Annie Sheneman
Contributing Writer
The 51st Annual College of Wooster Fall Academy of Religion lecture series began this Wednesday, Sep. 11, with a lecture from Larry Shirer, MBA, entitled “Spirituality in Native American Ceremonies.” The series will occur every Wednesday night until Oct. 16, for a total of six lectures, given by professors from The College of Wooster as well as guest speakers. All of the lectures in the series will take place in Lean Lecture Room on the lower floor of Wishart Hall from 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., and are open to both Wooster students and members of the public.
The lecture series is hosted by the department of religious studies and is sponsored through the J. Arthur Baird endowed fund and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion’s Office of Religious and Spiritual Life. This year’s theme is “Indigenous/Native American Religion and Spirituality: An Alternative Paradigm.” The series seeks to explore fundamental questions of religion through the frame of Native American religion and spirituality. According to Charles Kammer III, James F. Lincoln Professor of religious studies, the intention of the lecture series is to “raise awareness of particular issues, especially environmental ones, and to recognize the diversity of religious viewpoints.” The series seeks to explore the difference in approach between the “Western” paradigm and the religious traditions of indigenous groups, and how Native American religion and spirituality can offer answers to perennial human questions.
Following this week’s lecture, the next lecture in the series will be given by P. Nick Kardulias, professor of classical civilization – archeology, sociology and anthropology. This lecture will take place on Sep. 18, and is entitled “Ritual Activity among Prehistoric People in the Midwest: An Archaeological View.”
On Sep. 25, Jeremy Rapport, professor of religious studies, will present his lecture, “Religion and Religions in Native America.” The following week, Oct. 2, Dale Seeds, professor emeritus of theatre and dance, will present his lecture, “Spirits in the Mask: An Exploration of the Spiritual Beliefs of Alaskan Native Peoples as Seen Through the Eyes of Their Mask Performance Traditions.”
On Oct. 9, Shirer will return to give a second lecture, entitled “Life Lessons from Native American Spirituality.” The lecture series will conclude with a lecture from Walter S. Robinson, professor of Native American and Indigenous studies at Indiana University, entitled “Indigenous Spirituality and the Genesis of Religion.”
These lectures will be conducted as a combination of presentation and question and answer. For the first 45 minutes, the speaker will give their lecture, followed by 45 minutes for audience questions. Both Wooster students and staff as well as the surrounding community are welcome and encouraged to attend these lectures to gain a greater understanding of Native American religion and how these traditions can illuminate fundamental questions about religion and spirituality.