Want to step up your Instagram game without travelling too far? Bintan Island is the answer. A stone's throw away from Singapore, Bintan is a game changer for both of your social media and travel bug. Forget about the overhyped Bali attractions and head to the less crowded Bintan Island. Beyond the luxury golf course, Bintan charms visitors with the enthralling landscape, cultural diversity and history. Ready to wow your friends on Instagram?
Paint your Instagram profile with these extraordinary sand dunes, only an hour away from Singapore. Originally a mining site, Gurun Pasir Busung is many Instagrammers' favourite spot while in Bintan. The white-washed sand hills were a beautiful contrast to the blue sky and white fluffy clouds. It may be missing the camels and sweltering heat of the Sahara Desert, but the dunes still exude a dreamy Arabian night (except that you'll probably visit it in the broad daylight). No signboard, no public transport, and low-key publicity do not deter tourists from going there. Rent a private car or a scooter to get around the city.
Bintan is well-known for its tropical beaches and the surreal blue lake is a serendipitous discovery at an old mining site. Surrounded by white sand dunes and lush greenery, Telaga Biru is under the radar; and what's more? It's absolutely free of charge! P.S. I've heard that it's a pretty sweet spot for wedding photos too!
Bored of the Bintan beaches and terrains? How about hopping onto a seaplane aka 'flying boat'? Unlike the usual passenger plane, a seaplane takes off from the water. With the seaplane, you can soar to greater heights and reward yourself with a bird's eye view of Bintan beaches and its amazing landscapes.
One of the distinct features of the Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, also known as the 500 Lohan Temple, is its Chinese-influenced architecture — roofs with upturned corners, pagoda and carved beams. Walk to the back fo the temple and discover more than 500 life-sized statues with intricate facial expressions clothes. You can even find several popular Chinese characters such as Guan Gong from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Tripitaka from the Journey to the West. Another Insta-worthy location for you and your BFFs!
However, the highlight for 500 Lohan Temple is the ancient sculptures and the 500 Lohan statues that are deposited neatly one to another over the edge of the garden. It's scenic, majestic and I am sure you're going to burst your photo album by taking beautiful shots here. Otherwise, maze around the compound, you'll definitely find something that sparks your interest.
image Credit / Susan N.
Sign up for the Mangrove Discovery Tour to experience the island's natural beauty. You can choose either the day or the night tour — each showcases different sides of Bintan. During the day tour, you can explore the mangrove area where there are plenty of kingfishers and wooden kelongs. At night, the atmosphere turns romantic as fireflies dimly lighting up the forest.
Bintan is often called a golfer paradise, thanks to its stunning natural landscape that sets Bintan golf courses apart from others in the region. Bintan is so welcoming to golf professionals and rookies alike. Just head to the popular Ria Bintan Resort and Golf Club to start your golf training. Ria Bintan Resort has two courses: Ocean Course that overlooks the South China Sea and Forest Course that comes with a lake and lots of trees. Don't miss a chance to capture the mesmerising view of the golf course.
Have you ever seen a red igloo? Most likely not unless you have been to Bintan's ancient charcoal kiln, also known as Rumah Arang. The Sea Gypsies built these red brick igloo-shaped kilns to produce charcoal using mangrove woods. The number of kilns in Bintan has dropped to only 2 right now ever since the Indonesian government banned the burning of mangrove woods.
Of all the beaches in Bintan, my favourite is White Sands Island, a secluded private white sand island. White Sands Island boasts crystal blue water, making it a good site for snorkelling and scuba diving. You can also go for a kayaking or kite-skiing if you prefer something more adventurous. Alternatively, bask in the sun with a book and cold fresh fruit juice. Stay on the beach until sunset to capture the scenic view while enjoying dinner!
Unlike the typical resort occupying a high-storey building, The Canopi offers guests a different experience: glamping. Stay in one of their luxurious tents, furnished with elegant furniture, private mini pool and outdoor sofa to lounge. Beyond your room, The Canopi offers plenty of activities such as water paddling, "flying" using water jetpack and ATV riding — you won't be bored staying here, and pretty sure, your Instagram followers won't be bored with your photos and videos too!
No sunset is quite as scenic as the one here at Calypso Floating Bar. Located right in the middle of the sea, Calypso Floating Bar soothes guests with its laid-back soft reggae music and chilling breeze. You can get an unobstructed view of the sunset while sipping a glass of cocktail. The romantic ambience at night makes Calypso Floating Bar a perfect hang-out place for any couples.
Bintan Island is not only a budget weekend getaway destination for Singaporean but also an Insta-worthy one. Get your camera and outfit ready for your upcoming trip to Bintan!


text:
Near Santa Clara in California
This number's calls are centered around Palo Alto. But what about the caller?..
Upon inspection we found your caller coming mostly from California.
The latest service provider was Sprint but this may have changed around November.
« this person is a scammer
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Stateslist / State: California / 650 / 650-906 / 650-906-38

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


For the purposes of determining the applicability of regulation under the Department of the Army Regulatory Program, the Tulsa District has made the following determinations of jurisdiction pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.
- Determinations displayed were made beginning August 24, 2004.
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For more information concerning Jurisdictional Determinations.


text:
Q: is it possible to change parent of html element with python beautifulsoup Let's assume I have a html like following:

I want to move all divs with the class answer-div into the previous question-div. Can I handle it with beautifulsoup?

A: You can also use insert
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
html="""

"""
soup=BeautifulSoup(html,'html.parser')
for div in soup.findAll('div',{"class":"answer-div"}):
    div.find_previous_sibling('div').insert(0,div)
print(soup)

Output

A: No hands-on experience with beautifulsoup but I will give this one a shot!
The way I look at it is, you find all the div's with question and answer separately.
div_ques_Blocks = soup.find_all('div', class_="question-div")
div_ans_Blocks = soup.find_all('div', class_="answer-div")

and then loop through the question-div to insert/append the answer-div
for divtag in div_ans_Blocks :
       print divtag.find_previous_sibling('div')

If the above print statement gives you all the answer-div, you can then try appending them instead of priting, maybe like this?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Is there a convenient way to compare week-over-week data in SQL? I have a table full of daily aggregate data, but I occasionally need to pull weekly aggregate data, and provide info on increases or decreases.  For that reason, I was considering using T-SQL DATEPART functionality to get week-number and year info for dates.
For example, I can get the following info using today's date (9/11/2020):
@nowWeekNumber int = datepart(wk,@today),  --yields 37
@nowYear int = datepart(year,@today),      --yields 2020

Using that logic, I could then gather info on records where year is 2020 and weekNumber is 36, and then I could compare those numbers to get a weekly increase/decrease. (Or maybe I'd compare weeks 35 and 36 to ensure that I'm dealing w/ entire weeks, but you get the picture)
However, if the date is 2021-01-03, that's going to return a year of 2021, and a weekNumber of 2.  If I subtract a week, I'm going to get year 2021 and weekNumber 1.  That weekNumber is only going to contain January 1st and 2nd, because 12/27 thru 12/31 are considered year 2020 and weekNumber 53 (even though the calendar week is 12/27 thru 1/2).
In other words, I don't think I can use weekNumber to gather weekly data, even though that would be fairly convenient.  I'm aware that I can use DATEADD functions to grab the start and end-date for consecutive weeks, and I can then gather aggregate data for records BETWEEN those dates, but is there a more-convenient way to do this?

A: You can use DATEPART but instead of wk you can use the iso week. Then you don't have the problem with a week being split in 2. To be sure also use SET DATEFIRST to define exactly on which day the week starts.
SET DATEFIRST 1; --use monday as first day of the week
SELECT datepart(iso_week,'2021-01-01');
SELECT datepart(iso_week,'2021-01-03');
SELECT datepart(iso_week,'2021-01-04');

The other option is to create your own calendar table and join that to your daily table.
EDIT: for a week start on sunday
SET DATEFIRST 7;
SELECT DATEPART(WEEK, DATEADD( DAY, 1-DATEPART(WEEKDAY,'2020-12-27'),'2020-12-27' ) )
SELECT DATEPART(WEEK, DATEADD( DAY, 1-DATEPART(WEEKDAY,'2020-12-28'),'2020-12-28' ) )
SELECT DATEPART(WEEK, DATEADD( DAY, 1-DATEPART(WEEKDAY,'2021-01-01'),'2021-01-01' ) )
SELECT DATEPART(WEEK, DATEADD( DAY, 1-DATEPART(WEEKDAY,'2021-01-02'),'2021-01-02' ) )

A: Why don't you consider using dateDiff as key function? As...
select dateDiff(wk, 0, getDate())

Returns a single integer for the whole week (6297 for '20200911') and :
select                dateAdd(wk, dateDiff(wk, 0, getDate()), 0),
       dateAdd(dd, 6, dateAdd(wk, dateDiff(wk, 0, getDate()), 0))

or
select                dateAdd(wk, 6297, 0),
       dateAdd(dd, 6, dateAdd(wk, 6297, 0))

gives you the 1st and last day of that week.


Kapadwanj Kelvani Mandal has been the torch bearer of Educational development in and around Kapadwanj town and the areas in its vicinity. After having successfully established, nurtured and developed various educational institutions, the Kapadwanj Kelvani Mandal pondered deeply over-setting up of an English Medium School in Kapadwanj. It was a long felt need and the concept assumed concrete shape when its visionary, the President Late Shri D. C. Gandhi, motivated and extended his helping hand.
We made a modest beginning with a playgroup and junior Kindergarten units in the improvised premises, the �Rangmanch� of C.N. Vidhaylaya.The dream became a reality owing to generous donation from late Shri D. C. Gandhi and his family. The primary school building named Smt. C. D. Gandhi Eng. Med. Primary School came up as a fountain head of education. Beginning from Class 1(one) it has achieved two mile stones. The first was the primary school up to 7th standard and the second was setting up of Smt. Chandraben D. Gandhi Eng. Med. Secondary School. All this could be accomplished within the period of a decade, i.e. from 2002 to 2012.


The winner of THE BLACK HOUR is mauisun411! Email Hank h ryan at whdh dot com with your address--and congratulations!
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: It's Saturday morning, and as we learned yesterday from Lori Rader-Day, there'll be no more binge-watching of cartoons. But that just gives us more time to listen to a great story.
A story of a different kid of childhood. Maybe--with no cartoons.
Today Lisa Alber spins us quite the intriguing tale. Again, about being at a certain place at a certain time. A tale of her childhood, and how it haunts her dreams today, and how it changed her life.
Picture this: Six-year-old Little Lisa (LL for short) sits on an olive-green recliner. She's waiting to walk to school with an older neighbor girl, Laura Parrish, who is in fifth grade. Every day LL tries to slip past Laura's house by skulking behind parked cars. Sometimes she makes it and gets to walk to school alone even though she's too young for that. Most often, she's caught out and banished to the gloomy living room while Laura finishes her breakfast. The musty curtains are always closed, the shag rug always un-vacuumed. LL makes a game of bouncing her hands off her thighs in different rhythms. It's hard—her hands want to sync up—but over time she improves. She does this so she doesn't have to think too much about who's down the murky hallway.
The scary brothers just home from a war in Vietnam.
There's something wrong with them, something wrong with the mom who plays guitar and sings "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head," something wrong with the buttoned-up businessman dad, and, most of all, something wrong with Laura, who pees her bed.
Of course, Little Lisa doesn't know this consciously; she senses the wrongness of everything about this house. Knows that this house is in some fundamental way not a safe place for little girls.
Wow, Hank, when you asked me to write a post for Jungle Reds, I expected to keep it light. This memory arrived instead. But at least I know why.
It's this: The other day I got to thinking about the inevitability of me writing mystery/crime fiction rather than, say, romance or women's fiction. Inevitable because the mystery of Laura has followed me around since I was a kid. To this day, for example, I dream about murky, inescapable houses when I'm under stress. It's my go-to anxiety dream.
As for my writing, I gravitate toward stories about families with secrets. I often incorporate moody buildings—or some other thick, cloying environmental factor—in my stories. And since my first impression of the world outside my home was one laden with danger, I guess it's not surprising that I'd write stories about dangerous situations.
I've tried to find Laura over the years. Every once in a while I Google her name. About a decade ago, I visited the old neighborhood and realized that I'd remembered her home address, 5 Dellwood Court, but not my own. I knocked on the front door, hoping that somehow a Parrish still lived there. Where's Laura? I'd ask. What's she doing? Did she end up OK—or a drug addict—or worse? And, most of all, what the hell was going on in her effed-up household?!?
There was even the time about, oh, eight years ago when, in a fit of despair, I set aside what would become my debut novel, Kilmoon, and started a new piece, in which, yes, I tried to solve the mystery of Laura through fiction. Writing that novel led to the revelation that I'd suffered from PTSD as a child. Seriously. Is that crazy, or what?
Am I sad or bitter about my less-than-bucolic early childhood? Nah. I'm fascinated.
I'm fascinated by psychology, in general, and by how we become the adults we turn out to be. I can be anxious and high-strung—you spend enough time in an oppressive house in which amputee'd, drug-addled men (with PTSD no doubt) jump out of closets at you—well, so it goes.
In the end, Laura was probably as big an influence on my early development as my parents. For all I know, I have Laura to thank for my writing life because while I sat on that dingy recliner bouncing my hands against my thighs, I used to sink deep into other worlds. I Iived in imaginary worlds.
So, thank you, Laura. I hope you're OK out there somewhere. You're still the mystery I would most like to solve.
Jungle Redians, do you have a life-long mystery you wish you could solve? Or some remnant from your childhood that still follows you around? How do you think this influenced your development—and writing life, if you're a writer?
HANK: Well, I still watch for tornadoes, as I used to when I was a kid, all the result of Wizard of Oz, of course. I dream of houses, too, but they are lovely. Which I think makes yours even more fascinating. But you know as a writer, I always worry when I can't give someone a happy ending, or when I have to write about someone saying goodbye. I know, absolutely, where in my childhood that came from.
Californian Merrit Chase travels to Ireland to meet her father, a celebrated matchmaker, in hopes that she can mend her troubled past. Instead, her arrival triggers a rising tide of violence, and Merrit finds herself both suspect and victim, accomplice and pawn, in a murderous game that began thirty years previously. Family secrets, betrayal, and vengeance from beyond the grave—Merrit has just discovered her long-lost father.
This first in Alber's new County Clare Mystery series is utterly poetic … The author's prose and lush descriptions of the Irish countryside nicely complement this dark, broody and very intricate mystery.
In her moody debut, Alber skillfully uses many shades of gray to draw complex characters who discover how cruel love can be.
Lisa Alber received an Elizabeth George Foundation writing grant based on Kilmoon. Ever distractible, you may find her staring out windows, dog walking, fooling around online, or drinking red wine with her friends. Ireland, books, animals, photography, and blogging round out her distractions. Lisa lives in the Pacific Northwest. She is currently at work on her second novel set in Ireland.
Wow, somehow I wish you'd said you found Laura and knew the answers to those questions . . . .
Granted, it's a horrible situation for a very young child, but in its own way it's really quite a sad memory.
Now, I don't have any life-long mysteries to solve, but I do enjoy reading the books that come about because someone else does . . . .
Congratulations on your debut novel, Kilmoon. I loved it. Do you have another coming out soon? I hope so!
The mystery I would like to solve most is where are my half brothers and sisters? What happened to them?
Wow, Lisa -- that's intense.
I also have dreams of abandoned houses.
Family secrets are my all time favorite thing to write about too, Lisa. Or rather I always seem to go there no matter where I start. I grew up in a family where everything was always perfect...on the outside.
And the thing that's so fascinating, too, is that the real outcome of her life may have been wonderful--she;s happy somewhere, in, Des Moines (or wherever) with kids and kittens and happily married. Or she's running a big company in Silicon Valley.
Or she's an author, and writes novels about the wonderful thoughtful girl who lived down the street--and whatever happened to her?
And yes, do tell us about your new book!
I rarely comment on Saturdays, but I saw Lisa was here on FB so I popped over.
I really enjoyed KILMOON and look forward to the next. I thought your use of the church was excellent and a very mystic, haunting place it was. I'm looking forward to learning more about Danny.
I don't know that I gravitate toward anything in my own writing - maybe complex relationships and characters dominated by a sense of responsibility? Is that from my childhood? Not sure. Maybe. As the eldest, my parents always assumed I'd do "it" whatever "it" was (watch my siblings, go to the grocery store, run said siblings around once I got my drivers' license).
Dreams are something else - they tend to be incomprehensible (buying replacement tires from one of my taekwondo instructors at the McDonald's drive-thru - anyone want to take a crack at that one? LOL).
During my childhood, a woman down the street killed herself, leaving two young children in the house with her for several days...oh yes, that has definitely haunted me--and turned up in my writing.
Lisa, I'm struck by not only the story, but how perfectly you've written it. I was hooked by the first sentence!
Lisa, for such a young child, you had a finely tuned self preservation instinct.
Looking forward to reading the book, and hoping that Laura made it out of her childhood intact, and with a happy life now. Children are so vulnerable, aren't they?
What a great and scary story. I grew up in a big old house that I was sure was haunted. Windows blew open, rugs flapped and I often dreamed of a procession of hooded figures coming up the stairs toward me.
And lonely. I credit this with my own imaginary worlds.
And Hank--your dream house is lovely because in dream psychology it represents you!
Oh, Rhys..that's so reassuring! Thank you.
We had a kid next door who was so strange--and then, he burned down our barn! ANd all high school classmates, spread out over the world now, and never to be heard from again. So strange.
**The winners of WOULDN'T IT BE DEADLY are Trudi G and Jody Crocker! Email hank via her website http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com or via Facebook @HankPhillippiRyanauthorpage with your address!
Getting started late-ish here since it is Saturday -- and I'm on the west coast.
Joan--I wish I'd been able to say that too! I guess that's why Laura still haunts me to this day!
Coffee's going -- be back in a few!
As for me, my childhood was shaped by constant moving, always being the new kid, always learning how a new place worked, having to leave behind friends again and again. The longest I ever lived in one place was 4 1/2 years in Argyle, NY, and it is that town that forms the basis of my fictional Millers Kill.
HI Susan -- I'm sitting here with my coffee bleary-eyed, thinking, man, that is a little intense for a nice Saturday morning. Hah!
Hallie, the family stories you've shared on JRW fascinate me -- every family is peculiar in its own way (some worse than others). Isn't there a saying about that?
As a matter of fact, Hank, in the novel, The Mystery of Laura (actual working title), which will never see the light of day, Laura does end up in Silicon Valley! Well off and with a "perfect" life (except for her demons, of course).
I'm the oldest child too (which is why I was around the early neighborhood so much -- crazy 70s and my mom busy with my younger sisters) so I totally get the responsibility thing. I think there's something to birth order.
What do you think, Reddians? Birth order on our development?
Kilmoon is out now? Hooray. I've been waiting for that one! I find myself wondering sometimes what happened to some of the kids in the neighborhood. My brother is convinced one of them probably wound up in prison. We both had a really scary 4th grade teacher. I was a mess that year, she was so awful.I wonder how many serial killers she produced.
You asked about my second novel? Sure!
Called GREY MAN for now, the second novel continues the story of Merrit Chase, newcomer to Lisfenora village, Ireland, and Detective Sergeant Danny Ahern. Whereas KILMOON was mainly Merrit's story, the second novel will be Danny's. After a teenage boy dies in Danny's arms, he finds himself matching wits with a man who doesn't seem to exist . When the violence hits too close to home, he must figure out the connection between a mute women with traumatic amnesia, a hermit jewelry designer, and a second dead teenage boy.
Wish me luck with this revision -- it's about doing me in!
Wow, Lucy, that would haunt me too. Unimaginable. I hope those children are OK in life now.
Hi Karen in Ohio -- thanks for saying that. It's funny, those self-preservation tactics never really go away ... But now I see them for what they are.
Wow, hooded men coming up for you, Rhys? Yikes! You were destined for the mystery genre too!
Lisa, wow that was a real life mystery. I forgot about a mystery from my childhood until I read your story. When I was a young child, we had a family dog. He looked like the dog from the movie about babe the pig. I came home from school and my dog had disappeared. I never found out what happened to our dog, though I heard many different theories.
Wonder what happened to Laura. Your mention of Vietnam makes me wonder if they were a military family moving from base to base?
Congrats on kilmoon and the second book. On midsomer murders tv show, there is a story about the green man.
Lisa, really, it gives me the shivers, thinking of how aware you were at the age of SIX. Not many children are, so that was remarkable.
Hank -- you gotta wonder what a kid who burns down a barn ends up being -- maybe he's a fireman!
And yes, I am the older child, too. Birth order. ALL about birth order!
Aw, Diana..sad. SO very sad. oxo And so fascinating that you remember it so clearly.
Lisa, wow, now that's a mystery that needs solving.
Fascinating story. Lisa! I have dreams about houses, too. But usually, I'm finding an undiscovered room or floor (mostly basements).
Lisa, I've been reading ABOUT Kilmoon for so long! It's great to hear that I can finally read it; I do look forward to that!
I'm the eldest of five. I have never stopped feeling responsible for WHATEVER, especially the welfare of The Youngest, who has numerous disabilities. But some years ago I realized that the best way to handle my super-responsible tendencies is to just laugh at myself when I start feeling overly responsible!
There's a Victorian house that often appears in my dreams. In the dream, I am usually trying to find a safe haven from something - I dreamed about this house a lot right after 9/11. When I was in high school my family moved to a duplex apartment in a Victorian era house, and I LOVED that house. I loved the nooks and crannies, the fact that it was built in the 1800's (I love history), and the fact that it was within walking distance of so many places. Of all the places where I lived as a child, that's my favorite. But the funny thing is that in many of the dreams I have about it, I walk inside and instead of seeing our apartment, I find numerous tables set up with craft items for sale. Most of the vendors are little old ladies wearing the kinds of dresses my grandmothers wore. There's a section roped off where people can have a cup of tea, with some goodies. I don't understand it, but it's kind of fun to try to remember the details when I wake up!
So, Mollie, now I'm curious -- are the rooms scary finds or exciting/happy finds? Maybe I'll bring up this topic on your Facebook party!
Thanks, Deb! Many oldest children I know have chosen not to have kids -- I wonder why? :-) I love your house dream -- isn't it interesting that so many of us have them? Yours sounds like a nice dream--maybe it's your go-to place when your psyche is trying to manage tension? We all need sanctuaries, even in our dreams!
Oh, I SOOO want to know your mystery! Sounds like fodder to me!
I think the traumas we endured as children shape our writing. Your article today touched me deeply, and explains why I dream about either being lost of escaping from houses in my dreams. This is such a great blog, Lisa. You are going to have so many fans and followers who also like to uncover secrets.
We moved often when I was a kid, so I guess I learned to move on to new people and new friends at a young age.
Aww, Sherry, that is so sweet of you to say. In truth? Before sending the post to Hank, I hesitated. I even wrote her, Is it OK that I went kinda dark and personal? A momentary bout of self-doubt. (Which might go to the anxious/high-strung thing I mentioned above :-)) But it's all good -- I'm so glad to be here today!
We're so honored to have you, dear Lisa! And you can see how it's touching so many people.
Larry, DebRo--so fascinating! ANd chilling..
Sherry Joyce, you are SO right! SO lovely to see you all today!
And may we have a tiny commercial break?
THE OTHER WOMAN (which won the Mary Higgins Clark award, as you may have heard :-) ) is now just $2.99 is all e platforms! But not for too much longer...so now's the perfect time!
Larry! That's a happy ending, and mysteries with happy endings are so appealing. Bad guy caught, the world saved!
I found old homes fascinating when was a child. The history of what happened in that spot years ago always caught my imagination. Still, I catch myself wondering about the stories locked behind those walls.
Congrats on Killmoon and it is on my must read list.
Birth order, for sure. I am the big sister and don't you ever forget it. I'm also the Big Cousin lol.
What an experience for a 6-year old. Always a jolt to realize (again) that most families are a little weird and have stuff going on that we don't see. And that children are so aware. As a child I always felt like I was the kid from THAT family, never occurred to me that all the others weren't as perfect as they look.
Jim, thanks! I always wonder about the stories old houses carry also. There's something ... Hmm ... If I were a Jungian I'd talk about the collective unconscious. There's a reason why haunted house movies never go out of fashion. Homes and secrets go together.
Lisa, unfortunately, Hank is right. Something that I learned at this year's WPA. Studies have shown that teenage repeat fire-starters grow up to be serial killers.
One of the three signs, right? I forgot the other two signs ... animal cruelty ... bedwetting?
Animal cruelty, yes. Not sure of the third.
Amazing how the emotions surrounding old memories influence us so many decades later. Lucky for us, you turned those scary feelings into the lovely moody Kilmoon.
Thanks for popping in, Cindy! It's really true about old memories. My doctor was telling about how the 0-6 age range is so crucial. Our little brains are sponges, absorbing and processing everything on every level -- subliminally, consciously, etcetera.
Lisa, I was hoping you'd found Laura, too. What a mystery setup you encountered in her family and her house. A little scary, too. I'm glad you escaped from that setting the next year. I can see where the situation was certainly an impetus for the mystery writing imagination.
It's interesting to think back on the mysteries or odd happenings in one's life. I can think of several I'd like to know more about. For example, when I was very small, around 2, someone broke into our house via the back door to the kitchen. We must have just moved into this house, as I was two when we did, and my crib was in the hallway to the bedrooms at the time. Apparently the intruder walked past my crib, but my father woke up, and the intruder fled. The police never did find out who it was. I would like to know who it was, why he (don't believe it was a she) did it, and what he had hoped to find or gain. My whole life I have had a recurring dream about that back door not being fastened probably and not being able to secure it. Come to think of it, I have had dreams about the back doors wherever I've lived not fastening properly and leaving me vulnerable.
Lisa, I have had Kilmoon in my sights for a while, and I will now be adding it to my TBR pile, plus The Grey Man when it is published.
Yes, CIndy...lovely to see you!
Isn't it amazing how old memories keep coming back, and how intense they can be? From all these comments, I can see I'm not the only person who thinks so!
Lisa, yes you would think it would be easy, and I work on it each day. I don't know their names, however. I never met them, that I know of. Although I saw a photo online of a woman who looked like she could have been my identical twin. The resemblance was so close I thought it was a picture of me. I was unable to connect with her.
I grew up as an only child but in fact had siblings I was unaware of. I have no proof just a set of very strange parents and evidence that has only come out recently. After both my parents died, my aunts started to talk and tell me things.
I have taken 2 DNA tests that don't add up, but I'm not sure that's significant. One of my boy cousins is having his DNA done, so we can cross check the areas we would expect to have in common. I have been living my life, sorting it out, and trying to survive and be creative. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comment. I know how busy you must be, and I am very happy for you.
Reine, as we always say, you are endlessly fascinating!
Lisa, thank you for a wonderfully thoughtful day. You'll come back for your new book, we hope! You are ALWAYS welcome--and we cannot wait to hear!
HI Kathy -- I with Hank, this is incredibly disturbing. Was it one of the neighbors your family ending becoming friends with ?
I didn't realize you didn't know their names, Reine. That definitely makes the Internet pretty much useless. I hope you find them!
Thanks for having me, Hank! I always welcome a chance to be Red for a day. So fun! Now, just gotta get GREY MAN finished!
Thank you for sharing that memory from your childhood. You can only wonder at the many things families keep secret--and beyond that level of "kept" secrecy, those things within and between people that are secret and mysterious by their very nature.
It's your sensitivity to those things, regardless of your age (although I think those impressions can be more overwhelming during childhood), and your willingness to seriously consider them, that make fiction writing a natural outlet and an art that you excel in.
It's always good to see you in our "high probability random encounters" (Steve). Can't wait to find out how Kilmoon concludes--I'm on page 230 now!
John! What a thoughtful comment -- thanks so much! I love the way you phrased this: "those things within and between people that are secret and mysterious by their very nature."
Twizzlers and Red Hots and Mounds, Oh my!
The TRUTH about TRUTH BE TOLD!


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Middle East and South Asia Studies Program
MESA Minor Requirements
Capstone Information
Home Middle East and South Asia Studies Program MESA Minor Requirements
2021 - 2022 Catalog
We have the following degrees:
Middle East and South Asia Studies with Language Emphasis minor
Middle East and South Asia Studies without Language minor
A minor in Middle East and South Asia studies with language emphasis requires the completion of seven courses (at least 21 credits). In meeting the requirements of this interdisciplinary minor, a student must use at least nine credits not also used to meet the requirements of any other major or minor. Students should regularly consult with the Program Director about course substitutions due to changes in departmental offerings, and courses taken abroad.
1. Gateway course: One course introducing the MESA area through comparative, broad-scale consideration of cultural processes, chosen from among the following: HIST 170, 171; MESA 195, 255; REL 130, 235, 283
2. Distribution: Three additional courses (at least nine credits) selected from the following, with at least one course from at least two of the following three areas. Additional courses may be used when the topic is relevant and the program director approves in advance:
a. Art History and Literature: ARTH 140, 141, 146, 242, 243, 245, 342, 343; LIT 273; REL 273, or, when appropriate, ARTH 295, LIT 180, 295 (on a MESA-related topic)
b. Other Humanities: FILM 237S, 252S; HIST 170, 171, 172, 226, 280, 282 (REL 282); MESA 250, 252, 395; PHIL 223; REL 101, 102, 105, 106, 108, 120, 131, 132, 172, 216, 226, 231, 250, 260 (on a MESA-related topic), 271, 282 (HIST 282), 284, 333, 335, 350, 381; or, when appropriate, HIST 195, 289; REL 195, 260 (on a MESA-related topic)
c. Social Sciences: ECON 246, 376, 377, POL 384, REL 220, 222, 246; or, when appropriate, ECON 276, 295, 395; POL 274, 396
3. Language: Three additional 3- or 4-credit courses earned by completing through term five in one MESA-relevant language. The first two terms of language study are not applicable to the minor:
a. Arabic: successful completion of ARAB 211, 220, or 225, or an equivalent.
b. Sanskrit: successful completion of SKT 301 or its equivalent.
c. Other MESA-relevant languages (e.g., Hebrew, Hindi, Persian, Tibetan, Turkish, Urdu, or potentially other languages) can be studied elsewhere (e.g., intensive language programs at other universities; language study abroad) and will be considered by the Program Director for credit towards the MESA with Language option.
The language component will conclude, as part of ARAB 211 or SKT 301, with a fifth-term project, in which each student will read sources in Arabic or Sanskrit, as well as relevant secondary literature, and write a paper in the target language on a topic that relates to the MESA region. At the end of the term, students in ARAB 211 or SKT 301 will present their fifth-term project in class in the target language.
Gateway course:
One course introducing the MESA area through comparative, broad-scale consideration of cultural processes, chosen from among the following:
HIST 170 - The World of Islam: Origins to 1500
Atanasova
This course surveys the political, social, and cultural history of the Islamic World from the 7th to 15th centuries, with particular attention paid to the diverse geographical and cultural contexts in which pre-modern Islamic civilization flourished. Topics include the origins of Islam in late Antiquity; the development of Islamic religious, political, and cultural institutions; the flourishing of medieval Islamic education, science, and literature; the tension among state, ethnic, sectarian, and global Muslim identities; and the emergence of a distinctly Muslim approach to historiography.
HIST 171 - The World of Islam: 1500 to the Present
This course surveys the political, social, and cultural history of the Islamic World from the 16th to 21st centuries, with particular attention paid to the diverse experiences of the various regions that make up the Islamic world. Topics include the emergence of the early modern centralizing states in Iran, Turkey, India, and elsewhere; the spread of Islamic religious and political practices in Africa and Asia; the colonial and post-colonial confrontation between the Islamic World and Europe; and the evolution of new political, cultural, and intellectual movements as Muslim nations in the context of globalization.
MESA 195 - Gateway to Middle East and South Asia Studies
A gateway course introducing Middle East and South Asia studies through the lens of a special topic, issue, or problem relevant to the MESA region.
MESA 255 - Language Policies and Politics
An examination of language policies in North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia (broadly defined). Students are introduced to the concepts and theories involved in language planning and policy (LPP) and discuss topics such as the legal status of language(s); linguistic rights; language attitudes and ideologies; language in education; language standardization; multilingualism and nationalism; and language endangerment. Students investigate the factors that govern and influence different LPPs through a series of case studies from the MESA region.
REL 130 - Us, Them, and God: Religion, Identity, and Interaction in the Middle East and South Asia
This course surveys the historical and social dynamics that have contributed to the formation of religious identities in the Middle East and South Asia. These identities, shaped over many centuries by the rise, spread, and interaction of religious ideas, peoples, and institutions, become important factors in socio-political movements and conflicts. The course takes a long view of the historical roots of these religious identities, their shifting boundaries and significance in the era of European colonialism, and their role in the formation of post-colonial nations. Particular emphasis is placed on the cultural linkages between the various Middle Eastern and South Asian cultural spheres, and broader patterns of Identity-formation and cultural influence through forms of globalization, both modern and pre-modem
REL 235 - Religions of the Silk Road: Gods in Transit
An examination of how deities and religious ideas and practices spread from one place to another through cultural, commercial, and political networks and interactions in the ancient and medieval world, and how this constituted a form of premodern globalization. The history of religions, from antiquity to the present day, is full of cases of a religion traveling from one place to another. The circumstances vary: it may happen as part of a conquest or colonization, or more peacefully through the work of missionaries or wandering monks, or as a by-product of trade or professional contacts. We highlight a series of case studies drawn from the full sweep of the Silk Road, from the eastern Mediterranean and Near East to eastern Central Asia, along with the parallel network of Indian Ocean routes
REL 283 - Sufism: Islamic Mysticism
This course explores the mystical expressions and institutions known as Sufism within the Islamic community. Topics include the elaboration of Sufism from the core tenets of Islam; Sufi practices of ecstasy and discipline; the artistic and literary products of the Sufi experience; the institutions of Sufi orders, saints, shrines, and popular practices; and the debates among Muslims over the place of Sufism within the greater tradition of Islam.
Three additional courses (at least nine credits) selected from the following, with at least one course from at least two of the following three areas. Additional courses may be used when the topic is relevant and the program director approves in advance:
Art History and Literature:
ARTH 140 - Asian Art
Kerin
A survey of artistic traditions from South (including the Himalayan region), East, and Southeast Asia from roughly the 1st to the 18th centuries CE. The course focuses on a wide range of media - including architecture, sculpture, painting, textiles, and book arts - that serve a spectrum of religious and secular functions. The broad temporal, geographic, and topical scope of this course is meant to provide students with a basic understanding of not only the greatest artistic achievements and movements in Asia, but also the historical and political contexts that gave rise to these extraordinary pieces of art.
ARTH 146 - Introduction to Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies: Problems of Ownership and Curation
Cultural heritage objects are powerful artifacts to own, display, and even destroy. But why? This introductory course explores the ways art and cultural heritage objects have been stolen, laundered, purchased, curated, and destroyed in order to express political, religious, and cultural messages. Case studies and current events are studied equally to shed light on practices of looting and iconoclasm. Some of the questions we consider: What is the relationship between art and war? Under what conditions should museums return artifacts to the country/ethnic group from which the artifacts originated? What role do auction houses play in laundering art objects? What nationalist agendas are at work when cultural heritage objects are claimed by modem nation states or terrorist groups?
ARTH 242 - Arts of India
This course explores the artistic traditions of India from the earliest extant material evidence of the Indus Valley Civilization (circa 2500 BCE) to the elaborate painting and architectural traditions of the Mughal period (circa 16th - 18th centuries). The course analyzes the religious and ritual uses of temples, paintings, and sculptures, as well as their political role in expressing imperial ideologies.
ARTH 243 - Imaging Tibet
An examination of images and imaging practices of the early 1900s to the present in order to define and analyze the ways in which both Western and Asian (particularly Tibetan and Chinese) artists have imagined Tibet and its people.
ARTH 245 - Ancient Cultures, New Markets: Modern and Contemporary Asian Art
Meets simultaneously with ARTH 394B-01. Students may not register or receive credit for both. This course examines the art movements of the last one hundred years from India, China, Tibet, and Japan primarily through the lenses of the larger sociopolitical movements that informed much of Asia's cultural discourses: Colonialism, Post-Colonialism, Socialism, Communism, and Feminism. We also address debates concerning "non-Western" 20th-century art as peripheral to the main canons of Modern and Contemporary art. By the end of the course, students have created a complex picture of Asian art/artists, and have engaged broader concepts of transnationalism, as well as examined the roles of galleries, museums, and auction houses in establishing market value and biases in acquisition practices.
ARTH 342 - Love, Loyalty, and Lordship: Court Art of India, 1500s to1800s
During the 16th-19th centuries, India's Hindu and Islamic courts, as well as British imperial forces, vied for political authority and control over the subcontinent. Despite the political and economic volatility of the time, the regional courts commissioned spectacular secular and religious arts in the form of illustrated narratives, miniature paintings, and architectural masterpieces. This course focuses on this rich artistic heritage. As we analyze the courts' painted and built environments, we investigate three recurring themes: love (of court, God and, in some cases, an individual); loyalty (to courtly values, religious ideals, and ruler); and lordship (over land, animals, and people).
ARTH 343 - Art and Material Culture of Tibet
Through a chronological presentation of sites and objects, we study Tibet's great artistic movements from the 7th-20th centuries. Our analyses of the art and material culture of Tibet, and its larger cultural zone, has an art historical and historiographic focus. This two-pronged approach encourages students to analyze not only the styles and movements of Tibetan art, but the methods by which this art world has been studied by and simultaneously presented to Western audiences.
LIT 273 - Modern Jewish Literature in Translation
Completion of FW requirement
Readings in the works of 20th-century Jewish authors, studied as literary responses to the historical and religious crises of modern Jewish life in Europe, the United States, and Israel.
REL 273 - Modern Jewish Literature in Translation
Completion of FW requirements
or, when appropriate,
ARTH 295 - Special Topics in Art History
3 in fall or winter, 4 in spring
Selected topics in art history with written and oral reports. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
LIT 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar
First-year seminar. Prerequisite: First-year standing. Completion of FW FDR requirement or this may vary with the topic
First-year seminar.
LIT 295 - Special Topics in Literature in Translation
(on MESA-related topic)
Completion of FDR FW writing requirement
A selected topic focusing on a particular author, genre, motif or period in translation. The specific topic is determined by the interests of the individual instructor. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
Spring 2022, LIT 295A-01: Topics: Slavery and Colonialism in the African Diaspora (4). The histories, politics, and cultures of various regions have given shape to the global African diaspora, at times producing continuities and at others, points of departure. Two constants, however, are the prevalence of colonialism and slavery, particularly in Africa and the Caribbean. This class will examine the impacts that colonialism and slavery have had on colonized peoples, as well as the linkages between African and Caribbean history, by traveling to Barbados and Martinique—a former British colony and a former French colony. Particular points for consideration include colonial systems of governance, such as direct rule and indirect rule, as well as the contemporary legacies of colonialism and slavery, including movements for reparations. (HU, EXP, GL) Dennie and Kamara.
Other Humanities:
FILM 237S - Field Documentary
Instructor consent
Experiential Learning. Taught by W&L faculty at the University of Cape Coast as part of the W&L in Ghana program. This course teaches students how to research, conceptualize and develop a non-fiction story idea into a film. Students receive instruction on effective research strategies, idea development, production planning, and proposal writing and pitching. They learn the theoretical, aesthetic, and technical principles of non-linear editing for documentary. Principally, students are taught how to: digitize and organize source material, create basic effects and titles, develop sequences, and organize and edit their raw materials into a polished final product. In addition to making films, we screen various documentaries, analyze the techniques, and put them to use in our own creation and editing.
FILM 252S - Peoples and Culture of Ghana
Blunch and Sandberg
Experiential Learning. Taught by W&L faculty at the University of Cape Coast as part of the W&L in Ghana program. An immersion in Ghanaian culture through field trips, field documentary, and field visits to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and development organizations. We visit eight different regions of Ghana on weekend field trips plus one longer week-long excursion to the Ghanaian North. Students are divided into teams that create travel documentaries, each taking on different roles with camera, sound, and logistics. Students also work on creating policy proposals for one of the NGOs or development organizations of their choice. The short travel documentaries and policy proposals are presented in the final month of the term.
HIST 172 - Muslims in the Movies
An examination of the history of visual representation of Islam and Muslims in classical and modern cinema. We approach movies produced by both Muslims and non-Muslims over the last century as historical sources: visual monuments that have captured the specific cultural and political context in which they were produced. We examine a selection of these movies through the lens of critical theory and the study of religion in order to pay attention to how questions surrounding identity and representation, race and gender, Orientalism and perceptions of difference have historically influenced and continue to influence cinematic images of Islam.
HIST 226 - Pillage, Peddling and Piety: Travel in the Middle Ages
Perhaps contrary to expectation, Medieval people traveled extensively for trade and profit, pilgrimage and piety, conquest and gain, and even for pleasure. These motives cut across the cultures of the medieval world to encompass Muslims, Christians, and Jews and led these people to places both proximate to and far distant from Europe. We explore the medieval world as a world that moved. To that end, in addition to some more traditional academic exercises, students create a group mapping project using a host of digital tools that can communicate movement, exchange, and interaction. Topics include pilgrimage, trade, economic systems, holy war, gender, race, and chivalry.
HIST 280 - History of the Caucasus and Central Asia
Bidlack
The peoples who inhabit the Caucasus Mountains region and Central Asia are extraordinarily diverse in their history, culture, language, and religion. The area has been a crossroads of civilizations for centuries, and comprises present-day southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. Students study how the Caucasus region and Central Asia have developed from early-recorded history to the present, through close reading and discussion of scholarly texts and primary sources. Students also write an analytical essay from a range of assigned topics and a research paper on a topic of their own choosing.
HIST 282 - Picturing Muhammad? Perceptions of the Prophet from the Hijra to Hip-Hop
(REL 282)
To Muslims, Muhammad is a prophetic figure whose model life is to be emulated; to non-Muslims, a controversial figure that has stirred the imagination for centuries. Through an analysis of the earliest non-Muslim sources on Muhammad, to insider Muslim narratives of the prophet's miraculous life, to polemical medieval Christian stories about him, to Deepak Chopra and Muhammad in hip-hop, this course explores the various historical, literary, and media representations of Muhammad. We will pay special attention to recent controversies on visual depictions of Muhammad, as well as contemporary ritual practices surrounding the embodiment of Islam's most important prophet.
MESA 250 - Writing Mt. Lebanon: History, Language, and Politics
How did Mt. Lebanon become the nation-state of Lebanon? This interdisciplinary course asks students to question the local, national, and international contexts in which the modern Lebanese Republic (est. 1943) has been formed. Students explore the historical, linguistic, confessional, and political landscape of Mt. Lebanon, focusing on the 18th century up
to the present day. Visits to archeological sites, museums, historic mansions, cemeteries, and a university campus enrich classroom discussions.
MESA 252 - History Compounded: ExperienceEgypt
ARAB 161 or equivalent
An exploration of the social, religious, historical, and political foundations of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Based in Cairo, a.k.a. "Omm ed-Duniya (Mother of the World)", students study the complex dynamics of state, culture, and society from a historical perspective. This course uses multiple academic lenses to understand the manifold pasts, interpret the ever-changing present, and speculate about possible futures of contemporary Egypt.
MESA 395 - Special Topics in Religion and Human Rights of MESA
Al-Ahmad, Staff
This advanced course addresses the intersection of human rights and religion within the Middle East and/or South Asia. The course will consider the complex layers of political and legal issues as they relate to the many religious traditions of the Middle East and South Asia. The course will draw from both current and historical sources to investigate numerous case studies, e.g. the relationships between religion and women's rights, human rights and cultural heritage (often religious in content), iconoclasm and freedom of faith movements, among other concerns. The precise focus of the course will alter depending on instructor. Consequently, a student may repeat the course if the regional coverage specific to the course is different from a past offering.
PHIL 223 - Buddhist Philosophy
An introduction to Buddhist philosophy. We focus on the philosophical articulation and defense of Buddhism, and reflect on issues in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, and ethics. We cover the development of major schools in both Indian and Chinese Buddhism, including Abhidharma, Madhyamaka, Yogacara, Tiantai, Huayan, and Chan/Zen. We see how different traditions can be mutually informing. We also discuss the relevance of Buddhist philosophy to Western philosophy as well as empirical research.
REL 101 - Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
An introduction to the history, literature and interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).
REL 102 - New Testament
An introduction to the history, literature and interpretation of the New Testament.
REL 105 - Introduction to Islam
This course familiarizes students with the foundations of the Islamic tradition and the diverse historical and geographical manifestations of belief and practice built upon those foundations. Throughout the course, the role of Islam in shaping cultural, social, gender, and political identities is explored. Readings are drawn from the writings of both historical and contemporary Muslim thinkers.
REL 106 - Judaism: Tradition and Modernity
This course is an introduction to the rituals, concepts, and practices of Judaism from antiquity to the present day. Through a wide variety of sources, including rabbinic debate, fiction, drama, liturgy, memoirs, film, and history, we will consider how the Jewish tradition has developed, changed, and interacted with other traditions. Particular attention will be paid to the development of modern Jewish movements and communities.
REL 108 - The Qur'an
Instructor consent required
This course approaches the Qur'an from a range of modern and pre-modern perspectives: as an oral recitation; as a material object; as a historical document; as a literary text; as it relates to the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament; as a foundation for Islamic law, theology and mysticism; and as a source for ethics and social activism. Particular attention is devoted to issues of gender and politics raised by the Qur'an, supplemented by a number of film screenings. Prior knowledge of Islam is not required.
REL 120 - War and the Bible
From the battle of Jericho to the apocalyptic wars in the Book of Revelation, the Bible is full of violent conflict. Wars are waged between nations, peoples, and even gods. What ideologies of war underlie these depictions? How does the Bible understand warfare and its many facets? What is a just or holy war? Are there war crimes in the ancient world? What is the role of divine beings in these conflicts? Does the God of the Bible ever lose? Through close readings of both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, we consider the different ways in which war is depicted by biblical texts in different historical periods. We also examine the ongoing influence of biblical warfare on later discourses about violent conflict around the world.
REL 131 - Buddhism
A survey of the historical development of the doctrines and practices of Buddhism. After a discussion of the Hindu origins of Buddhism, the course focuses on the development of the Theravada, Vajrayana and Mahayana traditions. A class trip to at least one Buddhist center is included.
REL 132 - God and Goddess in Hinduism
This course explores the many ways in which Hindus visualize and talk about the divine and its manifestations in the world through mythic stories, use of images in worship, explanations of the nature of the soul and body in relation to the divine, and the belief in human embodiments of the divine in Hindu holy men and women. Topics include: the religious meanings of masculine and feminine in the divine and human contexts; the idea of local, family, and "chosen" divinities; and differing forms of Hindu devotion for men and women.
REL 172 - Muslims in the Movies
REL 216 - Sainthood in Four Traditions
A survey of sainthood in a variety of religious contexts: Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist. The course asks: "What makes someone holy? How do saints behave? How and why are they worshipped?" Readings include sacred biographies (hagiographies), studies of particular traditions of saint worship, and interpretations of sainthood in both theological and cross-cultural perspectives.
REL 226 - Death and Immortality in the Ancient World
According to Egyptologist Jan Assmann, "All culture is a struggle against oblivion." How, then, might different cultures respond to the potential oblivion caused by death - the loss of personhood, the deterioration of the body, and the fading memories of those who have die? What rituals and ideologies preserve memories of the dead among the living? Is this commemoration a kind of immortality? In this course, we explore such questions and critically examine the nature of memory as it relates to ancient conceptions of death and afterlife. Through close analysis of epic narrative, ritual texts, and material culture, we compare traditions from different regions, including Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, in order to better appreciate the rich diversity of human responses to death in the ancient worlds. All ancient texts are read in translation.
REL 231 - Yogis, Monks, and Mystics in India
Yogis, ascetics, and other holy people pursue extraordinary paths that invert the normal aims and values of society. This course surveys ideas on mental and physical training; their conceptual basis; the range of techniques used; and their philosophical development. Course material is drawn from a diverse range of religions that may include Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Islamic, and Christian. The course seeks to answer such questions as: "What is the purpose of these teachings and for whom were they designed?" "What roles do yogis and ascetics play in religious life?" and "What is their ethical status in the world?"
REL 250 - Truth, Belief, Dissent: Defining Insiders and Outsiders in Ancient, Medieval and Modern Religion
Open to all students regardless of class year or major
Who decides what is orthodox [acceptable thought] and what is heretical [unacceptable], how are these decisions made, and what impact do they have on societal definitions of "insider" and "outsider?" What perennial questions emerge in debates about orthodoxy and heresy -- e.g., the powers of states to enforce religious orthodoxy, the joining of political ideologies with religious interests -- and how are those questions addressed in modernity? This course explores the shifting and perpetually uncertain boundaries of truth and identity in religion. The focal religion is Christianity, but comparative religions are in view. Readings include selections from the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, "Gnostic gospels", and other so-called heretical texts, writings from the Church Fathers (with special attention to St. Augustine), medieval heresy trials, a contemporary American novel, and recent scholarly treatments of the boundaries that define "insiders" and "outsiders."
REL 271 - Islam in America: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
From the discourse on the War on Terror, to debates about Muslim women's dress, Islam in America has attracted the attention of journalists, activists, government officials, and scholars of religion. This course takes a critical-historical approach to the topic by examining key themes in the history of Islam in America: the lives of enslaved African Muslims in the Antebellum period and the Founding Fathers' visions of Islam; the immigrant experience of Arab Muslims at the turn of the 20th century; the role of Muslim organizations in the Civil Rights movement; and, the changing representations of American Muslims after the Gulf War and post-9/11. In interrogating the history of Islam in America, we specifically pay attention to the ways in which religion, gender, class, race, and citizenship continue to inform representations of Muslims in the U.S.
REL 282 - Picturing Muhammad? Perceptions of the Prophet from the Hijra to Hip-Hop
(HIST 282)
REL 284 - Women and Gender in Islam
Al-Ahmad
How have issues of gender and sexuality in Medieval and Modern Islamic societies been debated across the Middle East, South Asia, and the West? Students examine scholarly and public discussions of gender and Islam, and they build a vocabulary in which to talk about women. queer, and intersex history as they concern Muslim societies and their foundational sources in their regional and historical contexts. No prior knowledge of Islam is necessary.
REL 333 - Meditation and Self-Knowledge
For 2,500 years, Hindus and Buddhists have promoted meditation as a means to attain insight and liberation from suffering, a state sometimes understood in terms of divinity or Buddha-nature. Meditation has also been adopted by some in the West during the last century, often for psychological or physical benefits apart from any devotional context. What had traditionally been a practice of ordained monks was popularized in the West, a trend that then caught on in Asia as well. We look at the origins of meditative practices in Asian traditions using primary sources, social context, and personal experience of basic meditative techniques. The course concludes by noting that some contemporary neuroscientists are looking to meditation to better understand mind, brain, emotion, and cognition.
REL 335 - Hindu Law in Theory and Practice
India produced one of the oldest legal systems in the world — one that offers some surprising contrasts with modern assumptions about the nature and scope of the law. Combining ethical and ritual obligations alongside rules for criminal and civil litigation, it was intended to cover every aspect of life, from personal habits to political institutions. The course begins with the ancient codes, Indian political theory, and documents from everyday legal practice in medieval times. The second half of the course begins with colonial-era British attempts to codify Hindu law; Hindu personal law in modern India; and the controversy over religion and secularism in the courts today, including the constitutional definition of "Hindu;" attempts to legislate against disapproved religious practices; and disputes over sacred spaces. We close with comparisons with legal reasoning about religion in America, Israel, and England, based on court cases.
REL 350 - Seminar in Biblical Studies
REL 101, 102, 151 250, or coursework in ancient history or classics, or instructor consent
An exploration of a topic in Biblical studies, focusing on ancient texts and their interpreters from antiquity to the present. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
REL 381 - Islamic Law in Society
This seminar introduces students to the Islamic understanding of shari'a ("Path," "law") and its role in Muslim culture, history, and society. To be examined are: the key sources of law in the Qur'an and the model of the Prophet Muhammad, the early development of Islamic legal theories and institutions, the roles of these institutions in everyday life, and the struggle to re-imagine Islamic law and its place in contemporary Muslim communities. Case studies include the nature of political institutions, the rights and roles of women, and Islamic economics, courtroom procedure and the standing of shari'a in American courts.
HIST 195 - Topics in History for First-years and Sophomores
3 credits in Fall or Winter; 4 credits in Spring
Varies with topic
Selected topic or problem in history. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
Fall 2021, HIST 195A-01: Topics in History for First-years and Sophomores: Romans and Barbarians (3). This course investigates the world of Late Antiquity (200-800 AD) by looking at the relationship between "Romans" and "barbarians." Exploring the transformation between the late Roman empire and the Early Middle Ages, we will interrogate questions of identity and ethnicity to reframe the political, institutional, and cultural changes in this critical period in European history. Students will examine famous events like the Crisis of the Third Century, the conversion of the Roman empire to Christianity, the "fall of Rome," the foundation of Islam, and the establishment of the Frankish empire. (HU) Halsted.
HIST 289 - Topics in Asian, African, or Islamic History
3 in fall or winter; 4 in spring
A course offered from time to time depending on student interest and staff availability, on a selected topic or problem in Asian or African history. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
REL 195 - Special Topics in Religion
3 credits in fall or winter, 4 in spring
A course offered from time to time in a selected problem or topic in religion. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
REL 260 - Seminar in the Christian Tradition
An introduction to perduring issues in Christian theology and ethics through study of one or more of the classical Christian theologians.
Fall 2021, REL 260-01: Seminar in the Christian Tradition: Christian Visionary and Mystical Traditions (3). This course explores diverse Christian sources from antiquity to modernity with a focus on experiences and expressions of the "presence of God," the "Ground of Being," the "wholly other," the "beatific vision," etc. Course materials will include primary sources from mystics and visionaries and secondary readings exploring theories about mystical experience. Near the end of the course, we will consider contemporary and even secular expression in poetry and music that points to the mystical without using traditional theological language. A field trip to a monastery will help to contextualize some themes we encounter in the course. (HU) Brown.
Social Sciences:
ECON 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law
Instructor consent. ECON 100 or 101 required only for credit as an elective in the Economics major
Silwal, Lubin
Social stratification touches every aspect of life, and South Asia's traditional caste structure is a special case: this highly complex, strictly-adhered-to system has been religiously legitimized and criticized over a 3,000-year history, and is nowadays seen as being at odds with the modern world. Yet it remains a crucial factor in social identity, economic roles, legal status, and religious practice. This course offers a 360-degree survey of caste both historically and in practice today in Nepal. The course addresses four themes, respectively providing for each a combination of historical background, social scientific analysis of the modern situation, and direct field experience for the students.
ECON 376 - Health: A Social Science Exploration
ECON 203
Much of the work done by consulting companies, banks, insurance companies, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, etc., is based on applied statistical and econometric analysis. This course helps prepare students for careers in these environments using a hands-on approach and emphasizing the use of data and student-directed research in the specific context of health-related issues. Example of these issues include obesity, vaccinations, pre- and post-natal care, contraceptive use, or child mortality; possible determinants include poverty, education, or distance to the nearest health clinic or hospital. An interdisciplinary perspective is highlighted, as is the use and importance of quantitative analysis for public policy.
ECON 377 - Global Public Health
A survey of the major issues of public health, with case studies from across the world. These include water and sanitation, vaccinations, contraceptive use, obesity, child work and health outcomes, quality of medical care and provider choice, and HIV-AIDS. Further explorations of regression models, building on the material from ECON 203, using a hands-on approach. The course emphasizes understanding of the use and analysis of data and student-directed research using policy-relevant applications related to public health.
POL 384 - Seminar in Middle Eastern Politics
POL 105 or instructor consent
Cantey
This course examines contemporary politics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Topics include the role of colonial legacies in state formation, the region's democratic deficit, nationalism, sectarianism, and the influence of religion in politics. We explore inter- and intrastate conflict, including the use of terrorism, economic development and underdevelopment, and the recent Arab uprisings (commonly referred to as the Arab Spring). Throughout, we consider why the Middle East attracts as much attention from policymakers and scholars as it does, how analysts have studied the region across time and space, and why understanding different cultural perspectives is critical to understanding the region.
REL 220 - Whose Law? Pluralism, Conflict, and Justice
Society is made up of schools, corporations, religions, guilds, associations, tribes, etc., each defined by a set of more-or-less formal rules that apply in various ways depending on the status of each member. Individuals are thus subject to overlapping obligations and claims, so authorities often come into conflict. This is legal pluralism. This seminar explores the various ways in which such interactions can play out in a range of social, religious, and political environments, and how they can affect people of different statuses differently. Examples range from the Roman empire, the Middle East and South Asia, past and present, to the modern United States and Europe. In each case, we examine the ways in which legal status is defined in relation to the state, religious community, ethnicity or race, and social class. Given different, overlapping, conflicting claims to authority, rights, and obligations, how is justice to be defined, and how can it be served?
REL 222 - Law and Religion
Open to undergraduates and law students. Drawing on examples from diverse periods and legal cultures, this seminar addresses "law" and "religion" as two realms of life that have much shared history and continue to intersect in the modern world. Several important topics in comparative law and jurisprudence are covered, including authority and legitimacy, the relation between custom and statute, legal pluralism, church-state relations, and competing models of constitutional secularism. A selective survey of legal systems and practices rooted in particular religious traditions is followed by an examination of how secular legal systems conceptualize religion and balance the protection of religious freedom with their standards of equity and neutrality.
REL 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law
Lubin, Silwal
ECON 276 - Health Economics in Developing Countries
ECON 100 or 101
A survey of the major issues of health economics. with a focus on developing countries (although the issues are also relevant for developed countries, including the U.S. Economic modeling of health-related issues, supply and demand of health, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis, health goals, and policy alternatives. Economic epidemiology, including HIV/AIDS. Selected case studies. Group project, where the group selects a developing country for which a policy proposal is then developed for a health-related policy issue of the group's choice.
ECON 295 - Special Topics in Economics
Normally ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102 but may vary with topic
Course emphasis and prerequisites change from term to term and are announced prior to preregistration. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. A maximum of nine credits chosen from all special topics in economics courses may be used, with permission of the department head, toward requirements for the economics major.
Fall 2021, ECON 295A-01: Special Topics in Economics: Economy of Latin America (3). Prerequisite: ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102. Why were many Latin American countries, which started with levels of development similar to those of the U.S. and Canada, not able to keep up? This course reviews the historic and contemporary economic issues and development in the Latin America and Caribbean region. We will start with the policies, both domestic and foreign, undertaken during the colonial and post-Independence periods and see what effects they still have today. Next, we examine the post-WWII period, exploring subjects like the import substitution of the 1970s, the debt crises of the 1980s, and the structural reforms of the 1990s. Finally, we will look at the current state of the region, emphasizing the new macroeconomic challenges and contemporary domestic social problems. Topics discussed include income inequality and poverty, inflation, macroeconomic populism, dollarization, and the more recent debt crises and restructurings. Alvarez.
Fall 2021, ECON 295B-01: Special Topics in Economics: Behavioral and Experimental Economics (3). Prerequisite: ECON 100 or ECON 101. The aim of the course will be to understand the notions of human behavior in everyday lives and its impact on markets. We will be taking the help of psychological insights to decipher why we overthink a bad outcome while undermining the possibility of a good outcome, what role does bias play when we place our bets in a casino or how do we create expectations in our minds regarding tomorrow's prices. We will be discussing policy prescriptions and analyzing case studies on how small changes in the environment can change human behavior so drastically. We will discuss the fundamentals of conducting laboratory and online experiments, which are valuable skill sets. Upadhyay.
ECON 203 or varies with topic
Course emphasis and prerequisites change from term to term and will be announced prior to preregistration. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. A maximum of nine credits chosen from all special topics in economics courses may be used, with permission of the department head, toward requirements for the economics major.
Fall 2021, ECON 395A-01: Special Topics in Economics: Environmental Valuation (3). Prerequisite: ECON 203. This course focuses on advanced knowledge of environmental valuation techniques and how it can be used to inform policy decisions. Both theoretical models and empirical work are discussed. Work includes critiquing literature in the area of environmental valuation and empirical assignments. Kahn.
Fall 2021, ECON 395B-01: Special Topics in Economics: Experimental Economics: Understanding Human Behavior (3). Prerequisites: ECON 210 and ECON 203 or instructor consent as co-requisite. This course focuses on understanding human behavior in response to stimuli. For example, why does the appearance of Tiger Woods in a Nike commercial instill customer faith? Why are consumers confused by the long aisle of breakfast cereals at Walmart? Theoretical and experimental studies of human behavior rely heavily on Economics and Psychology and have answered many such interesting questions. Firms have noticed this research, and have responded with novel marketing decisions. Other actors have also noticed. For example, the research has influenced government advertisements aimed at increasing vaccination rates, lowering public smoking, saving electricity, etc. Students become familiar with state-of-the-art research methodology in experimental economics, where they learn to conduct their own research projects by participating and designing experiments. Students also learn how to describe and interpret well-known results in experimental economics, alongside analyzing and critiquing experimental designs. Upadhyay.
POL 274 - Terrorism
The principal goal of this course is to help students understand the complexities of contemporary terrorism. We discuss definitional issues, the historical roots of modern terrorism, and various micro- and macro-explanations for this form of violence. We also investigate the life cycles of terrorist groups: How do they emerge? What kinds of organizational challenges do they face? How do they end? Other topics include leaderless movements (e.g., "lone wolves") and state sponsorship. Throughout the course, students observe that terrorism is not a phenomenon unique to one class of people. The course ends with three weeks focused on a certain kind of terrorism which some have called violent Islamic extremism.
POL 396 - Seminar in Political Philosophy
3 in fall and winter, 4 in spring
An examination of selected questions and problems in political philosophy and/or political theory. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
Three additional 3- or 4-credit courses earned by completing through term five in one MESA-relevant language. The first two terms of language study are not applicable to the minor:
A minor in Middle East and South Asia studies without language requires the completion of seven courses (at least 21 credits). In meeting the requirements of this interdisciplinary minor, a student must use at least nine credits not also used to meet the requirements of any other major or minor. No more than two language courses can count toward this minor. Students should regularly consult with the Program Director about course substitutions due to changes in departmental offerings, and courses taken abroad.
2. Distribution: 3 additional courses (9-11 credits) selected from the following, with at least one course from at least two of the following three areas. Additional courses may be used when the topic is relevant and the program director approves in advance:
a. Art History and Literature: ARTH 140, 141, 146, 242, 243, 245, 342, 343; LIT 273; REL 273, or, when appropriate, ARTH 295; LIT 180, 295 (on a MESA-related topic)
b. Other Humanities (no more than two of which can be ARAB or SKT): ARAB 111, 112, 161, 162, 210, 211, 212, 395; FILM 237S, 252S; HIST 170, 171, 172, 226, 280, 282 (REL 282); MESA 250, 252, 395; REL 101, 102, 105, 106, 108, 120, 130, 131, 132, 172, 216, 226, 231, 250, 271, 282 (HIST 282), 283, 284, 333, 335, 350, 381; SKT 101, 102, 201, 202, 301; or, when appropriate, HIST 195, 289; PHIL 223; REL 195, 260 (on a MESA-related topic)
3. Further Courses: Two additional 3- or 4-credit courses from MESA course offerings.
4. Capstone Experience: MESA 393, taken after the completion of all other requirements, culminates in a major research paper on a topic proposed by the student and approved by the Program Director and supervising faculty adviser.
3 additional courses (9-11 credits) selected from the following, with at least one course from at least two of the following three areas. Additional courses may be used when the topic is relevant and the program director approves in advance:
(on a MESA-related topic)
Other Humanities (no more than two of which can be ARAB or SKT):
ARAB 111 - First-Year Arabic I
An introductory course in written and spoken Arabic, focusing on basic grammar and speaking. Aspects of Arab culture introduced.
ARAB 112 - First-Year Arabic II
Grade of C-minus or higher in ARAB 111 or equivalent
This course builds communicative skills in written and spoken Arabic, emphasizing foundational grammar and speaking. Continued introduction to cultural practices of the Arab world.
ARAB 161 - Second-Year Arabic I
Grade of C or higher in ARAB 112, 151, or the equivalent
Building on basic grammar and vocabulary knowledge, this course emphasizes speaking and writing, as well as listening comprehension and reading. Students introduced with popular Arab culture.
ARAB 162 - Second-Year Arabic II
Grade of C or higher in ARAB 161 or the equivalent. Students with credit in ARAB 164 may not receive subsequent credit in a lower numbered Arabic course. Students may not receive degree credit for both ARAB 162 and 164
A continuation of Second-Year Arabic focused on speaking and writing, in addition to listening comprehension and reading. Increased familiarization with popular Arab culture.
ARAB 220 - Media Arabic
ARAB 162 or equivalent language skill
A language-focused course that provides students with vocabulary and discourse structures common in today's Arabic media coverage. Weekly topics are culled from various news outlets (e.g., Al-Jazeera, AJ-Arabiyya, BBC Arabic, YouTube, AJ-Ahram, An-Nahar, AI-Dustour) which serve to familiarize students with a broad range of current sociopolitical, economic, and cultural issues.
ARAB 211 - Third-Year Arabic I
ARAB 162, 164, or equivalent
This course expands on grammar concepts and vocabulary knowledge with practical applications of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Social and political aspects of Arab culture are introduced.
ARAB 212 - Third-Year Arabic II
ARAB 211 or the equivalent
A continuation of third-year Arabic reinforces grammar and vocabulary through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Continued emphasis on social norms and political dimensions of Arab culture.
ARAB 395 - Special Topics in Arabic Literature and Culture
Grade of C or higher in ARAB 211 or instructor consent. Conducted in Arabic
An advanced seminar on a particular author, period, or genre. Topics may include Arab Short Stories, Classical Arabic Poetry, Travelogues in Arabic Literature, Arabic Pop Culture and Music, and Arabic Media. The subject changes annually. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
Winter, 2022, ARAB-395A-01: Love & Law in the Arab World (3).
Prerequisite: ARAB 211 or equivalent. Love is rich in Arabic language, literature, music, films, and history. The goal of this course is to become familiar with diverse Arab discourses on issues related to love, gender, and law. Through studying a plethora of texts chosen from across historical periods from the Arab-Islamic heritage, students will gain appreciation for the diversity and novelty in the love and law discourse. Through selected films and other media sources, they will also learn about contemporary social and legal issues. The course expands on grammar concepts and vocabulary knowledge with practical applications of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Al-Ahmad.
SKT 101 - Elementary Sanskrit I
Sanskrit, sister to Greek and Latin and aunt to most of the languages of Europe, was used to compose most Hindu and Buddhist sacred texts. and much other literature of India, including the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, lyric poetry, drama, fables, works on yoga and meditation, poetics, logic, political theory, law (Dharma), the exact sciences, and the erotic arts. The discovery by Western scholars of the remarkably systematic ancient grammar of Panini (around 400 BCE) led to the development of the modern science of linguistics. This elementary course presents the basic grammar of the language over the course of the year. From the very first day, students begin reading texts and using simple spoken Sanskrit. We also discuss the role of Sanskrit in religious history and in Indian and Nepali society up to the present. Meeting times are arranged.
SKT 102 - Elementary Sanskrit II
Instructor consent and SKT 101 or equivalent
Continuation of SKT 101. Meeting times are arranged.
SKT 201 - Intermediate Sanskrit I
An integrative review of grammar, focusing on syntax and idiomatic usage, and put into practice in reading and oral textual analysis using the traditional method for glossing and analyzing compounds. Readings are drawn from Lanman's Reader and other passages in prose and verse. Meeting times are arranged.
SKT 202 - Intermediate Sanskrit II
SKT 301 - Advanced Readings in Sanskrit
Readings are selected to match the skills and (where possible) interests of the student. The course presents the readings in the context of their social, historical, and intellectual situation, the conventions of the genre, and their impact on the tradition to which they belong. Texts are read with traditional commentary, where it is available. A portion of each term is given over to reading texts from manuscript or inscription to give the student an understanding of the philological problems posed by the material form of the text, of variant readings, and the constitution of printed texts. Grammar and syntax are reviewed as needed. May be repeated for degree credit when readings are different. Meeting times are arranged.
Further Courses:
Two additional 3- or 4-credit courses from MESA course offerings.
Capstone Experience:
MESA 393, taken after the completion of all other requirements, culminates in a major research paper on a topic proposed by the student and approved by the Program Director and supervising faculty adviser.
MESA 393 - Capstone in Middle East and South Asia Studies
Capstone project. Independent research project on a topic in Middle East and South Asia studies, under the guidance of a faculty adviser, including regular individual meetings and at least four group workshops, culminating in a formal presentation of the finished project to MESA faculty and students.
Melissa Kerin
kerinm@wlu.edu


Digital magazine, each issue highlighting one particular aspect of the architecture/building category.
Architects, builders, designers, consulting engineers, civil engineers, building suppliers, interior designers, landscape architects, developers and other stakeholders in the built industry. Promoted and available via social media, Specifile and its newsletters.


Deliciously 8-Bit sunglasses protect your eyes from harmful sun rays.
So, it's mid-summer, and Mario wakes up full of energy. The sun is shining brightly and there's nary a cloud-that-looks-just-like-a-bush in the sky. He steps outside in his Tanooki bathing suit, and squints hard. The sun is-a so bright! So what does Mario do? Simple - he slips on a pair of 8-Bit Sunglasses.
And now you can have your own 8-Bit Sunglasses. They are stylish, fun, actually work, and fit most adult heads. They probably won't fit Bowser's head, but most others. These 8-Bit Sunglasses will keep the sun out of your eyes, the swagger in your step, and all the Mushroom Kingdom citizens thinking you're the coolest thing since 1-Up Mushrooms. Let the strutting begin!
They go on your face, prevent damaging sun ray, and look all sorts of 8-Bit awesome.
Lenses are polycarbonate and offer 100% UV protection.
Dimensions: Fit most adult heads. That's the nicest way we can put it.


You're more interested in conquering your upcoming work presentation than conquering, say, Europe, for example — but McQueen's French military-inspired fall collection demands a fighter from this generation. With beautifully flared coats, prim blazers, and the bell sleeves indicative of Sarah Burton's hand, this collection combines strong, work-appropriate separates into a collection so stately, it'd look right at home atop a throne as it would at the head of a boardroom.
While there may be a lack of bicorne hats in the collection, McQueen suggests that power-lady bosses of this era wear their big-buckeled waist belts, exaggerated collar button-ups, and tiger-printed waistcoats like badges of honor. Click through to see all the looks.


Yasiel Balaguert of the Tennessee Smokies was selected the Southern League Player of the Week for the span of July 31, 2017 through August 6, 2017. For the week he hit 11 for 26, .423/.483/.615 with 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, 0 SB and 2 BB in 7 games. This season the outfielder is hitting 98 for 385, .255/.310/.408 with 12 HR, 61 RBI, 44 R, 0 SB in 105 games. Tennessee is the Double A team of the Chicago Cubs. He originally signed with the Cubs in 2011 as an amateur free agent out of Cuba. Balaguert turned 24 on January 9th.


Are you receiving enquiry e-mail alerts in the promotion tab instead of inbox? If yes, please follow the below steps to move mail from promotion tab to your inbox.
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We're delighted to announce that we're submitting a planning application to install an artwork on 1 Dane's Yard.
We're excited to announce that we've submitted a planning application for a 'Skysign' on 1 Sugar House Lane.
Vastint UK is delighted to have joined the Considerate Constructors Scheme as a Client Partner.