Posted on Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Dr. Kang-Yup Na, Westminster associate professor of religion, traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, with Christopher Stone, a sophomore international politics and philosophy major from New Wilmington, to present Na's research at the annual International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature.
"It was one of the most fruitful conference experiences for me and certainly for Chris, my student research assistant, who helped me greatly with my research and with the final editorial work on the paper," Na said.
"I was excited to work with such a brilliant man and be part of his research," Stone said. "I was also excited for the opportunity to be part of this research project that was so in depth."
The research, "Hermeneutics and Postmodernity: a Methodological Sachkritik," deals with biblical interpretation.
"The contextualization of theology and biblical interpretation has long been the academic norm," Na wrote. "The irony is that the so-called Western traditions that are so beneficial for recognizing and including marginalized voices' are the very ones that nurture an academia in which the Western interpreters still enjoy the privilege of dominant control."
The Vira L. Heinz Foundation funded this research and travel for the student and professor.
"The conference was exciting, and I could understand much of what was presented, Stone said. "That was a big surprise to me. I learned so much in the 10 days that I was there. I've decided that when my education is completed, I'd like to be a foreign service officer for the United States State Department."
Stone is a son of William and Jenny Stone, New Wilmington, and graduated from the Wilmington Area High School.
Na, who has been with Westminster since 1998, earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, his master's from Princeton Theological Seminary, and his Ph.D. from Emory University.
Contact Na at (724) 946-7155 or e-mail nak@westminster.edu for more information.
