What is the relation between architecture, pluralism, and human flourishing? How can we foster collaborative learning across cultures in our globally connected world? This panel discussion--part of a series on Islamic architecture funded by the Templeton Religion Trust--will focus on research projects in Indonesia generated as part of a Global Studies special topics course that includes collaborative online international learning activities, linking students at the Islamic National University in Jambi, Indonesia with students at Michigan State University. Opening remarks will frame the conversation in reference to the Taj Mahal from the South Asian context. Presenters will discuss their teaching experiences and the promises of collaborative online teaching and research through the lens of the unique Islamic architecture in Indonesia.
Mahan Mirza (Welcome)
Executive director for the Rafat and Zoreen Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion. An Islamic studies scholar and expert on religious literacy, previous dean of faculty at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, America’s first accredited Muslim liberal arts college.
Krupali Uplekar Krusche (Opening Remarks)
Associate Professor, Director DHARMA (Digital Historic Architecture and Material Analysis) Lab, and Director DVARCA (Development and Advancement of Resilient Cities Alliance) Lab, University of Notre Dame.
Salah D. Hassan (Moderator)
Director of Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities, associate professor in the Department of English and Core Faculty in the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University.
Panelists:
Dion Ginanto
Head of the Center for Admissions and International Office (CAIO) at the National Islamic University Sultan Thaha Saifuddin in Jambi, Indonesia. He received his PhD in Education from Michigan State University. His research examines interactions between communities and spaces of learning.
Dr. Suaidi Asyari
Current Rector of the National Islamic University Sultan Thaha Saifuddin in Jambi, Indonesia. He holds a PhD in Indonesian Islamic and Political Studies from the University of Melbourne in Australia (2007) and a Master's degree in Islamic Studies from McGill University and a Bachelor's from UIN Jambi in Religious Studies.
Mufdil Tuhri
Lecturer in Religious Studies at the National Islamic University Sultan Thaha Saifuddin in Jambi, Indonesia. His research focuses on the politics of Indigenous religious beliefs and practices in the making of Islamic Nationalism in Southeast Asia. He will be starting his PhD studies at Emory University in Fall 2023.
Gabriel Sandoval
A senior majoring in Professional and Public Writing (P2W) and Comparative Cultures and Politics in James Madison College. He was nominated for a 2022 Truman Scholarship for his outstanding leadership skills and record of public service. He was a student in the special topics course on Islamic architecture and has worked as a research assistant on the Templeton Religion Trust project.
Isabella Tirtowalujo
Associate Director of the Asian Studies Center at Michigan State University. She is also an Advisor for the American Institute for Indonesian Studies (AIFI). She has a PhD in Teacher Education and her current research focuses on capacity development and training.
Sponsored by the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion. Cosponsored by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies and the School of Architecture's Dharma Lab.
Originally published at ansari.nd.edu.