2023 Gaston Lecture

Lecture presented by Lily Vuong, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Central Washington University

Thursday, February 23, 2023

4:00pm

221 McKenzie Hall, University of Oregon

“The Church of Pre”: Pilgrimage and Memorialization at the Roadside Shrine for Steve Prefontaine

A film by Brian McLawhorn and Randolph Benson

Free Screenings:

Friday, May 27 at 5:00pm and at 6:00pm

(prior to the Prefontaine Classic Track Meet that starts at 7:30pm; the film is 30 minutes in length)

Location: Crater Lake Room North, Room 146, ERB Memorial Union Building [300 meters from Hayward Field]

Reserve free tickets here: thechurchofpre.com

This is the premier screening of a documentary film about the legendary University of Oregon long distance runner Steve Prefontaine and the people who make pilgrimages to his roadside memorial in Eugene, Oregon (“Pre’s Rock”). The film documents Prefontaine’s legacy and how his death galvanized the phenomenon of Pre’s Rock being viewed as a shrine.

It explores why people make pilgrimages from all over the world to pay their respects, connect with his spirit, and draw inspiration for their own life endeavors. The topic is explored through scholarly viewpoints, while also gaining perspective from Prefontaine’s friends and former teammates. The film also examines why people leave items at Pre’s Rock and where these items eventually end up. The film is based on a scholarly article by Daniel Wojcik, a UO Professor and long-distance runner.

“This is the best film to explain why Pre’s legacy continues to thrive.” –Steve Bence, Prefontaine’s teammate and friend.

“A poignant film that captures Prefontaine’s charisma, explains the mythos of his persona, and explores the devotion centered around Pre’s Rock.” –Peter Jan Margry (University of Amsterdam), expert on pilgrimage and devotion; author of Shrines and Pilgrimage in the Modern World.

“Very well done! The filmmakers truly honor the legacy of Steve Prefontaine.” –Tom Jordan, author of Pre: The Story of America’s Greatest Running Legend.

Sponsors: UO Folklore and Public Culture Program, Department of English, Department of Religious Studies

Directions: The Crater Lake Room North (Room 146), in the ERB Memorial Union Building (the EMU) might be tricky to find! The exact location may not appear on your smart phone map app. The room is located just south of the EMU Food Court dining area (and next to Panda Express).

The room is about 300 meters from Hayward Field. Starting from the NE corner of Hayward Field [at the 10-story high Tower, the corner of Agate St. and 15th St.], walk west on the 15th St. walkway for 200 meters.  Then make a right on Onyx St. and walk 70 meters to the ERB Memorial Union on the left side of the street [indicated by a green sign]. Enter the building, go up the stairs, make a right, and the Crater Lake Room North is at the end of the hall on the left [30 meters] next to the Food Court. There will be “Church of Pre” signs in the EMU and UO students to help guide you.

The Admiral David E. Jeremiah and Mrs. Connie Jeremiah Lecture Series

Lecture presented by K.E. Brashier, Professor Emeritus of Religion and Humanities, Reed College

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

5:00pm

In Person Location: Lawrence 115

Remote Zoom Link: https://uoregon.zoom.us/j/94389411358

The Daode jing is one of the most famous books in the world, but scholarship on it never asks, “Where did it come from?” In the early ancestral cult, forebears gradually lost identity, fading upward into lineage history and into the formless heavens. In the early Dao discourse, the named and distinct ten thousand things merged into a nameless, blurry, unified Dao. Brashier’s presentation explores the surprising connections between these two systems, speculating that the Daode jing didn’t arise out of nowhere but is in fact a child of the ancestral cult.

This lecture is presented by the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies. It is co-sponsored by the Department of Religious Studies.

2020 Ira E. Gaston Lecture in Christianity

Lecture presented by Daniel Boyarin, Hermann P. and Sophia Taubman Professor of Talmudic Culture Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of California at Berkeley

Thursday, February 20, 2020

5:00pm

Gerlinger Lounge

Lecture presented by Andrew Johnson, Visiting Fellow, Cornell University

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

4:30pm

Gerlinger Lounge

Thursday, January 9, 2020

7:30 pm

Central Lutheran Church

1857 Potter St.

Free and Open to the Public

Discover the ancient music of ninth-century nun, poet, and hymnographer Kassianë, a.k.a. Kassía. Hear an ensemble of female and male psaltës (cantors) sing rarely heard music by Byzantium’s most formidable and prolific female composer. New discoveries, researched and led by Cappella Romana music director and founder Alexander Lingas, complement her famous Hymn of Kassianë from Orhodox Holy Week and When Augustus reigned from Christmastide. Bold in her life, and fervent in her faith, Kassía’s voice is unlike any other, on full display in this can’t-miss program.

Sponsored by Medieval Studies Program, Oregon Humanities Center’s Endowment for Public Outreach in the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities; Ira E. Gaston Bequest; the Humanities Program; and the School of Music and Dance.

Dr. Polly Young-Eisendrath, Psychotherapist

Dr. Karen Kissel Wegela, Naropa University

Public Lecture:

The Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Storehouse of the Mind

Friday, May 3, 2019

7:00pm-9:00pm

University of Oregon, McKenzie 240C

Dr. Young-Eisendrath will be speaking about Dialogue Therapy and the Buddhist Storehouse of the Mind. Dr. Wegela will be presenting on the Tibetan Book of the Dead as a work of life transition and death transition.

Workshop, Eugene Friends of Jung:

Saturday, May 4, 2019

9:30am-3:30pm

Lane Community College, Building 19, Room 220

Lunch Included

Dr. Young-Eisendrath will expand on Dialogue Therapy and the Buddhist Storehouse of the Mind. Dr. Wegela will expand on the Tibetan Book of the Dead as a work of life transition and death transition. Dr. Unno will present on the Red Book by C. G. Jung as therapeutic transformation.

Pre-Registration Required:  www.eugenefriendsofjung.org

Co-Sponsors: Academic Affairs, Religious Studies, Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, Jeremiah Fund, Oregon Humanities Center, Eugene Friends of Jung

Friday, April 5, 2019

7:00 pm

125 McKenzie Hall

Duncan Ryuken Williams, Professor of Religion and East Asian Languages and Cultures, USC

Panelist: Dr. Yvette Alex-Assensoh, Vice President, Equity and Inclusion

Panelist: Dr. Irum Shiekh, Professor, Ethnic STudies, Clark Honors College

Dr. Williams will be speaking about the experience of Japanese American Buddhists in internment during World War II, based on his book: American Sutra: A Story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World War.

Co-sponsors: Buddha Eye Temple, Oregon Humanities Center, Department of Religious Studies, Ethnic Studies Department, and Department of History.

Anthony Petro, Assistant Professor, Boston University

Thursday, March 14th

4:30 PM

Knight Library Browsing Room

2019 Ira E. Gaston Lecture in Christianity

January 30, 2019

4:30 pm

Knight Library Browsing Room

Eugene Gallagher, Professor Emeritus, Connecticut College

Free and open to the public

Sponsored by the Gaston Fund, Oregon Humanities Center, and Department of Religious Studies