Mark Berkson, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair in the Department of Religion at Hamline University. He teaches courses in East and South Asian religions, Islam, and comparative religion. Mark received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in Religious Studies. Mark’s scholarly work has addressed topics such as Confucian and Daoist thought, death and dying, religion and non-human animals, and interfaith dialogue. He teaches a seminar: “Resources or Relatives: The Ethical Status of Non-Human Animals.” His work has been published in numerous books and journals. He has released two DVD/book lecture series with The Great Courses: “Cultural Literacy for Religion” and “Death, Dying, and the Afterlife: Lessons from World Cultures.”