Candy Gunther Brown, an associate professor in the Indiana University Bloomington Department of Religious Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded a $150,000 grant to pursue research on divine healing practices and their involvement in globalization.

Rachel Carson is best known for Silent Spring, her 1962 book that changed Americans' thinking about the dangers of chemicals and inspired the environmental movement. Rachel Carson: Legacy and Challenge, co-edited by Lisa H. Sideris, assistant professor of religious studies at Indiana University Bloomington, examines the contested influence of Silent Spring along with Carson's earlier work, such as The Sea Around Us and her posthumously published The Sense of Wonder.

This issue features books on growing perennial plants, the açaí fruit economy in Brazil, the work of environmental writer Rachel Carson, the IT threat posed by crimeware, the history and mission of philanthropy, Native American place-names in Indiana, the influence of business on public policy in China and the art of teaching music.

Six Indiana University Bloomington undergraduates are the recent recipients of prestigious scholarships. All six students are enrolled within IU Bloomington's College of Arts and Sciences.

Recipients of the Outstanding Junior Faculty Award at Indiana University Bloomington this year are Candy Gunther Brown in the Department of Religious Studies, Tony H. Grubesic in Department of Geography, Scott Michaels in the Department of Biology, Ethan Michelson in the Departments of Sociology and East Asian Languages and Cultures, Sima Setayeshgar in the Department of Physics, and Chen Yu in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

In the midst of urban violence and political turnoil in Guatemala, the idea of "Christian citizenship" has taken on a new meaning. Once overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, the country is now more than half non-denominational Christian. Kevin O'Neill, assistant professor of religious studies and American studies at Indiana University Bloomington, studies "an issue critically important not just to Guatemala but also to countries throughout Latin America, Africa and Asia, not to mention the United States of America. These are all places where the continued entanglement of evangelical Christianity and democracy is unmistakable."

About 80 faculty members at Indiana University's Bloomington campus have research or professional interests in the Middle East. They can be found from the Kelley School of Business to the Jacobs School of Music and in many specialized areas as well, such as designing national health care plans and government administration. The new director of IU's Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program hopes to involve as many of them as possible in the program's future activities.

As rapid advances in biotechology raise questions about appropriate uses of these new tools, there is another kind of question to consider: Is it important for humans to accept certain physical limitations, even if those limitations could be eliminated?

In recent national surveys, more than 80 percent of Americans said they believe that God supernaturally heals people in answer to prayer. That doesn't mean they shun conventional medical treatment, but the barrier between naturalism and supernaturalism is collapsing. "There's an American penchant to have it all -- both the MRIs and the miracles," said Candy Gunther Brown, associate professor of religious studies at Indiana University Bloomington.

The question from one of her students is familiar -- "Is Oprah a religion?" -- and Kathryn Lofton is ready with a reply: "Oprah does things in a religious manner, but she is not a religion." In discussing how Oprah Winfrey has influenced so many people, Lofton approaches her as someone committed primarily to spiritual change through material means.

This edition of "Lecture Notes" features information about lectures and speakers on the Indiana University Bloomington campus from Nov. 6-20, including "Lunch with a Curator," a former chief of the CIA European Division and interesting discoveries from the Stone Age Institute.

Featuring lectures and speakers on the Bloomington campus, including NPR's Michele Norris, recognizing the dangers of Facebook and "Confessions of a Cha Cha Feminist."

This tipsheet includes information about Indiana University Bloomington faculty members who can offer their insights on the Jan. 30 elections in Iraq.

Indiana University Bloomington seniors Laura Ertmer of Lafayette, Ind., and Thade Correa of Hammond, Ind., have been selected as the winners of the 2004 Palmer-Brandon Prize competition and will be honored today (Sept. 8) at a reception hosted by the IU College of Arts and Sciences. This year, each student will receive $20,000 to be used to further his or her educational experiences.

We are providing information about IU professors who can offer insights on the transfer of power in Iraq, as well as homeland security, ethics, media coverage and other impacts of the war on Americans.

State constitutions may offer a more likely route to the establishment of same-sex marriage, although the road is fraught with legal and religious complexities, according to Daniel Conkle, a law professor at Indiana University Bloomington. Conkle and other IUB faculty experts are available to offer insights into various aspects of gay marriage and the current debate surrounding the issue. These insights are based on their research and interests in consititutional law, religion, gay and lesbian political history, and family structure and sociology.

Religious, cultural and legal experts from Indiana University Bloomington and Indianapolis will discuss religious faith, politics and the 2004 presidential election during a panel discussion at Indiana University Bloomington on April 1.

Five different topics in ethics will be discussed in an upcoming series of seminars sponsored by the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions at Indiana University Bloomington.

Insights from faculty at Indiana University Bloomington

The topic of teenagers, religion and the law is explored in a just-published book by Roger Levesque, a professor of criminal justice at Indiana University.

Michael L. Walzer, one of America's leading intellectuals and a professor of social science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., will speak at IU on Wednesday (Dec. 4) on "The Triumph of Just War Theory."

News tips from Indiana University