The Ninth Annual Day of Common Learning
The Day of Common Learning is a campus in-service day during which faculty, staff and students have the opportunity to participate in a learning community outside the traditional classrooms. Because of the day's events, all seminars, classes, and labs held before 3 p.m. have been cancelled. All classes and labs after 3 p.m. will be held as usual. All events are free and open to the public.
Transformation Through Creative Mission (Acts 26:17-18)
Free Methodist Bishop Joab Lohara, Director of AIM Asia
Wednesday, October 13, 2010, 10 a.m.
Royal Brougham Pavilion
The day will begin on Wednesday, October 13th, with a public keynote address, Transformation Through Creative Mission (Act 26:17-18), by Bishop Joab Lohara, Director of AIM Asia.
Rev. Dr. Joab Lohara is one of three Free Methodist bishops in India, a country with a population of 1.3 billion. He serves as bishop of the Immanuel Conference Church, which ministers to 14 states in northern India. For the past 30 years, Lohara has served in missions, social service, and church planting, founding three missions agencies — Calvary Commission India; AIM Asia; and Immanuel Fellowship Churches (now part of the India Free Methodist Church), which comprises 900 churches and more than 87,000 members. Lohara is the author of 18 books on Christian apologetics and missions, including 14 in the Indian vernacular. He holds a master of arts in English literature, a postgraduate diploma in journalism, a master of arts in theology, a doctor of ministry (missions), and a doctor of philosophy (comparative religions). Joab and his wife of 25 years, Suchitra, have two sons and live in Hydrabad, India.
Afternoon Seminars
In the afternoon, the Center for Scholarship and Faculty Development will hold two concurrent one-hour sessions of forums, seminars and panel presentations, led by faculty, staff and students. All sessions will be offered twice from 1 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. and from 2 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
A Child Redeemed: ZOE Children’s Home, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Joyce Bhang, CPE Distance Learning Development Coordinator
Otto Miller 127
This session will portray God’s redemptive work in Thailand through the life of a child rescued from the threat of human trafficking. SPU staff member, Joyce Bhang, will share video clips and experiences of her last two years in Thailand that are sure to encourage all that Jesus loves His little children.
Art, Christianity, Global: Charis Boundary Crossings
Roger Feldman, Professor of Art
Bertona 6
What do you get when seven visual artists from North America meet and work together with seven visual artists from Asia? An expansive understanding of the realities that brothers and sisters face on a daily basis, the reality of God’s presence, and an exhibition that is traveling in North America and on to Asia. This artistic cultural exchange, hosted by the Nagel Institute and CCCU, converged in Yogyakarta and Bali on Java, Indonesia, in June of 2008. Come see and hear the far reaching implications of this exchange and its significance for the arts and Christianity into the future.
Changing China
Douglas Downing, Associate Professor of Economics
Geri Mason, Assistant Professor of Economics
McKenna 117
China has been a rich country and it’s been a poor country, and now it’s a rapidly changing mixture of rich and poor. This session will briefly explore the story of how China has recently changed, and the role of microcredit in providing opportunities for the poor. We will also discuss the question: how do you say “God” in Chinese?
Embassy Doorways for Orphan Nation
Richard Scheuerman, Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction
Richard Moore, Class of 2004
McKenna 111
If the world’s 163 million orphans were gathered together they would constitute the seventh largest nation on earth. Yet these children are substantially shielded from public awareness in many parts of the world. Participation in SPU’s 2006 Acting on AIDS Day led a small group of faculty and students to form the indigenous Christian adoption and foster care “Doorways to Hope” ministry. This session will share information on challenges and opportunities to place over a thousand orphans in Christian homes in their native country across Eastern Europe.
Energy Poverty: Does ‘Feed My Sheep’ Mean a Light to Read by and a Cell Phone Charger?
Lane Seeley, Associate Professor of Physics
John Lindberg, Associate Professor of Physics
Otto Miller 109
Affordable, accessible, and reliable energy is critical for the empowerment of people in the developing world. In this session we will discuss the ways in which availability of energy resources influences a community’s ability to meet basic human needs and provide opportunities for intellectual and spiritual growth. We will explore some appropriate and sustainable strategies for alleviating energy poverty.
India: Culture, Politics, and Religion
Nijay Gupta, Instructor of Biblical Studies
Demaray 261
The current tourism tagline for India is “Incredible India,” and it is! Come and learn about the history and present state of India as a culturally-rich nation. We will also discuss the religious environment and the current role of the Christian church in India.
Kingdom Without Borders: Global Christianity in the 21st Century
Miriam Adeney, Associate Professor of Global Ministries
Weter 202
Over 60 percent of the world’s Christians live in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. What challenges do they struggle with? What strengths do they nurture? How can Americans connect with their issues? In this session Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist countries may be explored, as well as Latin American and African. Through cases and thought-provoking exercises, Professor Adeney will give a glimpse of the back story of her new book, Kingdom Without Borders.
Missional Theology and "Glocal" Christianity
David, Leong, Assistant Professor of Missional Theology
Mike Langford, Assistant Professor of Theology
McKenna 118
As Western Christendom has given way to a truly global Christianity, assumptions about the nature of Christian mission in the world are changing. How can a missional theology of both local and global realities shape our understanding of the gospel? In this session, we will explore the shape and character of being "co-missioned" with a Trinitarian God to proclaim and embody the good news of the kingdom of God.
Missionary Kids: Examining Their Place in Global Christianity
Anne McKenzie, SPU Industrial/Organizational Doctoral Student
Mari Yamamoto, SPU Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
Megan Zurawski, SPU Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
Paul Kim, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Lynette H. Bikos, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology
Bertona 3
Children of international missionaries (aka: missionary kids, or MKs) often spend many years outside of their passport country. When the MKs return to attend college/university they have adjustment experiences that differ from their classmates. In this session graduate students in the School of Psychology, Family, and Community will present the results of research that examined MK repatriation experiences. We will also consider how cross-cultural experiences impact racial, ethnic, and Christian identity by hearing Professor Kim’s personal reflection on growing up in the Philippines as a MK and how his multiple cultural experiences continue to shape his personal and professional identities.
Our Top Ten List of Amazing Good News from India
Kathleen Braden, Professor of Geography
Al Erisman, Executive in Residence, School of Business and Economics
Otto Miller 128
A geographer and business specialist discuss ten economic and social phenomena from India that create encouragement and hope regarding India’s future. Come to hear and see evidence of the good news and learn about how India is helping shape the 21st century global economy.
Preliminary Results from the SPU Globetrekking Study
Julia Kocheleva, SPU Industrial/Organizational Psychology Doctoral Student
Rebekah L. Forman, SPU Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
Nicole Myr, Class of 2010
Lynette H. Bikos, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology
Bertona 1
For the past year more than 35 SPU students who have travelled internationally as part of their educational experience have been participating in a longitudinal study evaluating effects of the travel upon a broad range of psycho-social-spiritual (psychological distress, vocational identity, strength of faith) and global learning outcomes (introspection, social justice attitudes and behaviors, international interests). Even though the study will continue during the 2010-11 academic year, this presentation will present a summary of the preliminary results.
Signs and Wonders: Eyewitness Accounts From Bangalore, India
Julia Siemens, Editor, etc Magazine
Emily Morehouse, Class of 2010
Rachel Smith, Class of 2011
Peterson 303
Have you ever been puzzled by Jesus’ words in John 14:12, where he tells us that we will do greater things than he did? Jesus opened blind eyes, raised the dead, and walked on water. These are not things that we expect to see in our lifetime. But God is making himself known through miracles here and around the globe – including Bangalore, India. In this session, SPU alumni and staff members will tell true stories of miraculous things they witnessed in Bangalore.
SPRINT India: Transformative Mission Through Empowering Education
Owen Sallee, John Perkins Center Coordinator for Global and Urban Involvement
Michael Richards, SPRINT Student Coordinator
India SPRINT Team Members
Demaray 150
Members of Summer 2009 and 2010 India SPRINT teams will share stories from their work with Operation Mobilization and the Dalit Freedom Network, empowering members of India’s lowest caste through schools and education. Presentation will include an overview of the caste system and the role of education and Americans in empowerment and development.
The Global Food System and India: Food Security vs. Food Sovereignty
Kevin Neuhouser, Professor of Sociology
Demaray 258
Since 1945, there has been a global drive to end world hunger by maximizing total food production (food security) through technological innovation such as the Green Revolution and GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Because of India’s history of periodic famines under British colonial rule, its government has been a world leader in promoting these technologies. Food production has grown significantly, but Indian farmers have begun advocating for a new strategy (food sovereignty) that focuses on local, organic, and native foods. In this session we will discuss the possibilities of either strategy ending global hunger.
The Global Impact of Infectious Disease: What Can You Do?
Derek Wood, Associate Professor of Biology
Cindy Bishop, Assistant Professor of Biology
Otto Miller 119
In this session we will discuss the global impact of parasites and infectious diseases with a focus on the “Microbial Impact Project” assembled each year by students in the SPU BIO 3351 Microbiology course. The project describes non-governmental agency responses to infectious disease and how individuals can make an impact.
The Middle East: Conflict and Cooperation
Don Holsinger, Professor of History
Kerry Dearborn, Professor of Theology
Library Seminar Room
The numbers of global believers in Christianity and Islam continue to grow, especially in the Majority World. India, for example, is the world’s third largest Muslim country. Some pundits predict a 21st-century clash between these universal faiths. For many Christians, Muslims, and Jews, Israel/Palestine is THE touchstone of deep emotion. What if members of the three Abrahamic faiths chose cooperation over conflict? Are there models of such cooperation in Israel/Palestine itself? Professors Dearborn and Holsinger will provide some hopeful perspectives through stories, followed by discussion.
The World Comes to Seattle: Implementing Multicultural Education to Impact Student Learning
Jorge Preciado, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education
Tracy Williams, Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction
Otto Miller 118
There are over 100 different language groups in the Seattle Public School System. This session will discuss big ideas on improving social and academic performance in multi-cultural education. The focus will be on providing strategies to support future and present teachers and will specifically address how higher education is preparing future teachers to teach culturally diverse learners.
Today’s Persecuted Church
Don Peter, Associate Professor of Engineering
Bertona 4
In this session we will discuss the cultural, political, and religious motivations of global Christian persecution after viewing a short video and presentation on current events. Time will also be devoted to intercessory prayer on behalf of our suffering brothers and sisters across the globe.
Who Is My Neighbor?: Seeking a Christian Response to the Roma Question in France
Michelle Beauclair, Associate Professor of French
Andrea Taylor-Brochet, Adjunct Instructor of French
Peterson 201
The fluid borders of the European Union are meant to encourage the flow of goods, services, art, and ideas, as well as easing the passage of people among its member nations. But are some members of the European Union perceived to be more equal than others? This summer, the president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, ordered the voluntary expulsion of members of the ‘Roma’ community (otherwise known as ‘gypsies’) from French territory. In this session, we will discuss the stance of Christian Roma community members, how Christian groups have responded to the Roma expulsion, and what we can learn from this about our interactions with people who are culturally different from us.
*As a further way of promoting and celebrating learning, ASSP, Student Life, and the Office of Academic Affairs are co-sponsoring a raffle that will pay for one student's winter textbooks, up to a $300 maximum. The raffle is open to undergraduate students who are not full-time SPU employees. Any student in attendance at an afternoon seminar can pick up and turn in (at each workshop) a raffle ticket.