June 24, 2015, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) and the Sikh Foundation International have entered into an agreement to sponsor the teaching of Sikh Studies at the GTU beginning in the fall semester 2015.
Dr. Rahuldeep Singh Gill, Associate Professor of Religion at California Lutheran University, will serve as a visiting professor at the GTU, offering a course entitled “Sikh Tradition, A Case Study in Global Religions.” The class will involve lectures, discussions, and field trips to local Bay Area gurdwaras (Sikh communities). In his academic work, Dr. Gill specializes in Sikh literature, investigating how Sikh writers have helped to define communal identity over the centuries. A native of Boston, Dr. Gill earned his BA, with Honors, from the University of Rochester in New York, and his MA and PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Gill is the Director of the Center for Equality and Justice at California Lutheran University, and publishes frequently online at Patheos.com and the Huffington Post.
With this initial course offering in Sikh Studies, the Graduate Theological Union continues to increase the representation of the world’s major religions at the GTU. This latest effort ensures that degree-seeking students and the general public will have opportunities to study and conduct research on Sikhism at a time of increasing interest in the religions of South and South East Asia. Dr. Riess Potterveld, President of the GTU, said, “We are especially pleased to have a scholar of Dr. Gill’s stature to initiate and give leadership to this program at a time when it is essential to have all of the world’s religious traditions working side by side toward mutual understanding and respect.”
About the Graduate Theological Union
Founded in 1962, the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, is a consortium of more than twenty schools and academic centers that focus on ecumenical, interreligious, and interdisciplinary studies in theology and religion. With more than 300 students and over fifty Core Doctoral Faculty, the GTU offers MA and doctoral degrees in theology and religious studies.
About the Sikh Foundation International
Founded in 1967 by Dr. Narinder Kapany, the Sikh Foundation International of Palo Alto, California, sponsors a wide variety of programs focused on the cultural, religious, and artistic traditions of Sikh heritage as well as contemporary expressions of Sikhism. It has established four permanent Chairs of Sikh Studies, seven Sikh Art exhibits at museums, and numerous publications & monument conservation.