Spring has finally arrived on the Korean peninsula after a long, harsh winter. Forsythia, azalea, magnolia, and cherry blossoms are boasting their beautiful colors on campus. As I enter the classroom on the day I plan to show Pray the Devil Back to Hell, students are talking about an “impending war” in Korea. I ask, […]
Why did the governor of North Carolina, Pat McCrory, single out gender studies when he argued that a public college education should lead graduating students to a paying job, really to “how many of those butts can get jobs”? In this context, he also exclaimed: “If you want to take gender studies that’s fine, go […]
In Rebirth of the Goddess: Finding Meaning in Feminist Spirituality, Carol Christ offers a theo/alogy that is grounded in embodied thinking and begins with personal experience. She explains that experience is “embodied, relational, communal, social, and historical,” (p. 37) and that experiences of the Goddess are shaped and inspired by the experiences of others. Consequently […]
The creationism versus evolution debate when discussed in an educational setting does not occur exclusively in the United States. On June 12, 2012, the science journal Nature reported the “successful” petition by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR) to remove references to evolution from high school textbooks in South Korea. According to Nature, South Korea’s […]
“Christians and Muslims unite in new bid to silence Lady Gaga.” This was one of the top 10 religion headlines announced by the Pew Forum during the week of May 18 through 24, 2012. The news was a response to the cancellation of Gaga’s concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, due to “security” reasons after receiving strong […]
Lady Gaga, an Italian American pop singer and a self-described Catholic, has launched her “Born This Way Ball” tour in various locations in Asia. Her itinerary, which includes Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taipei, Manila, Bangkok, and Jakarta, debuted at Seoul’s Olympic Park on April 27, 2012. While her fans hailed her with cheers, a group of […]
As much as the 2012 U.S. presidential election and issues related to it have been at the center of public debate in America, so too have the election of the 19th National Assembly members (April 11th) and the 2012 presidential election (December) occupied the hearts and minds of people in South Korea. Given the heavy […]
In his recent interview with conservative television host Glenn Beck, Rick Santorum, a GOP presidential hopeful, referred to U.S. colleges and universities as “indoctrination mills.” “The indoctrination that is going on at the university level is a harm to our country,” he said. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “indoctrinate” means “fill the mind […]
Feminist studies in religion are a hot commodity in the current political turmoil. So-called women’s issues are front and center in the debates. The long settled question of contraception has been snatched from mothballs for conservatives’ purposes. But there is such a dearth of feminist religious voices, so little room in masculinist journalist and clerical […]
In the initial wake of coverage related to the healthcare mandate to cover contraception, media outlets concentrated on “religious communities” opposition to the requirement. From a theological and doctrinal perspective, the only major Christian denomination to oppose use of contraception is the Roman Catholic Church. Other conservative religious leaders chimed in to support what they […]