Document Type

Video

Publication Date

11-6-2010

Keywords

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, CLASS, Great Minds Lecture Series, Interrupted lives, Jeremiah, Jesus, Socrates, Thoreau, Henry David, Mandela, Nelson, Havel, Vaclav, Gandhi, Mahatma, Parks, Rosa, Day, Dorothy, King, Martin Luther Jr., Wiesel, Elie

Abstract

In this lecture Dr. Gossai hopes to inspire the audience to explore ways of having their lives when interrupted either by design or by circumstances, move in a direction that is just and virtuous. He will look to those who have gone before us, individuals whose lives were interrupted, often tragically, painfully and who chose to live their lives out in hope and justice, peace and civic virtue for others: From Jeremiah to Jesus; Socrates to Thoreau; Dietrich to Bonhoeffer to Nelson Mandela; Vaclav Havel to Mahatma Gandhi; Rosa Parks to Dorothy Day; Martin Luther King, Jr. to Elie Wiesel. What does it mean to have our lives be interrupted? Hemchand Gossai who earned his Ph.D. in Hebrew Studies from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, has served as an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Georgia Southern University since 2006. Prior to coming to Georgia Southern, Dr. Gossai was the Chair of the department of Religion and Associate Professor at Muhlenberg College. He has served as a visiting professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Missouri, was an invited participant at the University of Notre Dame in the "50 Most Effective Teachers of Religion" project. At Muhlenberg College, he received The Henry Award for Outstanding Faculty and the Bridgebuilders' Award for mentoring students with disabilities. In Missouri he received the Governor's award for excellence in teaching. Dr. Gossai has written and edited numerous articles and several books on religious studies, including Post Colonial Commentary on the Old Testament, which is due out fall 2011. In addition he has written two memoirs, River Crossings and A Requiem for Neil, a tribute to his brother Neil. He has taught courses on the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, Holocaust Literature, Monotheism, and Applied Social Ethics and has lectured extensively to Academic, Civic and Religious groups. Active in teaching and service, Dr. Gossai has served as the director of the Center for Religious Studies at Georgia Southern and will teach at the Cite Universitaire in Paris, France this coming summer.

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