College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Timothy Beal presents his talk “What’s So Generative About Generative AI?: How and Why the Humanities Have a Future” as part of The Speaker Series 2026 hosted at Penn State on March 5th, 2026.

Timothy Beal is a scholar and writer who explores the dynamic fields of technology, religion, ecology, and AI in the humanities and higher education. A professor of religion at Case Western Reserve University, he studies the spiritual and ethical considerations of the innovations that are shaping our world.

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Prof. Jue Liang has been awarded a Franklin Research Grant (https://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/franklin-research-grants) from the American Philosophical Society in support of her research project “Souls on the Road: Pilgrimages to Tibet in the Chinese Religious Revival.” This book-length project centers around expressions of religiosity found on the two major roads connecting Sichuan Province and Tibet Autonomous Region in China. It queries the act of embarking on the journey itself – on foot, on a bike, driving – as a spiritual pursuit, in the context of the contemporary religious revival in China.

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USA Today reached out to Dr. Jonathan Tan, the Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan Professor in Catholic Studies I, for comment in their recent article, “‘Nationalism on Steroids:’ Trump, Catholics battle over morality” (Jan. 21, 2026). “This is no mere minor statement but a major unanimous statement from all three actively serving U.S. cardinals challenging the trajectory of Trump’s foreign policy and its use of military force — not in self-defense, but for partisan political and economic self-interest,” said Dr. Tan.

Read the full article here for more

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Dr. Deepak Sarma was quoted in the recent University World News article, “Ban on Plato readings leaves academics asking who’s next” (Jan 14, ’26). The conversation centered around distinguishing the differences between “epistemic humility” and “epistemic arrogance.”

Read the full article here.

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Dr. Deepak Sarma recently wrote an article published by Harvard Law’s Petrie-Flom Center, “Darśana: A More Inclusive Spiritual Framework”.

“The legal category of “religion,” rooted in a Euro-Christian episteme, has outlived its usefulness as a universal category. Despite this, it remains the dominant lens through which constitutional protections are granted, often inequitably and inconsistently. Emerging spiritualities, particularly those involving entheogenic (psychedelic) practices, are routinely marginalized by a system that was never designed to recognize them and that curtails their spiritual freedom.”

Read the full article here.

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Dr. Jonathan Tan, the Archbishop Palul J. Hallinan Professor in Catholic Studies, has had his latest essay, “Doing Liturgy Intersectionally: Opportunities and Implications” published in Worship volume 99 (October 2025): 338-360. This essay originated as his keynote address for the Godfrey Diekmann Center Graduate Symposium at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota on May 2, 2024.

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This event will feature a short talk by Pádraig Ó Tuama on the Baker-Nord Institue’s fall theme of “encounters,” followed by a reading of some of his poems with Michele Tracy Berger, Director of the Baker-Nord Institute for the Humanites and professor of the Religious Studies Department, and Q&A with the audience. Ó Tuama is an Irish poet with interests in language, violence, power, and religion. He is the host of On Being’s, Poetry Unbound, and has published volumes of poetry, essays, a memoir and theology, including his most recent publication, Kitchen Hymns.

This event is co-sponsored by the Departments of English and Religious Studies and the CWRU Writing Program/Writers House.

Thursday, November 6th at 4:30pm

Linsalata Alumni Ctr

A book sale and signing will immediately follow the event.

Registration for this event is now closed; all seats have been claimed.

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The episode can be found here, with Dr. Tan’s interview occurring during the second half of the show.

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The Jewish Theological Seminary’s, “Upholding Human Dignity in Turbulent Times: An Interreligious Convening” will take place on Monday and Tuesday, November 17th and 18th, 2025. This two-day convening will bring together religious leaders, scholars, and activists from diverse traditions to explore the urgent imperative of safeguarding human dignity, well-being, and fundamental rights in the face of ongoing challenges.

Dr. Timothy Beal, Distinguished University Professor and Florence Harkness Professor of Religion, will lend his expertise for Tuesday’s panel, Religious Ethics and Dehumanizing Potential of Emerging Technologies.

For more information visit Upholding Human Dignity in Turbulent Times: An Interreligious Convening – Jewish Theological Seminary

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