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Fear, Trembling, And Wonder: Psalms Of Awe, Solomon Aleph

University Honors Theses

This thesis proposes an expansion of genre form criticism within the Book of Psalms to include an additional category: Psalms of Awe. Building on scholarship that emphasizes the Psalms as expressions of religious experience, it draws from philosophical, theological, and critical scholarship to define the experience of awe as a distinct religious experience not fully captured by form critical scholarship. The thesis argues that awe is reflected in the Psalms through the combination of three key Hebrew roots: ירא (fear/reverence), פחד (fear/dread), and פלא (wonder). This is done by analyzing several psalms to explicate how each term captures a different …

“Tikkun” Viewed From The Perspective Of Systems Philosophy, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding the idea of tikkun, as it appears in tikkun olam and tikkun ha’yetser, can be enriched by ideas from systems philosophy. From a systems perspective, “moral evil“ – the flaws of individual human beings, which create the need for tikkun ha’yetser – is a special case of “natural evil” – the dangers to life and especially to humanity from the natural world and from societal moral evil, which create the need for tikkun olam. Natural evil is in turn a special case of “metaphysical evil” – flaws in olam (which include those of yetser) that are ubiquitous, …

Words And Diagrams About Rosenstock-Huessy’S Cross Of Reality, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper is a systems theoretic examination of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy’s “cross of reality,” a structure that fuses a spatial dyad of inner-outer and a temporal dyad of past-future into a space-time tetrad. This structure is compatible not only with the "human-centered" point of view that Rosenstock-Huessy favours, but also with the "world-centered" point of view inherent in science. The structure, based in his analysis of speech, is applied by him to a wide variety of individual and collective human phenomena, including language, religion, and social critique. To appropriate terminology used by physicists, the cross of reality could be viewed as …

Polymorphism And Polysemy In Images Of The Sefirot, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

The resurgence of interest in Kabbalistic diagrams (Segol, Busi, Chajes) raises the question of how diagrams function in religious symbolism. This question can be approached via methods used in the graphical modeling of data. Specifically, graph theory lets one define a repertoire of candidate structures that can be applied not only to quantitative data, but also to symbols consisting of qualitative components. A graph is a set of nodes and links between nodes. What nodes and links are is unspecified in this definition. The Kabbalistic Ilan is – partially – a graph. The Sefirot are its nodes; the paths connecting …

Understanding Evangelical Support For, And Opposition To Donald Trump In The 2016 Presidential Election, Joseph Thomas Zichterman

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis addressed the conundrum that 81 percent of evangelicals supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, despite the fact that his character and comportment commonly did not exemplify the values and ideals that they professed. This was particularly perplexing to many outside (and within) evangelical circles, because as leaders of America's "Moral Majority" for almost four decades, prior to Trump's campaign, evangelicals had insisted that only candidates who set a high standard for personal integrity and civic decency, were qualified to serve as president.

In order to deal with this problem, I conducted a qualitative study, which followed …

Oregonian Holocaust Memory: Creating A Portal To The Past For Oregonians, Max Blust

University Honors Theses

Since the end of the Second World War, Holocaust Memorials have spread beyond Europe and become established in the United States. The genocide of European Jews and other ethnic minorities was an international event, spreading from Western Europe all the way into the Soviet Union. The international coalition which invaded Germany and ended the Second World War, resulted in Holocaust survivors resettling all across the globe. In the United States, where thousands of survivors joined existing Jewish communities, there arose interest for memorializing the victims of genocide and the trauma endured. The Oregon Holocaust Memorial (OHM) is a product of …

Meeting Agenda October 2016 - June 2020, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda Compilations (Five Year)

Meeting agendas of the Faculty Senate from October 2016 to June 2020.

Jewish Mussar And Confucian Self-Cultivation, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper briefly explores similarities between two traditions of ethical practice: Jewish Mussar and Confucian self-cultivation. There are of course also significant differences. Judaism is God-centric while Confucianism is human-centric, but Mussar’s psychological orientation makes it a relatively humanistic aspect of Judaism. Also, Confucianism has a notion of Heaven and sees human moral behavior as reflecting heavenly virtues; Ching describes Confucianism as “lay spirituality.” Both traditions take as an ideal type someone who is both a moral person and a scholar. In their views on human nature neither posited a blank slate. In Judaism, there is a “good yetser” and …

Transition With Purpose: Pathways From English Language To Academic Study, Michele Miller, Anne Greenhoe

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

This Open Access Textbook will guide students through their English language to academic degree studies.

Part one of this textbook is a guide for moving from ESL study to academic study at Portland State University*. It includes the resources students will use to understand policies and processes governing their degree study and their transition to academic coursework.

Part two focuses on how academic skills are used across various disciplines and is comprised of activities and assignments designed to practice these skills.

Key elements include culture and expectations in an American university, transferring academic skills from ESL to content-specific academic courses, …

Pdxscholar Annual Report 2017, Karen Bjork, Sherry Buchanan, David Coate, Bertrand Robinson, Stacey Schlatter

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This report details the seventh year of operation for PDXScholar, Portland State University's institutional repository, as well as the growth of Portland State University Library's publishing services. The report covers the period between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017.

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet October 2017, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The October 2017 Monthly packet includes the October agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held June 5, 2017.

Book Review Of, Embracing A Western Identity: Jewish Oregonians, 1849 - 1950 By Ellen Eisenberg, Natan M. Meir

Judaic Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Natan M. Meir is the Chair of the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at Portland State University. Here he reviews the book "Embracing a Western Identity: Jewish Oregonians, 1849 - 1950" by Ellen Eisenberg.

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet June 2017, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The June 2017 Monthly packet includes the May agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held May 2017.

Edges Of Identity: Jews, Punks, Poetry, Harold Schnitzer Family Program In Judaic Studies

Judaic Studies Artist in Residence Program

Information flyer for the 2016 Levy Event "Edges of Identity: Jews, Punk, Poetry" on November 4-6, 2016.

2016 Convocation Program And Video, Portland State University

Convocation

Convocation program and video of the event.

The video is available online: https://youtu.be/nqFARFmpaXI

Portland State Magazine, Portland State University. Office Of University Communications

Portland State Magazine

PSU’s alumni magazine, published 2-3 times a year. In this issue: Chemist Niles Lehman searches for the spark of life; for Korean immigrant parents, supporting their children in American schools can be a confusing and difficult task; Viking yearbooks from 1947 to 1978 and 1989 to 1995 are available on the PSU Library website; Dr. David Bangsberg is leading the new OHSU-PSU School of Public Health; for 30 years, Enid Traisman has counseled people through the grief of losing their pets; and more.

Mussar (A Short Historical Perspective) And Spinoza, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

This talk will be in two parts. First, I’ll give a bird’s eye view of Mussar in Jewish thought to provide some context for the Shlain film[i] and for Bob Liebman’s analysis of the contemporary revival of Mussar; but this will only approximate an adequate account, since everything is more complex than I have time to describe. Second, I’ll introduce the idea that Spinoza is relevant to the ethical and spiritual project of Mussar. [i] “The Making of a Mensch,” Tiffany Shlain & The Moxie Institute Films, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWF-3QUvqF8

Arts And Jewish Experience: Exploring Diverse American Identities Through Art Syllabus, Harold Schnitzer Family Program In Judaic Studies

Judaic Studies Artist in Residence Program

Arts and Jewish Experience: Exploring Diverse American Identities through Art Syllabus. JST 431 / 431H

Artist In Residence Summary Of Events, Harold Schnitzer Family Program In Judaic Studies

Judaic Studies Artist in Residence Program

Summary of events

Symposium Program, Sue Taylor, Nora Beck, Prudence F. Roberts, Patricia A. Schechter, Namita Gupta Wiggers

Lyric Truth: Rosemarie Beck

Symposium program

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet October 2014, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The October 2014 Monthly packet includes the October agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held June 2, 2014.

2014 Commencement Program (Morning Ceremony), Nicholas D. Kristof

Commencement Archives 2010-19

The program for the Portland State University 2014 Commencement, Morning Ceremony: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, held June 15, 2014.

Lorry I. Lokey and Nicholas D. Kristof received honorary degrees; Kristof delivered the commencement address.

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet June 2014, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The June 2014 Monthly packet includes the June agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held May 5, 2014.

A Family-Friendly Study Room For Student-Parents And Their Children At Portland State University Library, Joan Petit

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article focuses on the history and use of the Family Study Room at Portland State University Library.

Portland State Magazine, Portland State University. Office Of University Communications

Portland State Magazine

PSU’s alumni magazine, published 2-3 times a year. In this issue: The School of Fine and Performing Arts becomes the College of the Arts; Portland State geology professor Scott Burns maps the hazards of radon gas; new ideas from faculty and staff could transform the classroom; women students from Saudi Arabia find a different but welcoming culture at PSU; an $8 million gift transforms the School of Business Administration; aging with purpose; and more.

Bulletin: General Catalog Issue 2013-2014, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.

Bulletin: General Catalog Issue 2012-2013, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.

Portland State Library Update: News For Supporters And Friends; Fall 2011, Portland State University Library

Library Newsletters

In this issue: Focus On Spaces: Learning Ground; Focus on Student Success: Librarian Mentorship; Focus on Collections: Judaic Studies; Spotlight: Library Student Employees; and Impact of Giving

2011 Summer Commencement Program, Commencement

Commencement Archives 2010-19

The program for the Portland State University 2011 Summer Commencement ceremony, held on August 13, 2011.

Rabbi Joshua Stampfer and Peter W. Stott received honorary degrees from PSU President Wim Wiewel and Provost Roy Koch; Kirubel B. Mersha delivered the student address.

Bulletin: General Catalog Issue 2011-2012, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.