1. The Enoch Seminar is an open and inclusive forum of international specialists in Second Temple Judaism (early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), who share the results of their research in the field and meet to discuss topics of common interest. The Enoch Seminar was established in 2001 by the Founding Director Gabriele Boccaccini, University of Michigan.
2. Members of the Enoch Seminar are University Professors, PhD holders, and graduate students who are specialists in Second Temple Judaism (early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), who have subscribed to the annual membership fee. Membership is required to contribute as speakers to the scholarly events of the Enoch Seminar.
3. Friends of the Enoch Seminar are University Professors, PhD holders and graduate students who are specialists in Second Temple Judaism (early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), who have attended at least 3 meetings of the Enoch Seminar.
4. The Founding Director is responsible for conducting all activities of the Enoch Seminar, with the assistance of two Vice-Directors, te Secretary, the Board of Directors, the Advisory Board, and the Professional Ethics Committee.
5. The Vice-Directors are two Senior Members of the Enoch Seminar appointed every five years (2010, 2015, 2020, etc.) by the Founding Director to assist the Founding Director in governing the Enoch Seminar. The appointment is renewable. The Founding Director and the Vice-Directors select the members of the Board of Directors and the Advisory Board, with unanimous vote. In case of illness or leave of absence, the Founding Director may be temporarily replaced by a Vice-Director and a Vice-Director by a member of the Board of Directors.
6. The Board of Directors is made of the Founding Director, the two Vice-Directors, and 4 to 14 members of the Enoch Seminar with an equal balance of men and women (plus a General Manager), appointed every five years (2010, 2015, 2020, etc.) by the Founding Director and the Vice-Directors as the Executive Committee for all activities of the Enoch Seminar. The appointments are renewable. The Board of Directors meets (in-person or online) at least once a year. Enoch Seminar Members, assigned special responsibilities within the organization under the coordination of the General Manager, may be invited to participate with no voting rights. In case of repeated absences from Board Meetings or resignation, a Board member may be replaced by the Founding Director together with the Vice-Directors.
7. The Advisory Board is made of Senior members of the Enoch Seminar who have distinguished themselves for their scholarship in the field and for their service within the organization. They are appointed by the Board of Directors every five years (2010, 2015, 2020, etc.). The appointments are renewable. The Advisory Board serves as a consultant body for all activities of the Enoch Seminar.
8. The Professional Ethics Committee is made of five members of the Enoch Seminar (including two men and two women and one of the Vice-Directors). It is appointed by the Board of Directors every five years (2010, 2015, 2020, etc.). The Professional Ethics Committee establishes community standards of professional conduct for members of the Enoch Seminar and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors.
9. All budgetary matters and financial operations decided by the Board of Directors are managed through the Michigan Center for Early Christian Studies under the supervision of the General Manager. Expenses over $1000 shall be authorized by both the Director and the General Manager. Temporary use of the principal of the Nangeroni Endowment requires authorization by the Board of Directors.
10. When the Founding Director steps down, he appoints the new Director. He then becomes Honorary Director and member of the Board of Directors for life. If the Founding Director is unable to appoint the new Director, the Board of Directors shall elect the new Director, by a vote of at least 2/3 margin.
11. Any meetings of the Enoch Seminars shall follow the distinctive format: a seminar in which participants address common questions, papers circulate in advance and the majority time is devoted to discussion. All meetings must have a clearly defined topic and be inclusive of interdisciplinarity and all rigorous scholarly methodologies.
12. In its commitment to diversity, the Enoch Seminar actively welcomes international scholars, persons of different religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientation, and seeks gender parity as well as scholars at different stages in their academic careers.
13. The Enoch Seminar fosters an ethos of inclusivity in all its sponsored events. It requires the highest level of professional and ethical behavior, free of all forms of harassment and discrimination, from all its members and from anyone participating in any Seminar or affiliated function.
14. In the annual assembly, members of the Enoch Seminar propose potential topics of the next meeting(s). They may give suggestions and approve non-binding resolutions about any aspects of the activities of the Enoch Seminar. Non-members may participate in the discussion but have no right to vote.
15. The present by-Laws may be modified only by a majority of two thirds of the members of the Board of Directors, including the Founding Director.
Enoch Seminar Professional Ethics Statement (February 2022)
Prologue
From its inception in 2001, the Enoch Seminar has grown quickly from an intimate gathering of thirty-three of the world’s foremost experts in Enoch literature to a thriving professional organization with more than 600 members dedicated to the study of ancient Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Within the span of twenty years, the Enoch Seminar has gained an international reputation, as well as the status of an Affiliated Organization with the Society of Biblical Literature. In light of this impressive growth, and the Enoch Seminar’s prominence and reputation, attention to a critical matter like the ethical and appropriate conduct of its members is timely and important. Such attention is critical to ensuring the strength, sustainability, and integrity of the Enoch Seminar so that it continues to flourish and thrive over the next century.
The Professional Ethics Committee, along with Professional Ethics Committee Consultants, offers the following Professional Ethics Statement that all participating in Enoch Seminar events should keep in mind.
Expectations for Community Participation
This Professional Ethics Statement expresses expectations, informed by the Enoch Seminar’s stated values, for community participation in all Enoch Seminar events. These guidelines are intended to create spaces and contexts that are inclusive and that allow scholars to come together and learn together as colleagues and friends.
The Enoch Seminar advocates for an environment that encourages a willingness to listen and learn from others and to cultivate greater self-awareness and self-consciousness about behavior toward others. The Enoch Seminar anticipates important opportunities that include:
1) encouraging collegiality
2) welcoming emerging scholars and those new to the Enoch Seminar
3) fostering inclusivity and diversity
4) creating an environment free from hostility
5) advancing ethical practices related to intellectual property (including pre-publication and published materials)
This aim should be celebrated by scholars who consider themselves knowledgeable about diverse cultures, contexts, and nuances of communication. Moreover, these goals, which stress an inclusive and welcoming ethos, support the stated aims of the Enoch Seminar.
Certain behaviors render a community unsafe. Predacious behavior includes intentionally taking advantage of others, abuse of power differences within professional contexts, pushing boundaries, or purposefully making others feel uncomfortable.
Participants should be aware that there are consequences for such behavior. Inappropriate behaviour and its deleterious effects are unacceptable to the Enoch Seminar and at any Enoch Seminar event.
Communication in a diverse group and via various media can be difficult. In the light of our common values and diverse contexts, we recognize that there are cultural differences that could contribute to misunderstandings in which comments or behavior are experienced negatively even while the one offending does not realize the inappropriateness or deleterious effects of their behavior. Discernment is needed in our communication.
The PEC envisages that these community expectations will educate participants to recognize inappropriate behavior and learn better forms of interaction. That is, the PEC intends for this statement and initiative in general to have an educational dimension—maintaining that inclusive spaces begin with questions and not assumptions—so that colleagues can help educate one another if comments or actions have been poorly received and they can work to prevent the unwitting creation of hostile environments.
Summation
The Enoch Seminar, happily, continues to grow, and attention to Professional Ethics is necessary to protect its welcoming culture, the collegiality it fosters, the significant and focused conversations it hosts, and important scholarship it facilitates.
