Constructed by the Religious Studies Program as an informal research seminar for the Academic Year 2009/10, thematically, this is a seminar about cities that played a significant role in the history of religion, understood in broad sense. Through the lenses of cultural intersection (covering the cities of Carthage, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Rome, and Constantinople), the seminar addresses problems of influence and adaptation, of inclusion and exclusion.
The aim of this informal seminar is to bring together students and faculty, especially new faculty, with religion relevant research, to exchange research agendas and to explore common areas of study. The seminar will meet in loose sequence (about every three weeks) throughout the Fall and Winter Terms.
Continuing on the theme of Alexandria, the seminar on January 28, entitled Alexandria II, will focus on the city of Alexandria throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.