Judaic Studies
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| Elysa White is a professor in the department of
philosophy where she teaches ethics courses and philosophy of religion.
She has a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Iowa and is the
author of several publications in medical ethics. She can be reached at koppelma@oakland.edu. |
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| Jason Miller holds a master's degree in
education from the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education
at the Jewish Theological Seminary where he also earned rabbinical
ordination. He has taught in the Religious Studies department
at Michigan State University. Miller also teaches a seminar in the OU/Beaumont School of Medicine. Together with Rabbi Neil Gillman he edited "Torah From Terror: Rabbinic Sermons After 9/11." |
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Joseph Klein holds a Master of Hebrew
Letters and received his rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union
College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio. His thesis
was "The Interrelationship of Salvation, Law and Society within the
Systems of the Pentateuch, Plato, Aristotle and Maimonides." He is
currently rabbi at Temple Emanu-El in Oak Park, Michigan
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| Mike Pytlik, newly appointed Director of Judaic Studies, teaches The
Archaeology of
Israel, God Through Jewish History, Written Tradition of
Judaism, and Intro. to Judaism. He is a frequent traveler to
Israel, and has participated in several excavations in
Israel. Since 2009 he has organized and leads a group of OU students to
Israel for a
tour and dig. Students interested in this program should
consider the Archaeology of Israel courses and contact Mike by early
January if they wish to go on the trip. He is interested in the
formation of the Israelite state,
the development of the synagogue, Jewish Theology and
Hebrew. He is very
active in the Jewish community, is involved in Christian and
Muslim
Jewish dialogue groups. Mike is also the current faculty
adviser for the Jewish Student Organization on campus. Contact: pytlik@oakland.edu |
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Islamic Studies
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Basma El-Bathy received her M.A. in near eastern languages and culture from Wayne State University. She has taught twentieth century Middle East history; history of Islamic empires as well as elementary Arabic.She has instructed K-12 non-native English speaking students in English language acquisition for academic and social use. With Layla Saachi she has filmed and interviewed local imams on Islamic law. Her research includes: "Through her Words: A Study of Arab Women Writers across Languages," "Detangling Meaning: The Middle East through Lines and Colors,"Reform in the Name of God: The Ideal Woman as Constructed in Egyptian Religious TV Show."
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Christianity Studies
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| Charles Mabee is
director of Christianity studies program at Oakland University. He
holds a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate School (Claremont, CA) and the
Master of Divinity from Dubuque Theological Seminary. Previously, he
held teaching and administrative positions at Radford University and Marshall University. He has authored two books on
biblical interpretation in the American context. His current research
interests include theology of peace/post-apocalyptic theology, and the
development of a new interreligious grammar. He can be reached at cmabee@oakland.edu
or 248-370-2154. Courses: Introduction to Religion, World Religious
Traditions, Religion in the Modern World, Religion in America, and
Religion and Science. |
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Daniel Shepherd has taught classes on Oakland University campus since 2008. His specialty has become "Tri-Abrahamic" religions, looking for commonalities between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. He earned a doctorate in Christianity studies at Ashland Theological Seminary. Also, he completed a Master of Arts in Counseling in 2012 and is a Limited License Professional Counselor.
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John Kinkel holds an M.A. from Marquette University and Ph.D. from Ohio State University in sociology. He has recently published Letters to Pope Benedict: College Students Speak Out which he edited in addition to two previously published books: Chaos in the Catholic Church (2005), and Cinderella Church: A Study of Early Christianity (2008). He is active in the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit and is currently preparing an additional book manuscript: The Decoding of Jesus: Who Was Jesus? He can be reached at kinkel@oakland.edu. Courses: Early Christianity, Jesus and the Biblical Tradition.
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Randall D. Engle holds a Ph.D. from the
University of Wales as well as a Master of Theology, Luther Seminary in
St. Paul, Minnesota and a Master of Divinity from Calvin Theological
Seminar in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is currently Adjunct Professor of
Theology at Ashland Theological Seminary and Senior Paster at North
Hills Christian Reformed Church in Troy, Michigan. His Bachelor of Arts
from Calvin College was in Music where he received the Anna Brunsma
Award in Music. He serves as Trustee on the Calvin College Board of
Trustees and is President of the Choristers Guild Board of Directors.
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Tristin Hassell holds
the Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh in Christian Ethics and
Philosophical Theology. His research interests include the politics of
love, post-secular philosophy, social/political philosophy and
theology, environmental philosophy and theology, bioethics and
biotechnology, and queer theology. He can be reached at hassell@oakland.edu.
Courses: Introduction to Religion, World Religious Traditions,
Introduction to Christianity, Christian Ethics, and History of Christian
Thought.
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