Tagore and the academic study of religion

Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), at about the start of the nineteenth century, was advocat‐ ing that the study about religion has to be included in university‐level education in the East. The university he envisioned and founded (Visva‐Bharati) included in its curriculum such a study. Shortly a er India’s regaining independence in 1947 and becoming a secular state, that institution was inaugurated as a central university with an advanced institute for philosophy and the study of religion. This essay answers whether his understanding of studying religion would accommodate the approach to the academic study of religion associated with the mod‐ ern Western research university. It also inquires the extent that the curriculum for the study of religion at Visva‐Bharati evidences such an approach. The answers it advances draw primarily on his two essays, Eastern University and Hindu University, which o er his vision of univer‐ sity level education; on commissioned reports for higher level education in the new India as a secular state; on developments in the academic study of religion in the West, especially the United States; on the relatively recent revised curriculum for such a study at Visva‐Bharati University; and on ideas of social imaginary and the comparative study of religion articulated by Western scholars

仮想教室としてソーシャルメディアの学術的利用と、ソーシャルネットワーキング技術と関連した構造方程式モデルの設計と確証因子分析システムの検証に関する研究

富山大学・富理工博甲第163号・Shugufta Abrahim・2019/3/31・★論文非公開★富山大学201

Factors Influencing Care-Seeking Behavior Among Patients In Ethiopian Primary Health Care Units

Abstract Background The utilization of primary health care in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa has been limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the factors that influenced why patients sought care at health centers versus primary hospitals in the primary health care unit (PHCU) in three regions in Ethiopia. The study also examined whether these factors varied based on a patient’s clinical or demographic characteristics and by whether they had sought prior care. Methods and Findings We conducted a cross-sectional study using face-to-face interviews in the local language with 796 people (99% response rate) seeking outpatient care in three primary health care units. We used unadjusted chi-square tests to detect significant differences between the hospital and health center samples on factors that influenced care-seeking behavior. The frequency of the self-reported factors differed significantly by health facility. Among those at the health center, the top four self-reported factors were distance (47.4%), quality of services (23.3%), previous positive experience (20.1%), and comfort or familiarity (12.4%). Among those at the hospital, the top four self-reported factors were quality of services (31.6%), distance (16.0%), no improvement after first visit to a health facility (15.3%), and level of health providers (14.8%). Those who bypassed lower levels of health care cited quality of services, level of health providers, and previous positive experience as significant reasons for seeking care directly at the hospital Conclusion This study found that there are significant differences in the reasons why patients utilize health centers versus primary hospitals, which highlights the need for tailored reforms based on the community’s perceived strengths and weaknesses of different primary care delivery sites

Mantra in Meditation: The Effect of Sound on Relaxation

The use of mantra as a tool for meditation is an ancient practice. It is a spiritually rooted discipline, thought to release various types of energy when producing sounds. The study expanded upon previous research, which analyzed the physiological effects of sound in meditation, to examine the “OM” sound and its effect on brainwaves and skin temperature. Participants were asked to complete four meditations: a baseline, silent, guided, and “OM” meditation. Study 1 included a sample population of 30 participants with no restriction on meditation experience. Study 2, with a sample population of 15, included participants with at minimum one month of meditation experience. Participants completed a questionnaire gauging their previous experience with meditation. Raw brainwaves peaks and skin temperature for each of the conditions were assessed. Findings showed a significantly lower number of baseline peaks compared to all other conditions of silent, guided and “OM”. There was a significantly higher number of calm brainwave peaks across the silent, guided, and OM conditions. There was a significant difference in first and final temperature for the all of the meditations. Future research may examine effects of relaxation with a sample population of OM experienced meditators

SEEDS - 2013

Contributors include: C.J. Althus, George Augustin, Scott Brehman, Elbert Tavon Briggs, Stephanie Caceres, Mimi Cross, Larry O. Dean, Eden DeGenova, Michelle Emery, Ian Feigle, Ana Karen Gonzalez Barajas, Esmeralda Guerrero, Eugene Guzzardi, Abrahim Harb, Carl Hauck, A.i. Herv, Anupama Lukose, Emilio Maldonado, Nergal Malham, Sumaiya Maniya, Domingo Reyes, John Ross Jr., Sheila FitzGerald Russell, Sharon Rutledge, Camillie J. Severino, Nathan Steele, Chris Sykora, Julia Talley, Regina Torres, Nick Walsh, Janean L. Watkins, Kristin L. Wilkins, Chris Zavackihttps://neiudc.neiu.edu/seeds/1005/thumbnail.jp

Israeli Occupation of Palestine: The Effects of Space Monopolization

The Israeli occupation of Palestine is a century long feat resulting in the totalitarian control of Palestine’s development, natural resources, and spatial representation. The heavily contested land between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea has resulted in the dispossession, destruction, and degradation of Palestine’s infrastructure, political power, and national identity. The British established Israel Zionist State has closely worked with foreign allies to construct and maintain its power

Section 230: The Legal Shield Perpetuating Algorithmic Discrimination in Big Tech

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields “providers of interactive computer services” against liability arising from content generated by third parties. In a generation marked by the prolific use of social media platforms that operate on user-generated content, the immunity conferred by Section 230 endows platforms like Meta and Twitter with an implicit license to field discriminatorily-targeted ads. This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice website on March 6, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above

Discrepancy in Attitudes to Australia Between Educated and Non/Low-Educated Lebanese Immigrants

Educational experience prior to immigration usually influences the overall ability to adjust in a new culture, including formulation of attitudes, perception and indeed the ability to acquire a new language. The latter in particular can serve quite accurately in determining the degree of acculturation and a potentially successful interaction with the host culture. Indeed, an attainment of a high level of education (including the acquisition of a new language) does not imply a complete cultural integration. One can, however, safely state that the Lebanese immigrants who have attained a high level of education are better adjusted, more easily accepted by the host society and less vulnerable to exploitation than other members of their community