Dr. Derek F. Maher joined the ECU faculty in 2003. He earned a PhD and MA in the History of Religions: Tibetan Studies from the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia, and a BA in Philosophy and BS in Physics from Evergreen State College. He is an associate professor of religious studies at East Carolina University and director of the Religious Studies Program. Dr. Maher teaches courses in Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Methodology, and Religion and Violence.

His research interests include Tibetan biography, history, philosophy, politics, and especially religion. In particular, he is working on a series of biographies to see how they enact religious, philosophical and political agendas. He is actively engaged in publishing and presenting his research at national and international organizations.

His recent and forthcoming articles include:

• "Tibetan Terrorism? A Case Study in Name-Calling," in Moral Psychology of Terrorism: Implications for Security, eds. Jalil Rosendale and Nathan Lean, forthcoming.


• "Leadership of Dalai Lama," in Religious Leadership, 2 volumes, ed. by Sharon Callahan, Sage Publications, 2013, forthcoming.


• "Tibetan Monastics and Social Justice," in Companion to Religion and Social Justice, eds. by Stanley Burgess and Michael Palmer. Oxford, UK, Blackwell Publications, 2012.


• "Response to Aubrey deGrey from a Buddhist Perspective," in Routledge Companion to Religion and Science, eds. By James Haag, Gregory Peterson, and Michael Spezio. London: Routledge, 2011.


• "An Examination of a Critical Appraisal of Tsepon Shakabpa's One Hundred Thousand Moons," in Mapping the Modern in Tibet, edited by Gray Tuttle, International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies-Wissenschaftsverlag GmbH: Sankt Augustin, 2011.
 

Dr. Maher's recent and forthcoming books include:

• One Hundred Thousand Moons, An Advanced Political History of Tibet, 2 volumes, by Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa. Translated and annotated by Derek F. Maher. Leiden: Brill, 2009.


• Religion and the Implications of Radical Life Extension by Derek F. Maher (Editor), Calvin Mercer (Editor). New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.


• Reliable Minds: Jamyang Shaypa's Presentation of Valid Cognition in Madhyamaka. Forthcoming.


• The Body in the World's Religions: Reflections in Light of Transhumanism. co-edited with Calvin Mercer. Forthcoming from New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2014.

Courses taught recently:

• RELI 2692 - Buddhism - Syllabus
• RELI 2693 - Hinduism - Syllabus
• RELI 3692 - Tibetan Religion and Culture - Syllabus
• RELI 3800 - Violence and Religion - Syllabus
• First-Year Seminar - God in the Voting Booth: Religion and Politics in an Election Year - Syllabus

Links to pages:

• Study Abroad in India [http://www.ecu.edu/religionprogram/india]
• Religious Studies [http://www.ecu.edu/religionprogram]
• Asian Studies [http://core.ecu.edu/hist/tuckerjo/ECUAsia.html]
• Philosophy Department [http://www.ecu.edu/phil]
• Tong-len [http://www.tong-len.org]