Simulating Religious Violence Documentary
North American Premiere
Discover how a cutting-edge, data-focused academic approach is being used to address some of the world’s most pressing humanitarian crises.
On Tuesday, November 19, Boston University Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, in collaboration with Boston University School of Theology, will present the North American premiere of Simulating Religious Violence, a groundbreaking documentary directed by Jenn Lindsay (GRS'18), owner of So Fare Films.
This powerful film takes viewers behind the scenes of a three-year project linking computer scientists and religion scholars, including some from Boston University, as they harness the power of computer simulation and modeling to explore solutions for global conflicts rooted in religious violence.
The event will serve as the School of Theology Fall 2024 Lowell Lecture, which features renowned speakers and presenters in fields related to theological studies. The Lowell Lecture series is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Lowell Institute. The premiere will include a reception, film screening, and a panel discussion on AI and Religion, which will include Dr. Wesley J. Wildman as moderator, Dr. F. LeRon Shults, Dr. Jenn Lindsay, Dr. Yair Lior, Dr. Nicolette Manglos-Weber, and Dr. James McCarty.
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The event will be live streamed.
About the documentary: An expert crew of computer scientists and religion scholars embark on a project to apply computer simulation and modeling to find solutions to worldwide humanitarian crises. Called to action by the Boston Marathon Bombing and increasing religious extremist terrorist attacks in North America and Europe, the scientists developed cutting edge technology at their headquarters in research centers in Boston and Virginia as well as at a Norwegian university. The team eventually traveled to refugee camps in Lesvos, Greece to understand and simulate connections between religious extremism and the refugee crisis. They used the powerful modeling and simulation methodology to develop policy recommendations for predicting and preventing religious radicalization and violence.
Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Location:
The Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences
665 Commonwealth Ave., Room 1750, Boston, MA
Event Schedule:
- 4-5 PM: Reception
- 5-6 PM: Premiere (Live stream available)
- 6-7 PM: Panel Discussion
Moderator and Panelist Preview
Wesley J. Wildman, Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics and Computing & Data Sciences at Boston University
Dr. Jenn Lindsay, CEO and Head of Production at So Fare Films
Dr. Nicolette Manglos-Weber, Associate Professor of Religion and Society; Director DEI at BU School of Theology
Dr. James McCarty, Clinical Assistant Professor of Religion and Conflict Transformation, BU School of Theology
Dr. F. LeRon Shults, Professor at the Institute for Global Development and Social Planning University of Agder
Dr. Yair Lior, Senior Lecturer, Comparative Religion, Judaism, Chinese Philosophy; Neo-Confucianism, BU College of Arts & Sciences Religion Department
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The Simulating Religious Violence North American Premiere is organized by Boston University's Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, School of Theology, and College of Arts & Sciences Religion Department.
Boston University Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences
Founded in 2019 and housed in an iconic 19-story building, the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences (CDS) is a transdisciplinary, degree-granting academic unit created to connect BU’s 17 schools and colleges through the language of computation and data. Complementing BU’s disciplinary strengths cognate core disciplines, the mission of CDS is to lay the foundation for innovation-driven, civic-minded computing, data science, and AI.
Housed in the top five floors of the Center for Computing & Data Sciences, CDS complements traditional academic disciplines by laying the foundation for innovation-driven, civic-minded computing, aiming to maximize the real-world impact of research, curricular, and co-curricular programs aligned with the university's strategic goals.
Drawn from traditionally relevant disciplines such as computer science and statistics as well as diverse others including law, business, and health sciences, this unique academic unit welcomes the challenges of the 21st century with a dual focus on education and research. Take a virtual tour in and around Boston University’s Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences.
Boston University School of Theology
Since 1839, Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) has been preparing leaders to do good. As the founding school of Boston University and the oldest United Methodist seminary in North America, BUSTH is a professional school within a cosmopolitan research university committed to “learning, virtue, and piety.”
Rooted in Wesleyan tradition, BUSTH is a robustly ecumenical institution that welcomes students from diverse faith traditions who are pursuing a wide range of vocations – parish ministry, conflict transformation, chaplaincy, campus ministry, administration, non-profit management, social work, teaching, justice advocacy, peacemaking, interfaith dialogue, and more. We strive to equip persons for ministries and vocations that foster personal and social transformation, that are oriented to the world’s diversities, and that expand the prophetic legacy of this historic School of Theology.
Boston University College of Arts & Sciences Department of Religion
Religion matters. It obviously influences individuals who worship Krishna or Jesus or the Buddha, but it also shapes societies, influences elections, impacts health and medical care, and even moves militaries around the globe. Whether you are religious or not, you can’t understand the world without knowing something about the religious beliefs, rituals, and organizations that, for better or for worse, make history and shape culture.
In BU’s Department of Religion, we study all those things in an effort to better understand the past and to make sense of the world around us today.
