Summer Leadership Summits on Global Issues

From Americans for Informed Democracy:

Young Leaders Wanted!
Summer Summit Series Offers Chance to Jump into Global Issues and Campaigns

Globally conscious young leaders at the University of Pittsburgh are invited to apply for one of Americans for Informed Democracy’s Young Global Leaders Summits, which are taking place across America in the summer of 2007! The summits in Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston will feature skill-building and advocacy workshops and speakers from Iraqi diplomats to the former head of UNICEF. Participants will also have the chance to weigh in with their own view on the U.S. role in global issues. To participate in the Summer Summit Series, just click on the link below for the summit that most excites you or visit www.aidemocracy.org/summer07.cfm.

June 13 in Boston: The Next Generation of Global Partnerships

June 15 in New York City: Social Entrepreneurship and Global Change

June 22 in Washington, DC: Women and Security: Amplifying Women's Voices in National Security

June 29 in Washington, DC: Social Entrepreneurship and Global Change

July 26 in New York City: Relate. Create. Innovate-YOU in the World

August 1 in Washington, DC: Transatlantic Approaches to International Law


FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISITWWW.AIDEMOCRACY.ORG/SUMMER07.CFM

Address : 45 Court St. City: New Haven St: CT Zip: 06511

(Editorial comment from your DUS: Boston to DC is hardly "across America" but let's not judge geographic myopia too harshly. Presumably "across the Eastern Seaboard" would have sounded awkward. Otherwise, this sounds like a good program.)

New Financial Aid Policy

I assume you will be sent notice of this from Financial Aid, but this is an important notice from the Advising Center:

"The Arts and Sciences Advising Center recently learned that there has been a change in requirements for financial aid progress.

"In the past, students were required to earn at least 24 new credits every academic year (between fall, spring, and summer terms) in order receive financial aid in the next academic year. For example, students who earned fewer than 11 credits in the fall term could make up the difference in the spring term by completing 13 credits for a total of 25. Students who did not have 24 credits by the end of the spring term could also make up the difference in the summer term and have their financial aid reinstated.

"Additionally, students were required to meet the following GPA requirements:

Level 1 (first year): 1.50 or higher
Level 2 (second year): 2.00 or higher
Level 3 (third year) 2.00 or higher
Level 4 (fourth year) 2.00 or higher
Level 5 (fifth year) 2.00 or higher

"Additionally, students were required to complete a specific number of credits at each undergraduate level as indicated below:

Level 1 (first year): 0 – 24 credits
Level 2 (second year) 25 – 54 credits
Level 3 (third year): 55 – 84 credits
Level 4 (fourth year): 85 – 114 credits
Level 5 (fifth year): 115 credits or more

"The change requires students to earn at least 12 credits each term (fall and spring). The Students who do not meet the per-term credit requirement will lose their financial even if they earned 30 credits with a 4.00 GPA."

NEW RELIGIOUS STUDIES MINOR

Also long, but also important: Share this information with your friends who don't check the blog.

The Minor in Religious Studies

Requirements for the minor have changed and are effective for all students with the following exceptions.

Students applying for graduation in August or December of 2007 may elect to continue under the old requirements for the minor or may fulfill the new distribution requirements.

Students who have completely fulfilled the old requirements for the minor prior to academic year 2007-2008 but who will graduate in April 2008 or later may graduate with a minor in Religious Studies by petitioning the Director of Undergraduate Studies of the Department of Religious Studies and the A&S Undergraduate Dean’s Office.

The minor in Religious Studies requires 5 courses (15 credits).

Important: The same course may not fulfill more than one distribution requirement.

Introductory Courses: 2 courses (6 credits)

Students select two courses from the following list of introductory courses:

0025 Major Biblical Themes
0090 Myth in the Ancient Near East
0105 Religions of the West
0115 Bible as Literature
0305 Classics of Christian Thought
0405 Religion in Early America
0415 Religion in Modern America
0455 Introduction to Islamic Civilization
0505 Religion in Asia
0525 Religion & Culture in East Asia
0715 Philosophy of Religion
0735 Wisdom

Religion in the East: 1 course (3 credits)

Students select one course from the following list of 1000-level courses:

1500 Religion in India 1
1516 Temple, Icon & Deity in India
1520 Buddhist Civilization
1530 Topics in Buddhist Civilization
1540 Saints East & West
1545 Mysticism East & East
1550 East Asian Buddhism
1552 Chan/Zen Buddhism
1554 Death & Beyond in Buddhist Cultures
1560 Chinese Religious Traditions
1562 Confucianism: Basic Texts
1570 Japanese Religious Traditions
1572 Popular Religion in a Changing Japan

Religion in the West: 1 course (3 credits)

Students select one course from the following list of 1000-level courses:

1100 Israel in the Biblical Age
1110 Special Topics—Ancient
1120 Origins of Christianity
1130 Varieties of Early Christianity
1132 Paul
1135 Orthodox Christianity
1140 Dualism in the Ancient World
1142 Construction of Evil
1145 Greco-Roman Religions
1150 Body & Society in Late Antiquity
1210 Classical Judaism
1220 Medieval Jewish Civilization
1222 Jewish Mysticism
1225 Jewish Culture in Medieval Spain
1250 Modern Jewry
1372 Catholicism in the New World
1400 Religion & Culture in America
1410 Religion in American Thought
1412 Ethnicity in American Religion
1425 Popular Religion in America
1540 Saints East & West
1545 Mysticism East & East
1640 Jews in the Islamic World
1642 Christian-Muslim Relations
1644 Jewish-Christian Relations
1760 Religion & Rationality

Elective: 1 course (3 credits)

Students select one additional religious studies course at the 1000 level. With permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, this course may include RELGST 1903: Directed Research Seminar—Capstone (W).

Important Regulations for Minors

All courses counted toward the minor must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a C or above.

At least 3 courses must be completed on the Oakland campus. Students transferring from other colleges or universities need to consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies about transferring courses and credits to be applied to the minor.

All A&S students must complete a related area requirement. Completing a minor in religious studies satisfies the related area requirement.

NEW RELIGIOUS STUDIES MAJOR

This is a long post but it's important: there is a new Religious Studies major, that will be effective for anyone who declares the major after September 1, 2007.
Here is the language that will go up on the Religious Studies website later this summer:

The Major in Religious Studies

Requirements for the major have changed and are effective for students declaring the major beginning September 1, 2007. Students who were officially declared majors prior to that date may elect to continue under the old requirements for the major or may fulfill the new distribution requirements.

The major in Religious Studies requires 10 courses (30 credits).

Important: The same course may not fulfill more than one distribution requirement. Requirements may be taken in any order. Students are encouraged to take the introductory courses early in the major.

Introductory Courses: 2 courses (6 credits)

Students take the following two overview courses:

0105 Religions of the West
0505 Religion in Asia

Methods Courses: 2 courses (6 credits)

All students select one course from each of the following two lists. These courses substantively treat major disciplinary approaches to the study of religion: historical, philosophical, ethnographic, social scientific and literary.

One course in which the historical approach to religion is emphasized:

0090 Myth in the Ancient Near East
0405 Religion in Early America
0415 Religion in Modern America
0455 Introduction to Islamic Civilization
1120 Origins of Christianity
1130 Varieties of Early Christianity
1220 Medieval Jewish Civilization
1250 Modern Jewry
1252 History of the Holocaust
1266 Israel: State & Society
1372 Catholicism in the New World
1500 Religion in India
1550 East Asian Buddhism
1552 Chan/Zen Buddhism
1560 Chinese Religious Traditions
1570 Japanese Religious Traditions
1680 Readings in Jewish Historiography

One course in which the philosophical, ethnographic, social scientific or literary approach to religion is emphasized:

0025 Major Biblical Themes
0115 Bible as Literature
0215 Ethics in the Jewish Tradition
0305 Classics of Christian Thought
0315 Ethics in the Christian Tradition
0435 Religious Themes in American
Literature
0525 Religion & Culture in East Asia
0705 Approaches to the Study of Religion
0715 Philosophy of Religion
0735 Wisdom
1554 Death & Beyond in Buddhist Cultures
1562 Confucianism: Basic Texts
1572 Popular Religion in a Changing Japan
1610 Myth, Symbol & Ritual
1620 Women & Religion
1630 Ritual Process
1650 Approaches to Antisemitism
1675 Reading the Hebrew Bible
1730 Problems in the Philosophy of Religion
1760 Religion & Rationality

Area Courses: 3 courses (9 credits)

Students select one course from each of the following three lists. These courses substantially treat three major area subfields: religion in the East, the premodern West, and the modern/contemporary West.

One course at the 1000 level on religion in the East:

1500 Religion in India 1
1516 Temple, Icon & Deity in India
1520 Buddhist Civilization
1530 Topics in Buddhist Civilization
1540 Saints East & West
1545 Mysticism East & East
1550 East Asian Buddhism
1552 Chan/Zen Buddhism
1554 Death & Beyond in Buddhist Cultures
1560 Chinese Religious Traditions
1562 Confucianism: Basic Texts
1570 Japanese Religious Traditions
1572 Popular Religion in a Changing Japan

One course at the 1000 level on religion in the premodern West:

1100 Israel in the Biblical Age
1110 Special Topics—Ancient
1112 Bible as Literature 2
1120 Origins of Christianity
1130 Varieties of Early Christianity
1132 Paul
1135 Orthodox Christianity
1140 Dualism in the Ancient World
1142 Construction of Evil
1145 Greco-Roman Religions
1150 Body & Society in Late Antiquity
1210 Classical Judaism
1220 Medieval Jewish Civilization
1222 Jewish Mysticism
1225 Jewish Culture in Medieval Spain
1454 Islamic Thought
1540 Saints East & West
1545 Mysticism East & East
1624 Women & Judaism
1640 Jews in the Islamic World
1642 Christian-Muslim Relations
1644 Jewish-Christian Relations
1675 Reading the Hebrew Bible
1680 Readings in Jewish Historiography

One course at the 1000 level on religion in the modern or contemporary West:[UP1]

1250 Modern Jewry
1252 History of the Holocaust
1254 After the Holocaust
1256 Modern Israel
1257 Russian Jewry
1266 Israel: State and Society
1370 Religion in the Modern Western World
1372 Catholicism in the New World
1400 Religion & Culture in America
1410 Religion in American Thought
1412 Ethnicity in American Religion
1425 Popular Religion in America
1760 Religion & Rationality

Elective Courses: 2 courses (6 credits):

Students select two additional religious studies courses, at least one of which must be at the 1000 level..

Students may use electives to form a clear area of specialization preparatory to graduate study or in line with their interests, or they may use electives to create a broader program in which they study as many traditions, ideologies, geographic areas, themes and so forth as possible. Students are encouraged to meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to plan the best arrangement of courses for their long-term academic goals.

Capstone Seminar: 1 course (3 credits)

1903 Directed Research Seminar (W course)

Prerequisite: at least 6 religious studies courses

Each fall, all graduating majors come together as an intellectual community to participate in a special seminar to produce a capstone research paper. The overarching thematic orientation of the capstone seminar changes with the instructor. Students are encouraged to develop research topics in their area of interest within the broader outlines of the annual theme. Students work with the seminar instructor as well as with another faculty member with expertise in the particular area of research. Students have opportunities to share their work-in-progress with other seminar members throughout the term and to present their research to their peers at the conclusion of the seminar.

Important: Majors who plan to study abroad in the fall term of the academic year in which they anticipate graduation, should plan to complete six courses in the major by the fall term of their junior year and petition the Director of Undergraduate Studies to take RELGST 1903 in the fall term of their junior year. Juniors who will have completed six courses in the major by the fall term of their junior year may enroll in RELGST 1903 by petition.

Capstone Themes

2006-2007: Religion in Diaspora
2007-2008: TBA
2008-2009: TBA

Related Area Requirement

All A&S students must complete a related area requirement. We believe this offers our majors an important opportunity to enhance their understanding of the religious process or an area of specialization through the study of the literature, language, art, or history of a particular culture, or through the study of disciplines or processes that are related to religion, such as social change, mythology, symbolism, and literature.

There are two ways to meet the related area requirement. Students should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies for help with formulating their options.

• Students identify a cluster of four courses (12 credits) that support and reinforce their study of religion. Students may use foreign languages as their related area, but those languages must show some relationship to a primary religion or cultural context within the major.

• Students complete a second major, a minor, or a certificate program.

Important Regulations for Majors

All courses counted toward the major must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a C grade or above.

At least 5 courses and the capstone seminar (for a total of 6 courses) must be completed on the Oakland campus. Students transferring from other colleges or universities need to consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies about transferring courses and credits to be applied to the major.

Department honors require a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.25 or higher in the major and a B+ or above in the capstone seminar.

Religious Studies Advising Summer 2008

During the summer term, I am available to declared majors as follows:
1) I will be coming in to the office approximately once a week until early June. E-mail me for an appointment if you would like to meet with me in person.
2) After early June, I will be available via e-mail on an irregular basis.

If you need to make add/drop changes or registration changes for the summer term, you can do so at the Registrar's office in Thackeray.

You should already have registered for the fall term. But if you still need to register for the fall term (the deadline is July 6 to do so without a penalty fee), you should contact me this month to schedule an appointment. I will not do registration via e-mail so if you are not in Pittsburgh, you will have to wait until the beginning of the fall term and pay a late fee (note: the late fee does not apply to students who have been on study abroad in the spring term).

If you have an add/drop issue for the fall term, contact me before early June or go to the Registrar's office in Thackeray and process an add/drop form. You do not need my signature for this (although it would be nice to keep me informed if it changes your courses for the major).

If you are not a declared major, please contact me at the end of the summer for advising. I will be happy to meet with you at the beginning of fall term.

In all cases, if it is a specific and quick question, feel free to e-mail, but please understand that I may not be able to get back to you right away.


PS Note that Peoplesoft will be down for a major upgrade between May 25-29, so you should try to get to me for anything important before May 25.