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New Developments in Religious Studies VII:
Keeping Ourselves Current
2007 Conference Presentation Descriptions
Overcoming Religious Illiteracy: The Unique and
Critical Role of Religious Studies Educators
Over the past few years there has been a spate of attention given to the
public understanding of religion in both national and international arenas. In
her recent book, The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on
America, God, and World Affairs, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
argues that in order to effectively conduct foreign policy today, it is crucial
to understand the role of God and religion in particular cultural contexts,
including our own here in the United States. The United Nations recently conducted a high-level forum investigating the role that education about religion plays in
conflict promotion and resolution, and the European Commission has funded a five-year study with the same aims focused on
10 countries in Europe. Here in the
United States, public discourses about religion have largely been focused on issues
related to the influence of conservative religious forces in political life and
social policy, including education where teaching about the Bible, evolution, and
sexual behaviors and identity continue to engender controversy.
In this presentation, Moore will speak about the unique role that religious
studies educators in middle and secondary school contexts can and should play in
fostering a more religiously literate citizenry capable of promoting a more
informed and robust discussion about the role of religion in public life in
national and international contexts. Conference registrants will receive a copy
of Moore's new book Overcoming Religious Illiteracy (Palgrave McMillan,
October 2007) and are encouraged to review it before the conference.
Islam in the West: Exploring the Many, Often Overlooked
Moments of Convergence Between Islamic and Western Civilizations
The end of the Cold War did not bring the end of war. It marked, in Mary
Kaldor's apt phrase, the end of statist barbarism, a major, if dismal, legacy of
the twentieth century. In the 1990s, a new bipolar struggle emerged, defined less by
ideology than by religion, or rather, by religion masked as ideology: Islam
versus the (Christian) West. For many Western observers the First Gulf War
signaled that Islam became the successor to Communism as the enemy of freedom
and the free world. The green flag replaced the red bear as a symbol of
repression. Jihadists succeeded apparatchiks in the war of ideas, fueling real
time conflict of horrific proportions. But does this latest barbarism not
conceal historical and contemporary moments of convergence between the Islamic
East and the Christian or Judeo-Christian West? How do we as teachers not only
comprehend the Muslim element in our own identity but also project a future
where religious differences persist without becoming the basis for unjustified,
unending warfare? To pursue these possibilities, participants are asked to read
two books prior to the conference: Following Muhammad, by Carl Ernst and
The Qur'an: A Biography, by Bruce Lawrence. Both texts will be sent to participants
upon receipt of registration materials.
Teaching Critical Thinking Skills Using
Open-Ended Questions
Kathy Brownback, Betsey Farnham, Jamie Hamilton, Tom Ramsey, Peter Vorkink
Members of the Phillips Exeter Religion Department faculty will present a
two-part workshop on teaching using open-ended questions. The first part will
include several members of the department presenting a variety of teaching
methodologies, focusing on those that utilize open-ended questions that foster
critical thinking skills. After the group presentation there will be small
break-out sessions by interest group—text-based courses, ethics, philosophy,
religion and literature classes, for instance—in which teachers will be
encouraged to share teaching materials they use (in class discussion questions,
on paper assignments, in test questions) which are based on open-ended
questions.
Teachers are encouraged to bring sample class assignments, tests, or
discussion questions in multiple copies, suitable for distribution in these
small group sessions.
Past Conference Presentations
The following scholars have made presentations at previous Keeping
Ourselves Current conferences:
- Ali Asani, Islam (Harvard University)
- Jeffrey Brodd, Interreligious Encounters in the Late Roman Empire
(California State University)
- Yvonne Chireau, Engendering African American Religion (Swarthmore College)
- Diana Eck, Religious Diversity in America (Harvard University)
- Roger Gottlieb, Religion and Social Justice (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)
- M. Christian Green, Understanding Katrina (Harvard Divinity School)
- David Haberman, Hinduism (Indiana University)
- Celia Marshall, The Bible and Its Interpreters (University of North Carolina at
Charlotte)
- John McRae, Zen Buddhism (Indiana University)
- Richard Miller, Medical Ethics (Indiana University)
- Anne Monius, Religion in South Asia (Harvard Divinity School)
- Jan Nattier, Buddhism (Indiana University)
- Robert Orsi, Religion and American Cities (Harvard Divinity School)
- Sara Pike, Adolescent Spirituality (California State University at Chico)
- Stephen Prothero, The American Jesus (Boston University)
- Marc Raphael, Judaism (College of William and Mary)
- Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Feminist Biblical Interpretation (Harvard
Divinity School)
- Adam Strom, Seeking Justice in the Aftermath of Collective Violence (Facing
History and Ourselves)
- Bron Taylor, Religion and Ecology (University of Florida)
- Oliver Thomas, Religion and Public Education (Niswonger Foundation)
- Sharon Welsh, Ethics (University of Missouri)
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