The Wayne State Religious Studies Program will sponsor its second annual conference on October 23-24, 2003. The topic is "Religion and the Academic Disciplines."

Eight speakers -- from academic disciplines including history, anthropology, literary studies, folklore, philosophy, psychology, music history and religious studies-will discuss the ways that religion is studied within their particular fields.

Jacob Lassner, professor of history and religion at Northwestern University, and a former Wayne State faculty member, will speak on "The Beginnings of Comparative Religion and Islamic Studies: Nineteenth-Century Orientalists and the Origins of Islam."

Benjamin Sommer, associate professor of religion at Northwestern University, will speak on "Ambiguity and the Rhetoric of Turning in Isaiah."

Six Wayne State professors will speak. Frances Trix, Associate Professor of Anthropology, on "Attunement of Sufi Master and Student through Dialogue." Kenneth Jackson, Assistant Professor of English, on "Shylock the knight of faith? Abraham and the Abrahamic in The Merchant of Venice." Janet Langlois, Associate Professor of English on "'Other Worlds': An Ethnographic Study of Personal Accounts of the Return of the Dead and Other Mystical Experiences in Health-Related Contexts." Martin Herman, Emeritus Professor of Humanities, on "The Festivals of the French Revolution as Rituals and Ceremonies of a Secular Religion." Gisela Labouvie-Vief, Professor of Psychology, on "Religious Imagery: Gender and Integration in Religious Development." Bruce Russell, Professor of Philosophy, on "In Defense of Atheism."

The conference begins at 2:00 p.m., October 23, in McGregor Memorial Conference Center. The Friday sessions run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Faculty, students and the general public are welcome. For more information contact: Arthur Marotti at aa1750@wayne.edu or call: (313) 577-3409

Wayne State University is a premier institution offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 32,000 students.