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Program in Religious Studies and Education |
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PRSE Course OfferingsThe following courses are those that are sponsored or required by the program. Please see the HDS Courses of Instruction for current schedule information. 2916 Religion, Democracy, and Education The focus of this course will be to develop an understanding of the complex intersection between religion, secularism, democracy and public education in multicultural America. Our exploration will include 1) a historical review of the relationship between religion and public education in the U.S. with special attention to pivotal Supreme Court decisions that have shaped public policy discourses in these areas over the past half century; 2) a consideration of the social and moral consequences that stem from privileging economically driven definitions of secularism and democracy as the normative ideologies of the public sphere; and 3) a historical and contemporary analysis of differing views regarding the nature and purpose of public education and the role of religion in those debates. Final projects may focus on the legal, political, or curricular dimensions of the course. Required for those enrolled in the PRSE and open to others. 2915 Colloquium in Religion and Secondary Education The focus of the course is on the intersections of religion, critical theory, education and the vocation of teaching. Participants will have an opportunity to explore the social and ethical assumptions that inform both their choice of vocation and their approach to education. The course methodology will include a combination of school visitations, readings in educational theory and personal reflections. Students should reserve Fridays, 8 am-4 pm for school visitations and section meetings. This colloquium is taken in a semester prior to student teaching for PRSE students, but is also open to others outside the program. Required for PRSE students. Prerequisite: HDS 2916. 2911 Racializing Whiteness—Refocusing the Lens of Antiracist Leadership in the United States: Conference Course Within the dominant white society in the United States, conversations about race generally focus on the race of people of color rather than on that of white people. This tendency presents a problem in developing effective antiracism strategies. The focus of this course will be on addressing this problem. We will do this by studying racism in the United States through the lens of whiteness and white privilege/power. What does it mean to be "white?" How has the notion of "whiteness" shaped understandings of "self" and "other" in religious, political, and community settings? Autobiography, fiction, and film, as well as historical and analytical materials, will inform our study as we seek to understand the explicit and implicit assumptions that have shaped both the perpetuation of and attempts to eliminate racism in this country. 2918 Education for Liberation The course will explore the educational implications of liberation theology with particular attention to developing educational methods to facilitate a critical awareness of the social/political context of learning and educational resources for justice-based ministry. The course will draw on critical education theory in combination with resources of liberation theology. 2923 Religious Studies and Education Methods: Seminar In this seminar, students focus on integrating the study of religion into their particular fields of licensure with an emphasis on both content and pedagogy. Special attention will be given to a cultural studies framework, but other methods will also be explored. Seminar instructors will include practitioners in relevant licensure areas, mentor teachers, and HDS professors. For final projects, students will develop a unit plan in consultation with their mentor teachers in preparation for their fall term internship in the schools. Restricted to students enrolled in the PRSE. Note: the class will meet Monday through Friday, 9 am-3 pm, the week following Harvard commencement in June, and Monday through Thursday, 9 am-3 pm, the week before Labor Day in August. Enrollment Limited to 12. 2931 Risk and Resilience in Adolescent Development: Seminar
This course will examine the necessary developmental tasks of adolescents, while
exploring the obstacles to healthy emotional, psychological, cognitive, and
spiritual growth. Contemporary issues in adolescent development with a focus on
the dynamics of assessment, intervention and advocacy as a resource for
facilitating resilience in adolescents is examined. Note: particular
attention is given to the challenges facing teachers in public education.
4650 Supervised Teaching Practicum The course is only open to students in the PRSE. Participants are assigned to a master teacher at one of the training schools in and around the Boston area for a minimum of 150 hours of teaching experience in their prospective field of certification. Weekly seminar meetings provide an opportunity to deepen theoretical and methodological foundations formulated in the PRSE Colloquium and Methods Seminar, construct a practitioner research project, engage with practitioners in the field, and reflect on the practicum experience with peers. Required for PRSE students. Prerequisite: HDS 2915. 4655 PRSE Research Seminar This seminar is designed for students enrolled in the Program in Religious Studies and Education and others who are interested in pursuing a substantial research project in religion and education from an historic, theoretical, public policy, and/or curricular perspective. Students will write a 35- to 50-page paper on a topic of their choosing in religion and education in consultation with the instructor and education practitioners. Required for MTS students enrolled in the PRSE. Enrollment limited to students in the PRSE or with permission of the instructor. Prerequisite: HDS 2916. Enrollment limited to 15. 4590 Master of Divinity Senior Seminar Students are required to write a 30- to 40-page paper, considering a topic of individual interest in light of various methodological approaches to the study of religion and the vocation of ministry. The paper is written in close consultation with a faculty adviser, seminar leader, and colleagues in the Senior Seminar. An oral conference is held in April with the student(s) and faculty readers. Required of and limited to MDiv students in their final year of study. The Senior Seminar meets in the fall semester. Students will be working on their papers during the spring term. This course may only be taken for a letter grade. Prerequisite: successful completion of 4510. May not be taken for Arts of Ministry credit. NOTE: MDiv students enrolled in the PRSE may satisfy the PRSE research paper requirement by either enrolling in HDS 4655 or focusing their MDiv senior paper on a topic related to religion and education.
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