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Spring 2008
January 24, 2008
Together with the Department of Religious Studies, IRaP hosted a lecture on The Politics of God by Prof. Mark Lilla of Columbia University, author of The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics and the Modern West (Knopf 2007). The lecture was followed by commentary from Professors Dale Martin (Department of Religious Studies at Yale) and Andrew March (Department of Political Science).
Fall 2007
November 6-9
For four days, the Peace Story Quilt hung in Marquand Chapel, and served as the focal point for services at the beginning and end of its run. Designed by famed Harlem artist Faith Ringgold, the Quilt is the handiwork of New York City teenagers who responded to an invitation to capture on canvas their experience of September 11, 2001. Sponsored by IRaP, the Quilt was brought to YDS thanks to the initiative of Prof. Yolanda Smith.
November 5-9
IRaP participated in New Haven Solidarity Week, a city-wide response to recent immigration raids against undomented residents who sought to protect themselves against exploitation and abuse. IRaP joined other organizations across campus in urging students, faculty and staff to obtain multipurpose municipal identity cards that New Haven has made available to all residents without regard for immigration status. In addition to displaying solidarity with those who have no other means of proving residency, the campaign provided protection to undocumented residents by making it impossible to infer undocumented status from the mere possessesion of a residency card.
October 24
In conjunction with the Yale Council on Middle Eastern Studies, IRaP sponsored an address by noted Islamic theologian Mustafa Abu Sway of Al-Quds University (Jerusalem) entitled An Islamic Response to the "Clash of Civilizations" Hypothesis. Commentary was provided by Serene Jones, the Titus Street Professor of Theology at YDS. Later that evening, IRaP hosted a dinner and conversation with Dr. Abu Sway for 30 undergraduates from various Jewish and Muslim student organizations.
October 22
As part of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, IRaP hosted a screening of the award-winning documentary Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (2007). “Acclaimed filmmaker Rory Kennedy ... looks beyond the headlines to investigate the psychological and political context in which torture occurred” at the infamous prison. The documentary “features both the voices of Iraqi victims (interviewed in Turkey after arduous attempts to meet with them) and guards directly involved in torture at the prison. Conducted by Kennedy, these remarkably candid, in-depth interviews shed light on the abuses in an unprecedented manner.” the screening was folllwed by anl exploration ofways to mount a public witness against torture.
October 11
In conjunction with the Council on Middle Eastern Studies, IRaP sponsored an interactive presentation by the co-directors of Beyond Words, an Israel-based organization that "seeks to inspire, empower and train Jewish and Arab women" so that together they might "advance tolerance, women's and children's rights, coexistence, and peace."
September 26
Along with the Film Studies Program and the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, IRaP screened a provocative new documentary – Unborn in the USA: Inside the War on Abortion (2007). The film “weaves a riveting story from more than 70 exclusive interviews with pro-life activists and seldom-seen archival footage to document one of the most controversial social movements in American history.” The screening was followed by a discussion with the film's directors, Stephen Fall and Will Thompson, and the Executive Producer Suzanne O'Malley.
August 30
IRaP sponsored lunch for the incoming students during Before the Fall Orientation at Yale Divinity School
12:30 p.m. Sterling Divinity Quadrangle
Spring 2007
May 3 - 4
Faith and Citizenship Conference
Yale Divinity School
April 19
Faculty Forum on Religion and Politics
Willis Jenkins presented his work.
Law School Faculty Lounge
April 4
The Initiative sponsored an enactment of the Stations of the Cross in the New Haven community. Each station addressed particular instances of suffering in the community. In addition, the stations as a whole served as a remembrance of MLK Jr.'s April 4th Vietnam speech, uncovering ways in which that speech might illumine the ethical implications of the current war in Iraq.
March 29
Faculty Forum on Religion and Politics
Kristen Leslie presented her work.
Law School Faculty Lounge
March 8
Faculty Forum on Religion and Politics
Dale Martin presented a paper.
Law School Faculty Lounge
February 22 - March 2
All-School Conference 2007
This year's All-School Conference, sponsored by the YDS Community Life Committee, focused on the topic "Simple Gifts: Living Faithfully in a Complex World". The Initiative supported the event by sponsoring a closing reception/dance party at the newly-renovated African-American Culture Center on March 2nd.
February 15
Faculty Forum on Religion and Politics
Phil Gorski and Peter Stamatov presented their work.
Law School Faculty Lounge
January 27
A play put on by the Yale Repertory Theater. It is a commentary on HIV/AIDS, set in Africa and Los Angeles . The Initiative sponsored the event by paying for YDS students to attend and by holding a conversation over dinner about how people of faith might respond to the epidemic locally.
Yale Repertory Theater
January 25
Faculty Forum on Religion and Politics
The first event in an interdisciplinary series of lunch lectures wherein faculty members present their research on the intersection of religion and politics.
Law School Faculty Lounge
Fall 2006
November 28
Harry S. Stout Lecture
Professor Stout lectured on his recent book “Upon the Altar of the Nation” in which he looks at the moral discourse pastors used in both the North and South to justify the war effort from each side.
4:00 pm ISM Great Hall
November 13
Pastoral Care and War
Navy Chaplain Michael Piplin who has just returned from Iraq and clinical psychologist Susanna Mozley who does research on post-traumatic stress disorder and works at the VA hospital in Providence addressed how congregations and pastors can attend to the needs of those lives that have been affected by the war in Iraq with a focus on returning service personnel and the families of folks on active duty.
4:00 pm Niebuhr Hall
November 6
A staged reading of this play that is drawn from interviews with soldiers returning home to the U.S. from the war in Iraq. Performed by the Trinity Repertory Company from Providence, RI.
7:00 pm Niebuhr Hall
October 30
IRaP screened a film exploring the disenfranchisement of voters in the 2000 and 2004 elections. Discussion followed. (Co-sponsored with CORE and Yale Black Seminarians)
5:30 pm Niebuhr Hall
October 25
Brown Bag Lunch Discussion
Topic: “Boots Project” and the “Unembedded” exhibit
12:00-1:30 pm Common Room
October 20 - 31
Also known as the “Boots Project,” this installation was put together by the American Friends Service Committee. “Eyes Wide Open” is a partial display of a pair of combat boots and dogtags in memory of each soldier who has been killed in the War in Iraq.
Sterling Divinity Quadrangle
October 17
Thorne Anderson, “Spirit of War”
Award winning photojournalist Thorne Anderson showed photographs and talked about his experiences as part of the “Unembedded” exhibit on campus.
4:30 pm ISM Great Hall