News Briefs: North Koreans Returning, Religion In Canada Institute
February 20, 2008
North Koreans back for second year
After last year’s successful firsttime visit, Trinity Western Univeristy will once again host a small group of North Koreans on its campus.
Seven representatives from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) will tentatively arrive mid-February for approximately one month, according to Phil Goertzen of the Linguistics department. This group will be comprised of five English teachers, one representative from the Ministry of Education and one representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Goertzen said that there has been a “growing willingness to embark on more progress” after last year’s trial visit, noting that it doubled the number of English teachers in the DPRK.
These bilateral relations are still in their beginning stages. Goertzen mentioned that there will be 60-80 English teachers going to North Korea this coming summer to continue networking.
“We’re in a relationship-building phase,” he said.
New religion institute inaugurated
Religion. It’s the core of Trinity Western University. Now, the university will be exploring its central role in Canadian history and in the everyday lives of many Canadians by creating the Religion in Canada Institute (RCI). This new institute will serve as a nucleus for religious research and scholarly networking in Canada.
Newly established in 2007, the RCI is positioned at TWU as an interdisciplinary research centre and intellectual community of scholars. It is committed to understanding the diverse role religion plays in Canadian lives, culture and social institutions and in all aspects of religion past and future. It will also engage in research projects that will assist religious organizations in Canada conduct their activities knowledgably and thoughtfully.
“The Religion in Canada Institute is a unique think tank all to its own,” said Michael Wilkinson, associate professor of sociology and director of the RCI. “We are discovering and addressing important aspects of religion and the interplay it has across Canada’s diverse cultural landscape – research that has never been done before in this type of collaboration. Each scholar brings their own expertise to the conversation. It is hoped that the Institute will promote further study of religion among scholars and students across our country.”
The RCI hosted its inaugural workshop February 9, 2008. The all day workshop highlighted three prominent religion experts and Canada Research Chairs: TWU’s Jens Zimmermann, Mark Vessey (University of British Columbia) and Lori Beaman (University of Ottawa) and also celebrated the official opening of the Institute in the public sphere.
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