Clinical Research from a Spiritual and Religious Perspective
   Presented by Brian McCorkle

Go to Loyola College in Maryland for more information about this conference.

RRA & SSSR Calls for Papers

The deadline for submitting proposals to the upcoming Religious Research Association and Society for the Scientific Study of Religion meeting, to be held October 17-19 in Louisville, Kentucky, is fast approaching. Session proposals are due January 31st (RRA) or January 15th (SSSR); paper proposals are March 15th. Read more about the RRA theme - Conflict and Renewal/Stability and Tradition - and SSSR theme - Global Religion: Boon, Nightmare, or Passing Phenomenon? What is a (Religious) Body to Do? - to learn the points that the program is emphasizing. Of course, both organizations generally accept proposals that deal with aspects of religion and social science not described specifically in their respective call for papers.

Haidt and Morality

I have deep respect for Jonathan Haidt's research. He investigates some of the most interesting and important social issues of our time, such as how people construe morality, and how they rely on feelings to arrive at decisions. A friend pointed me toward this lecture by Haidt at the Beyond Belief conference sponsored by The Science Network. Haidt suggests that part of the "culture wars" facing US society has to do with the way that conservatives and liberals view morality. What he says makes a lot of sense to me; it is well worth your time to watch. The website says that a DVD will soon be available for purchase, but for now you can view the lecture onlilne.