Abhishek S. Amar specializes in the history of early India and his research interests include archaeological history of Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions in early India. He recently completed his post-doctoral research at IKGF at Ruhr University, Bochum, where he studied inter-religious dynamics between Buddhist and Hindu traditions in the early medieval South Bihar region, the region of South Asia that was the cradle of Buddhism. He completed his Ph.D. from the SOAS, University of London, and his doctoral research focused on the history of Buddhism at Bodhgaya, the site of enlightenment of the Buddha. Amar completed his M. Phil (2002) and M.A (1999) in South Asian history from JNU, New Delhi, India.
Humphries-Brooks came to Hamilton in 1983 as a visiting instructor of religion. He earned a master's and Ph.D. in religion from Columbia University/Union Theological Seminary. Humphries-Brooks' areas of interest encompass literary and social-historical criticism of the Gospels, early Christian literature, and paganism. His course, "The Celluloid Savior" explores the depiction of Jesus Christ in modern media and was featured in The New York Times and on NPR's "All Things Considered." His publication "How to View a Jesus Movie" is a useful guide to viewing Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ." In 2006 Humphries-Brooks published a book, Cinematic Savior: Hollywood's Making of the American Christ (Praeger), which examines how the life of Jesus has been portrayed in major films.
Seager's field of study is the religions of the United States. His interests include immigration, ethnicity and religion, and religion and the environment, but he has written most extensively about Asian religions in this country. His first two books were devoted to the World's Parliament of Religion in Chicago in 1893. More recently, he published Buddhism in America (Columbia, 1999), an examination of prominent communities and leading figures in a range of Buddhist traditions currently setting down roots in this country. Seager published his latest book, Encountering the Dharma (University of California Press) in March, 2006. It offers a rare insider's look at Soka Gakkai Buddhism, one of Japan's most influential and controversial religious movements, and one that is experiencing explosive growth around the world.
Williams earned an M.Div. degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. His specialty is the philosophy of religion and in that area he has published two books, The Riddle of the Sphinx and A Reassessment of Absolute Skepticism and Religious Faith, as well as several articles. Never content with just metaphysical abstractions, he has applied his philosophical understanding to the thought of both west and east, publishing books about the ancient Hebrews, Jesus, and Jewish history He has also written several scholarly articles about Mesopotamian mythology, the Bible, the Cambridge Platonists, theosophy and Christian theology. Williams has published articles on the I Ching, The Confucian Analects, the Tao Teh Ching, the Lotus Sutra, and the Vimalakirtinirdesasutra. In 2000 he published a biography of Edward Robinson (Hamilton 1816), the 19th century explorer of Palestine and long-time president of the American Oriental Society. In 2004 he published a translation of and commentary upon a previously unknown gospel, probably from Tang dynasty China. In a different vein, Williams published The Voyage of Life, a collection of his own poetry, as well as Around the Quad, a collection of verse that evokes memories of Hamilton College. In 2008 he published The Path and it Power: Lao Zi’s thoughts for the 21st Century, as well as Religion, What it has been and what it is. Today, most of Williams' courses concern religious thought and expression in south and east Asia.
Back to Religious Studies overview.
While much of the program's curriculum focuses on the world's major religious traditions, many courses examine the cultural, artistic and even technological facets of religious belief. Courses on parables, environmentalism, social movements, sacred spaces and the relationship between religion and politics all reveal the ways that the religious impulse shapes nonreligious experience.
Indigenous religions are often deeply concerned with the environment, with personal responsibility and strong communities, and with the immanence of the sacred. Those qualities make courses in Native American religions popular and resonant part of the religious studies program.
We don't usually think of Hollywood and religion as natural partners, but the film industry has often tried – with mixed results – to explore myth and divinity. Two courses, Religion in Film and The Celluloid Savior, examine the implications and effects of movies about religion and religious figures.
While much of the program's curriculum focuses on the world's major religious traditions, many courses examine the cultural, artistic and even technological facets of religious belief. Courses on parables, environmentalism, social movements, sacred spaces and the relationship between religion and politics all reveal the ways that the religious impulse shapes nonreligious experience.
Indigenous religions are often deeply concerned with the environment, with personal responsibility and strong communities, and with the immanence of the sacred. Those qualities make courses in Native American religions popular and resonant part of the religious studies program.
We don't usually think of Hollywood and religion as natural partners, but the film industry has often tried – with mixed results – to explore myth and divinity. Two courses, Religion in Film and The Celluloid Savior, examine the implications and effects of movies about religion and religious figures.
While much of the program's curriculum focuses on the world's major religious traditions, many courses examine the cultural, artistic and even technological facets of religious belief. Courses on parables, environmentalism, social movements, sacred spaces and the relationship between religion and politics all reveal the ways that the religious impulse shapes nonreligious experience.
Indigenous religions are often deeply concerned with the environment, with personal responsibility and strong communities, and with the immanence of the sacred. Those qualities make courses in Native American religions popular and resonant part of the religious studies program.
We don't usually think of Hollywood and religion as natural partners, but the film industry has often tried – with mixed results – to explore myth and divinity. Two courses, Religion in Film and The Celluloid Savior, examine the implications and effects of movies about religion and religious figures.
