Brendan Ozawa-de Silva
Course of Study:
West and South Asian Religions
Year of Entry:
2007
Areas of Focus:
Buddhism
Contemplative Theory and Practice
Cognitive Neuroscience
Education:
| Degree |
Institution |
City |
State |
Graduation Year |
|---|
| D.Phil. |
Oxford University |
Oxford |
UK |
2003 |
| M.T.S. |
Boston University |
Boston |
MA |
2001 |
| M.Phil. |
Oxford University |
Oxford |
UK |
1998 |
| B.S.F.S. |
Georgetown University |
Washington |
DC |
1996 |
Teaching Experience:
| Course Title |
School |
Role |
Professor |
|---|
| Church and Community Ministries |
Emory University |
Instructor |
|
| Buddhist and Christian Contemplative Practices and Social Change |
Emory University |
Instructor |
|
| Buddhist-Christian Dialogue |
Emory University |
Instructor |
|
| Poetry of Meditation |
Emory University |
Instructor |
|
| Religion and Therapy |
Emory University |
Instructor |
|
| Religion and Therapy |
University of Chicago |
Instructor |
|
|
|
|
|
Publications:
| ???Peace, Pastors and Politics: Tactics of Resistance in East Germany,??? Journal of Church and State, vol. 47, Summer 2005, pp. 503-529. |
| Geoffrey Hill, The Orchards of Syon. Review article in the Chicago Review (Summer 2004). |
| ???The State as Legitimate God-Given Authority? Some Thoughts on Ethical Historiography and the Future of Europe.??? 25 May 2002. Electronic document. http://users.ox.ac.uk/~oaces/conference/papers/Brendan_Ozawa-de_Silva.pdf |
| ???The Protestant Church and the East German State: An Organizational Perspective??? in East Germany: Continuity and Change, ed. Paul Cooke and Jonathan Grix (Rodopi Press: Atlanta, Ga, 2000). |
|
Conference Presentations:
| Format |
Presentation Title |
Conference Name |
Conference Date |
|---|
| Submitted individual paper |
Reading and Meditation: Cognitive Science Approaches |
From the Brain to Human Culture: Intersections between the Humanities and Neuroscience |
April 20-22, 2007 |
| Invited speaker |
Embodied Pedagogy: Best Practices |
SECSOR (Southeastern Commission for the Study of Religion) |
March 16-18, 2007 |
| Invited speaker |
Religious Practices and Religious Imagination as Resources for Social Change |
NEXUS Interdisciplinary Conference on Religion and Nation, University of Tennessee |
April 7-8, 2006 |
| Submitted individual paper |
Truth, Practice and Diversity: Teaching World Religions as Dialogue |
SECSOR (Southeastern Commission for the Study of Religion) |
March 10-12, 2006 |
| Submitted individual paper |
Lessons from East Germany: Intersections of Historiography, Ethics, and Theology Moving into the Twenty-first Century |
American Academy of Religion |
November 2003 |
| Submitted individual paper |
The State as Legitimate God-Given Authority? Obrigkeit and the East German Churches |
???The Contours of Legitimacy in Central Europe: New Approaches in Graduate Studies,??? St. Antony???s College, Oxford |
May 24-26, 2002 |
| Submitted individual paper |
The Protestant Church and the East German State: An Organizational Perspective |
East Germany: Continuity and Change |
May, 1998 |
Work Experience:
| Position / Role |
Institution |
City |
State |
Dates |
|---|
| Associate Director for Buddhist Studies and Practice |
Drepung Loseling Monastery, Inc. |
Atlanta |
GA |
2005 - present |
| Program Coordinator for the Visit of H.H. the Dalai Lama |
Emory University |
Atlanta |
GA |
1/1/07-12/31/07 |
| Visiting Professor of World Religions and Spirituality |
Emory University |
Atlanta |
GA |
2004 - 2005 |
| Postdoctoral Fellow in Religious Practices and Practical Theology |
Emory University |
Atlanta |
GA |
2003 - 2004 |
| Earhart Foundation Research Fellow |
Boston University |
Boston |
MA |
2000 - 2001 |
Biography
My studies focus on Buddhist contemplative theory and practice and the emerging field around the dialogue between Buddhism and cognitive science, including the scientific study of meditation. My aim is to help develop a greater understanding of mind/body interaction through the interdisciplinary and comparative study of contemplative practices, to discover new clinical interventions, particularly for the treatment of mental illness, and to establish pedagogical curricula that facilitate the cultivation of emotional and social intelligence. I am also interested in Christian contemplative practice, the philosophy of language, and poetry and music as religious practice.