BSC Faculty Members Speak to James Monroe High Schools Students
BSC Faculty Members Speak to James Monroe High Schools Students
An audience of 450 James Monroe High School students and employees welcomed Bluefield State College faculty members Dr. Debjani Chakrabarti and Colin Cavell to its campus, December 3. Dr. Chakrabarti, BSC Assistant Professor of Sociology, and Dr. Cavell, BSC Professor of Political Science, addressed several topics related to World Religions during their presentations.
Dr. Cavell’s talk, “Knowledge: Scientific and Otherwise—Religious Belief vs. Scientific Doubt,” considered the historical contrast between religious faith and scientific demands for evidence-based truth claims that are replicable. “Religion,” noted Cavell, “produces believers whereas science produces skeptics.”
Dr. Chakrabarti introduced the presence of dominant traditions in Sociology addressing religion. In her talk, “Important Functions and Dysfunctions of Religion,” she highlighted the important transformations in society that can occur because of religions. She quoted Albert Einstein and gave examples to show how religion and Science are actually not at odds, but exist in a continuum. “I alerted students not to mix religion with politics,” she explained, “and I concluded with a positive message—that tolerance, acceptance, and understanding of different world religions can uplift humanity and work together toward common goals.”