Home Address: 212 W. Scranton Avenue
Lake Bluff, IL 60044
Home Phone: 847-295-7086
Office Phone:
847-735-5174
Office Address: Religion Department
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, IL 60045
Educational Backgound
Ph. D., Columbia University, New York, New York.
South Asian Religion, 1991.
Major Area: Hinduism, Indian Mythology
Dissertation topic: The Indian Story of Desire: tales of Kamadeva,
the god of desire whose flower arrows excite passion in all beings
M. Phil., Columbia University, New York, New York,
South Asian Religion, 1980.
M. A., Columbia University, New York, New York,
South Asian Religion and Mythology, 1978.
M. I. A., School for International Training, Brattleboro,
Vermont International Administration and Cross-cultural Education, 1974.
Certification for TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language),
1973.
B. A., Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville,
Illinois. Philosophy/ Government/ Secondary Education, 1973.
Additional languages studied: Farsi, Tamil, Swahili
TRAVEL FOR EMPLOYMENT AND RESEARCH
Europe: March to June 1971
Tanzania: 1973-74
India: 1975-76, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003
Bangladesh: 1998
China: 2002
Israel: Summers 1980-82
Turkey: 1995
ACADEMIC AWARDS AND POSITIONS
2002-2003 ASIANetwork Freeman Faculty-Student Research
Award. Research in Maharashtra, India, on the devotional practices of a
Hindu Jyotirlinga Temple and a Sufi Shrine.
National Endowment for the Humanities 1999 Summer Seminar,
Literature of Islamic Mysticism, University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill.
Lake Forest College Summer Research Award, 1988-1992. Research
and translation of Sanskrit story literature texts gathered in India.
Graduate Study
Awards and Positions:
Research Associate, Southern Asian Institute, Columbia
University, 1983 to 1986.
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Religion, Columbia
University, 1980-1984.
National Defense Foreign Language Award (Hindi-Urdu), 1978-79
and 1979-80.
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
ASIANetwork Board of Directors 1997-2000, Development Team
2000-2004
American Academy of Religion, 1987 - Present
Association for Asian Studies. 1987 - Present
COLLEGE-LEVEL TEACHING
South Asian Religion, Comparative Religion,
and Cross-cultural Studies
LAKE FOREST COLLEGE, 1987 to present. Lecturer.
Asian Religious Traditions and Literatures: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam,
and Daoism.
ASSOCIATED COLLEGES OF THE MIDWEST India Studies
Program, 2001 and 1993. Faculty Director. Undergraduate study abroad program
based in Pune, India.
BELOIT COLLEGE, 1995-2000. Visiting Assistant Professor
in Asian Religions.
BARAT COLLEGE, 1996-2000. Visiting Lecturer in Asian
Religions.
BARNARD COLLEGE, 1981-1984. Assisted Professor Theodore
H. Gaster in teaching classes in Mythology and Folklore.
LEHMAN COLLEGE, City University of New York, 1981
to 1987. Lecturer. Undergraduate classes in writing skills and advanced
English as a Second Language.
HUNTER COLLEGE, CUNY, 1982. Adjunct Lecturer. Undergraduate
study of World Religions.
SCHOOL FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAINING, Ahmedabad, India,
1982. Academic Director. Helped students develop intercultural communications
skills and independent study projects in conjunction with Indian university
advisors.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, AMERICAN LANGUAGE PROGRAM,
1980-82. Adjunct Lecturer, English as a Second Language (ESL) at beginning
and advanced levels.
LaGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, CUNY, 1978-79. Taught
ESL with an emphasis on grammatical conversation skills.
ADULT AND HIGH SCHOOL-LEVEL TEACHING
English, Social Studies, Philosophy
CUSHING ACADEMY, Summer ESL Program
for secondary school students, 1978. Taught advanced English as college
preparation; students from the Middle East, Japan, and Latin America.
UNITED MIGRANT OPPORTUNITY SERVICE,
Madison, Wisconsin, 1977. Developed an educational program for Mexican
farmworkers and taught language skills.
TANZANIAN CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE CENTRE,
Dodoma, Tanzania, 1973-74. Devised curriculum and materials for teaching
advanced English to Tanzanian adults.
DODOMA SECONDARY SCHOOL, Dodoma, Tanzania,
1973-74. Developed an English syllabus and introduced students to the works
of African writers.
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING
ASIANetwork CONSULTANCY PROGRAM. Consultant to liberal
arts colleges’ Asian studies programs. 2003 to present
BEST PRACTICES IN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION. Global
Partners Task Force to generate new standards for international education
within the liberal arts. 2002 to present.
ASIANetwork DEVELOPMENT TEAM. Work with foundations
to secure funding for national consortium’s programs to support Asian studies
the within liberal arts. 2000 to present.
MOTOROLA UNIVERSITY, CENTER FOR CULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY.
Consulted on training and development programs for managers working in
China, India, and Turkey. 1995-1997
INTERNATIONAL ORIENTATION RESOURCES. Consulted on
training programs for India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
1995 to present
Consultant for review of the Kalamazoo College Religion
Department, as part of preparation for the college's North Central Review.
1992
PAPERS PRESENTED
2004
Presentation on Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Lake Forest Women's Club
2003
Cultural Values, History, and Buddhist Traditions of Thailand, PAX Annual
Meeting
Treasures of Ellora and Khuldabad, website presentation of student-faculty
research in India during January 2003, ASIANetwork
2002
Culture and History of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Morocco, PAX Annual
Meeting
Orienting Undergraduates for study in India, 2002 ASIANetwork Meeting
2001
Buddhism in China, Lake Forest College
Asian Cinema In Asian Studies 2001 ASIANetwork Meeting
Understanding the Faith of Islam, Woodlands Academy
2000
Cross-cultural Training for Study Abroad Students ASIANetwork Meeting
1999
Going Home Again: Bringing Research in Asia into the Classroom, ASIANetwork
Buddhism in a Troubled World, Women’s Board Lecture, Lake Forest College
The Story of the Prophet Muhammad, Lake Forest Friends Meeting
Confucianism as a Foundation of Chinese Values, Lake Forest College
1998
The Dalai Lama as Bodhisattva,Tulku, and Statesman, Lake Forest Friends
Meeting
An American Zen Priest Responds to 'The Way of Alan Watts', ASIANetwork
1997
Asian Cultures and Traditions in America, North Shore Series on International
Issues
Abu Kasem's Slippers and the Law of Karma, Gita Ashram of the Americas,
University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
1996
Pedagogical Issues: Indian Religion through Story Literature, ASIANetwork
Perspectives on 'Culture Shock', Lake Forest College
1995
The Origins of the Islamic Religious Tradition, Motorola University
History and Religions of China, International Orientation Resources
Multiple Religious Traditions of India, International Orientation Resources
1994
The Indian God Kamadeva: stories of lust and laughter, Carthage College
1992
Hanumn in the Thai narration of the Rma Story, the Ramakien, American
Academy of Religion, Religion in South Asia Group
Indian Gurus and the Contemporary American Religious Scene, Perspectives
on Global Issues Series, Lake Forest College
Knowledge, Power, and Authority within the Indian Tradition, Lake Forest
College
Buddhist Perspectives on Death", Barat College
1991
Concept of Atonement in the Hindu Religious Tradition, Lake Forest College
Major Concepts in Indian Puranic and Upanisadic Texts, Barat College
1990
Death and the Process of Dying in Buddhist Texts, Barat College
An Historical Glimpse of Islam", First Presbyterian Church, Highland Park
1989
Manjusri-Vajrananga: a god of desire in Bodhisattva Clothing, American
Academy of Religion, Religion in South Asia Group
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Book manuscript accepted for publication by SUNY Press, God of Desire
in the Indian Narrative Tradition (February 2004)
Article Reviews for Gender and Society, 2003-2004.
Film Reviews for Asian Educational Media Service: “Salaam
Shalom: the Jews of India”, Fall 2001; “Doing Time, Doing Vipassana”, Winter
2002. l Benson. 1994
Two articles for the Encyclopedia of Women and World
Religion, "Boundaries" and "Egg", New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1999
"Bangladeshi Business Culture: Doing Business Internationally
and Regionally," Motorola University, 1997.
"Teaching Indian Buddhism with Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha
-- or Not?," Education About Asia, Winter 1997.
Review of Family, Gender, and Population in the Middle
East: Policies in Context for the winter 1997 issue of The American
Journal of Islamic Social Sciences.
"Many Contradictions: Women and Islamists in Turkey," The
Muslim World, April 1996, vol. 86:2, pp. 106-129.
"Potential Effects of Implementing Motorola's Corporate
Culture in Turkey," Motorola University, January 1995.
"The Impact of Turkish Business Culture on Technology Transfer",
Motorola University, February 1996.
RESEARCH IN PROGRESS
Nineteenth century British Sanskritists in Maharashtra
and their analysis of Indian story literature
Devotional rituals in Indian Sufi communities and Indian
Hindu Temple communities
Intercultural communications issues in study abroad and
business contexts
All of the information in this page is (c)
2003-2004 by Dr. Benton.