Gathering Faculty across Institutions

Proposal abstract :
This $4,790 seed grant will be used to bring together 14 professors of theology/religious studies and the humanities, and representatives from the offices of mission or centers for community engaged learning from four Catholic universities around the Philadelphia area for four meetings in the Spring 2017 semester to learn about the fundamentals of faith-based community organizing (FBCO), consider pedagogical applications of FBCO, and discern together whether or not to form the first regional caucus in the PICO Network (People Improving Community Through Organizing), a national federation of faith-based community organizers, through a collaborative partnership with its Philadelphia affiliate, POWER (Philadelphians Organizing to Witness, Empower, and Rebuild).

Learning Abstract :
We gathered together a committed group of educators from across four Catholic institutions in Philadelphia to explore together the possibility of establishing a partnership with POWER, an interfaith community organizing outfit with more than 50 congregation members across the Philadelphia metro area and an affiliate of the national PICO network. Three questions rose to the surface as most primary: 1) What are the fundamental learning outcomes associated with teaching and learning anchored in faith-based community organizing? 2) What kind of training do faculty need to teach with a FBCO method? and 3) What kinds of shifts might this require in institutional self-understandings via the dichotomy between charity and justice? Working group meetings, college caucus trainings, a Pedagogies of Social Change Workshop, and a POWER University Retreat provided opportunities to discuss these questions and implement next steps.

Proposal abstract :
Conference to envision innovative directions for the Association for Case Teaching and design a blueprint to achieve that renewed mission.

Learning Abstract :
The Association of Case Teaching, through Wesley Theological Seminary, sought funds to plan and implement a conference on a renewed future for the organization. It sought to envision new directions and design a blueprint to achieve its renewed mission. The process would be accomplished through a :Future Search Conference," which involved reviewing the past, exploring the present, creating ideal future scenarios, identifying common ground and making action plans.
The conference affirmed the continuation of the Association and its work, and committed itself to expanding this teaching process to other interest groups and settings. This involved both expanding its base constituencies and expanding the media through which the cases are made available. They also were able to create a concise mission statement and articulate a set of goals for the next ten years.

Proposal abstract :
Four-day consultation of representatives of ten evangelical schools in the Northwestern United States to compare programs, share resources, and discuss other aspects of teaching and learning.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to develop a consultation on teaching and learning in Biblical, historical, systematic and moral theology from an evangelical perspective, focusing on schools in the geographic region of the Pacific Northwest. Their goals were to bring seminary teachers together to discuss redesigning their introductory courses, share syllabi, reflect on issues of technology and teaching and learning style, to reflect upon the resources of American evangelical theology and Christian wisdom and to bring pastors into discussion about seminary formation.
The group that gathered found it useful to be with other evangelical scholars and that it was an aid to their common dialogue about teaching theology better. The most helpful session involved sharing introductory course syllabi. They also found the discussions on teaching theology to adult learners in the use of art in teaching theology to be extremely profitable.

Proposal abstract :
James Evans, Rita Nakashima Brock and Orlando Espin are being asked to explore the discourses of our various disciplines with an eye to exposing the use of common categories and modes of argumentation that function as a cover for encoding Eurowestern culture, values, ideologies, and worldviews in subtle ways that ensure the dominance in discourse of those would-be normative voices. From discourses in the academic study of comparative religions to theology to ethics, there is a persistent tendency, usually fairly naively and with little forethought, to teach, think and write as if there were a normative modality that speaks to and for every intellectual endeavor. White academic scholars claim implicitly to engage a value-neutral discourse analysis that has somehow surfaced as a refined (and reified) modality across the whole academic waterfront. Sometimes the act is deeply encoded in a subtle choice of words that slant the whole argument in a particular direction—without being overly obvious in stating a bias. Insofar as we scholars of color find ourselves all too often adopting the same cognitional categories that have seemed to dominate discourse generally in the academy, our own discourses run the same risk of racialization. How can we scholars of color help each other and particularly help our White colleagues to identify this racialization of discourse? To that end, each invited speaker will give an hour presentation followed by small group discussions that will explore, based on what was said, how the racialization of their discipline impacts their teaching and scholarship.

Learning Abstract :
Presenters at this conference were asked to explore the discourses of our various disciplines with an eye to exposing the use of common categories and modes of argumentation that function as a cover for encoding eurowestern culture, values, ideologies, and worldview in subtle ways that ensure the dominance in discourse of those would-be normative voices. From discourses in the academic study of comparative religions to theology to ethics, there is a persistent tendency, usually fairly naively and with little forethought, to think and write as if there were a normative modality that speaks to and for every intellectual endeavor. White academic scholars claim implicitly to engage a value-neutral discourse analysis that has somehow surfaced as a refined (and reified) modality across the whole academic waterfront. Sometimes the act is deeply encoded in a subtle choice of words that slant the whole argument in a particular direction—without being overly obvious in stating a bias. Insofar as we scholars of color find ourselves all too often adopting the same cognitional categories that have seemed to dominate discourse generally in the academy, our own discourses run the same risk of racialization.

Proposal abstract :
The Stone-Campbell Movement has a rich history in the United States, which is preserved and accessible at locations throughout the country. These collections are within seminaries and religiously affiliated colleges and universities within the Churches of Christ (COC), Disciples of Christ (DOC), and Independent Christian Church traditions of the Stone-Campbell Movement. With the pending relocation of the DOC Historical Society from Nashville to Bethany, West Virginia, and the uncertainty around the future roles of many of these denominational collections due to institutional budgetary pressures, as well as the need for a deeper historical consciousness among our students, we are at an opportune moment to gather as colleagues, and to discuss how to work together toward a common goal of better teaching and learning through use of archives and special collections for theological instruction. By bringing together key teaching faculty and instructional librarians within the tradition, we will construct a multi-day colloquy addressing the challenges and opportunities for teaching with special collections and archives among our shared Stone-Campbell traditions. These are lessons that will be structured, illustrated, and publically shared online for use and insight by others.

Learning Abstract :
The colloquy on the "Pedagogy of the Archive" gathered a diverse and broadly representative set of scholars from the Stone-Campbell Movement to discuss the importance of print and digital archives for theological education. The colloquy produced the Stone-Campbell Teaching Archive (http://digitalcommons.acu.edu/sc_teaching/). The colloquy illuminated the creative potential of a conversation among historians, archivists, and librarians for identifying and developing open access websites that mine the riches of theological archives that are most relevant and usable for theological education. The group realized the potential for reformatting and relocating archival images used in published church histories and historical encyclopedias, hosting these images in open access repositories that are organized and easily searched by taxonomies used in standard reference works and textbooks. The colloquy highlighted the pressing need for coordinated action among theological archives in the United States to preserve precious materials for teaching and research, as well as the value of "the teaching archive" for catalyzing digital preservation and theological description of archives.

Proposal abstract :
Kinesthetic ways of knowing and teaching have been largely neglected in teaching religion and theology. This workshop provides the space for learning and encountering theatre techniques of improvisation, characterization, and acting as ways of embodying religious and theological knowledges and energizing the classroom. According to our proposed facilitator Victoria Rue, “Theatre in the classroom signals the body as a way of knowing.” Body, voice, story, knowledge, action, relationship, conflict, oppression, diversity, community are all part of the religious and theological world. They are also part of the religion and theology classroom, yet traditional pedagogical models often overlook these aspects. We propose an afternoon pre-conference session at the 2011 AAR/SBL Annual Meetings on theatre as pedagogy to engage the possibilities for transformative learning.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a gathering of up to twenty M.Div faculty in biblical studies and homiletics for two meetings to identify and discuss collaborative approaches for effectively teaching biblical interpretation for preaching.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to design and implement a collaborative Biblical Studies and Homiletics curriculum, capable of developing preachers with hermeneutical and rhetorical skill to effectively bring the biblical text and the contemporary world into dialogue. This would be accomplished through two gatherings of scholars from Roman Catholic schools of theology to discuss and identify collaborative approaches. They hoped to identify best practices and pedagogical approaches and to integrate them in the curriculum through syllabi development.
A total of 27 scholars from 11 Roman Catholic schools participated in the project. The consultations were held in September, 2003, and February, 2004, with ongoing work occurring through a common website. Four syllabi were developed and engaged as models to be used in curricular integration. The project director reports, "The unifying thread in the grant syllabi and the organizing principle by which the grant is being taken forward in course and curriculum design and writing and speaking is contemplō – studēo - praedico." He believes that this hermeneutical process, which means I contemplate – I study – I preach, "shows potential to be a significant Roman Catholic contribution to homiletics theory and pedagogy."

Proposal abstract :
Funding for two symposiums for African-American faculty to explore androgogy from the perspective of black faculty who teach majority students and/or teach courses from a minority perspective in majority institutions.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather together African American professors of the Christian College Coalition Graduate Fellows program to address their experiences and frustrations as minority faculty, with the goal of developing positive responses to their location in majority white institutions. Participants hoped to develop andragogy from the perspective of black faculty who teach majority students from a minority perspective within these institutions.
Participants report that the symposium successfully gathered together African American instructor of Christian Colleges. In their meetings they were able to share insights and techniques they had gained which made it easier to survive their minority status in their respective institutions.

Proposal abstract :
Project Purpose. This project will provide non-Latino professors in the various fields of theology and ministry with insights, techniques, and resources in their own specific fields that they may employ in the process of teaching Latinas and Latinos in those various fields. Project Goals. During the two years of duration of the project, it will: (1) Provide opportunities for Lation/a professors in at least five different fields of study to gather and reflect on specific Latino issues and resources in each of these fields , and on how to communicate these matters to their non-Latino colleagues. (2) Provide at least five seminars for non-Latino professors, each seminar on a different field of study, in which Latina/o professors will guide their counterparts in reflection and learning regarding Latino issues and resources in that particular field. (3) Have at least fifty non-Latino/a professors participate in these seminars. (4) Produce five written pieces, one the result of each seminar to be published as articles in journals or as chapters in a book. (5) Follow up on these seminars by providing participants with bibliographical and other updates.

Learning Abstract :
Our greatest surprise was how little the academic community knows about the Latino community, and particularly its church life. Participants in our seminars repeatedly expressed astonishment and even disbelief when told of the thousands of Spanish-speaking churches in their own cities, or of the number of Latinas and Latinos involved in alternative theological education programs, both Catholic and Protestant. This would seem to indicate that channels and programs need to be developed which will allow and encourage faculty in theological seminaries to seek direct experience of the Latino community.

Secondly, we have found that there is great interest among non-Latino faculty to respond to the needs of the growing number of Latinos and Latinas coming to their schools, and a sense of frustration at the lack of resources - human and bibliographical - that could help them in this endeavor.

Finally, and probably most importantly, we have learned that when the previous two points are combined, there are a number of institutions - or at least a number of faculty within those institutions - who feel that in order to deal responsibly with the changing demographics of the nation and the church, a radical change is needed in theological curriculum, and particularly in methods of delivery - including programs for those who are now excluded from the mainstream of the educational system.

Proposal abstract :
Two year support for 20 non-Hispanic faculty of theological seminaries to attend the faculty seminars of the Hispanic Summer Program on teaching Latinos/as in the various fields of theology and ministry.

Learning Abstract :
The project director and various members of the Hispanic Summer Program Governing Board were convinced that the seminar "Through Hispanic Eyes" helped develop non-Hispanic faculty that were more aware of Latina/o issues, who were more ready to support Hispanic colleagues, and who were generally enthusiastic over the challenges and opportunities that the current demographic shifts in the nation bring. Given the paucity of Latino/a professors in our various institutions of theological education, such allies are of fundamental importance.

While the small number of participants in 2003 was unplanned,they noted that the smaller number of Seminar participants had less of a disruptive effect on the HSP, and secondly had positive pedagogical impact on the participating non-Hispanic faculty. The governing board was persuaded of the value of a smaller cohort for any future Seminar.

The interaction between non-Hispanic Seminar participants and the HSP faculty generated fruitful reflection on issues of pedagogy that both groups wish to pursue further. In fact, this project was instrumental in helping the Governing Board of the HSP to establish a priority to investigate formally the issues of pedagogy in an ecumenical theological education.

They also observed unplanned benefits when institutions sent two or more persons as Seminar participants and when administrators were present.

Proposal abstract :
The project seeks to produce in manuscript form the findings of the Wabash Center funded consultation, “Teaching and Learning in Theological Field Education: The Role of the Field Educator,” held in Nashville in January 2000.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought funding to produce a manuscript from the findings of the Wabash Center funded consultation (990 010), "Teaching and Learning in Theological Education: the Role of the Field Educator," held in January 2000. In writing this manuscript the authors hoped to engage field education colleagues more broadly into the conversation that was begun at the consultation. They also hoped to contribute original scholarship in teaching and learning in the area of theological field education. Finally, they hoped to partner with the Association of Theological Schools in its work on contextualization in theological education.
The authors produced a major article published in Theological Education (Vol. 37, No. 2, 2001, 1-57), entitled "Teaching from a Community Context: The Role of the Field Educator in Theological Education." With this project they feel that they produced a major work on issues of teaching and learning in theological field education that will set standards for field educators as faculty in theological education. This will strengthen theological education in that it will challenge field educators to see their primary function as teachers, while understanding they must also function effectively as administrators.

Proposal abstract :
Consultation to explore how Field Educators can sharpen the focus of their identity, paradigms, and methods of teaching as well as impact teaching in the theological curriculum.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather theological field educators from the Association of Theological Field Education for consultation to explore how as a guild they could envision their own paradigms and methods of teaching so as to greater impact teaching in the curriculum of theological education.
Project director reports that the group discovered that the topic of field educators as teachers represents a major new vision of field education that can potentially reinvigorate the discipline and make field education a more integral part of seminary curricula. They saw the project as having significant potential for the transformation of theological education in the ways that it can help seminaries integrate theory and practice more thoroughly in their curriculum. Finally, they realized through the consultation how little is known in the academy about the work of field educators, and thus their task as a guild to communicate to academic administrators in the larger academy about their work.

Proposal abstract :
Fifteen teachers and scholars will be brought together for a workshop at Centre College to discuss teaching the Reformed tradition. Faculty who are conversant with various aspects of Calvinism and teachers who want to bring this tradition to their students will be invited to the workshop. The intellectual object of the workshop will be to bring the pieces together in an informed and critical way. The practical object of the workshop will be to assemble resources for teaching about the various aspects of the Reformed tradition and its social effects, from which teachers could draw in constructing a variety of courses.

Learning Abstract :
Two dozen scholars from various disciplines met at Centre College to discuss teaching about the impact of the Reformed tradition on the modern world. Calvinism had, of course, a huge effect on religious life during the Reformation, and on Reformed churches thereafter. In addition, though, Reformed, Calvinist, and Puritan Christianity deeply shaped modern capitalist economies, democracies, science, and the very conception of the self. Both the religious and social impacts of the Reformed tradition are richly teachable to undergraduates. One unexpected finding: the Reformed impact on modernity is so pervasive that, after about 1800, its distinctive effects are harder to see. The workshop led to a webpage, "Calvinism and the Modern World" (http://web.centre/edu/weston/calvinism/), which develops these themes.

Proposal abstract :
This project consists of a Symposium of practical theological faculty who teach qualitative research in order to examine the purposes and pedagogies involved toward the formation of effective pastoral leadership, and to put forth a rationale for the teaching, learning and evaluation of qualitative research in M.Div. programs. Qualitative research methods are part of the curriculum at Atlantic School of Theology (which hopes to host the Symposium) and at other schools of theology. At AST qualitative research methods are seen as congruent with ministerial practice because they help students learn how to assess the needs of a congregation and/or community. The purpose of this project is to determine how the teaching and learning of qualitative research methods can develop leadership capacities in ministry students.

Learning Abstract :
I learned that qualitative research is an essential tool for the formation of ministers, and is increasingly becoming part of the theological curriculum in the U.S, Canada and elsewhere. An "ethnographic disposition" can equip theology students to learn to assess a social context, to produce knowledge in that context and to transform it. While there are pedagogical challenges in the teaching/learning of QLR, these can be creatively addressed through understanding it as a disposition rather than as applied competencies. There is no silver bullet in theological education to quell the tide of church decline, but theology students can be better equipped to lead in their contexts. Leaning qualitative methods can enhance the practice of leadership for change as students learn and embrace the arts of listening, attending to people, holding back judgment, observing and analyzing to get at the meanings of things in order to disrupt the status quo.

Proposal abstract :
Increasingly, theological schools are training religious leaders to serve in a religiously diverse context. Most seminary faculty have moved beyond the framework of ‘world religions’ courses and are exploring various pedagogies to teach other faiths, such as interfaith dialogue, team teaching, mixed-student classrooms, clinical pastoral education (CPE), experiential site visits, travel learning programs, and field placements. Yet among seminary educators, there is little shared understanding about exactly how such pedagogies impact the formation of a religious leader. This project will survey 100 faculty involved in multifaith education at seminaries, then create a “brain trust” of seminary educators to explore and write about pedagogies of multifaith education. Participating faculty will prepare written reflections for publication and identify best practices in their context. The results of the survey, “brain trust,” and reflections (both written and streaming video) will form the content of a new web-based faculty resource.

Learning Abstract :
As multifaith education grows at seminaries across America, more attention should be paid to pedagogy. A wide variety of teaching methods are in use to teach other faiths to future religious leaders, and educators do not have shared understanding about their impact. From a diverse array of factors that affect learning, the theological and religious backgrounds of the learner appear to have a particularly strong impact on the learning process. American seminary faculty are engaging in a creative array of pedagogies, often with little knowledge of their colleagues' work. Favorite teaching methods may be linked to the passions and skills of the teacher more than the needs of the learner. Multifaith educators generally agree that studying another tradition ultimately sharpens and strengthens one's relationship with one's own tradition, except in the tiny minority of cases where such learning eventually leads to conversion or departure from the home faith.

Proposal abstract :
This two-year project focuses on ways that the spirituality of faculty and staff, as models and mentors for students, affects how students learn about wellness and about living out their faith commitments, values, and sense of vocation. It will produce a draft journal article and an annotated bibliography of resources related to spirituality, teaching, and learning. The project will also gather faculty and staff at local and regional levels for conversations about these matters.

Learning Abstract :
Through the grant, I organized a retreat for faculty and staff colleagues at Augsburg as well as co-facilitating a conversation and then an interactive workshop on "The Spiritual Landscape of Teaching and Learning" at two Upper Midwest regional AAR/SBL meetings. These three venues provided sacred space and time for colleagues within and beyond my college to engage in authentic, deep conversations that facilitate essential reflection and renewal. I was reminded that faculty and staff are hungry for "conversations that matter" that help us to get re-grounded, to see one another as people, and to ponder some of life's important questions. I also made time to learn about and experiment with a variety of strategies for my own personal renewal and healing at mid-career; these included a holistic spirituality course, resilience training, and reading about forgiveness, managing stress, anger, and communication.

Proposal abstract :
Regional consultation to prepare for publication a volume on active learning theories and applications by participants from the Upper Midwest Region AAR/Lilly teaching workshop.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather scholars in a regional consultation seeking to improve the quality of teaching and learning in religious studies and theology by preparing for publication of a volume on active learning theories and applications. This consultation grew out of a regional AAR/Lilly teaching workshop in the Upper Midwest Region.
The Wabash grant helped them to begin to recognize through their teaching experience in the classroom, what they had learned in the AAR/Lilly teaching workshop. The ability to have safe, positive relationships with peers allowed them to become more critically reflective of their teaching practices and course goals. It also assisted them in their ability to test out new methods with teaching colleagues.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a meeting to discuss revising the guidelines for Theological Field education in Presbyterian Church (USA) Theological Schools.

Learning Abstract :
The Guidelines for Theological Field Education in Master of Divinity Programs at Presbyterian Church (USA) Theological Seminaries provides a framework for theological field education programs incorporating the Association of Theological Schools Standards for the M.Div. degree. These guidelines follow legal requirements and expectations, and define the contexts and conditions under which students can acquire the experience and competencies necessary for the practice of ministry. While these guidelines emerge from a Presbyterian Church (USA) context, they can serve as a model for other denominations and theological schools in developing their own programs for theological field education.

Proposal abstract :
While scholarship about the “millennial generation” and its impact on higher education abounds, a significant gap in the literature exists when it comes to examining the implications of the new millennial conditions for teaching and learning in the disciplines of religious and theological studies. This project aims to: 1) map out the available literature to illuminate the distinct characteristics of the millennial generation and the institutional challenges of teaching in the new millennial conditions; 2) begin developing teaching resources to address the challenges and opportunities entailed in teaching this generation in religious/theological studies; and 3) continue collaborative work for a larger grant proposal on a related topic. This grant will build upon previous work on the topic of teaching millennials, begun during the 2009-10 Pre-Tenure Workshop for College/University Faculty by bringing together five workshop participants at the AAR in November 2010 for a one-day workshop (Monday afternoon-midday Tuesday).

Learning Abstract :
According to a range of sources, the students entering North American universities today - often dubbed the "millennial generation" - come from a world in which they have always been connected. The impact of these conditions for teaching and learning remains largely unknown, and the emerging literature to this effect is at least passionate if not consistent. Understanding the conditions and characteristics of millennial students, such as their degree of media literacies, concepts of multiple integrated identities, and altered experience of embodiment, should be a priority for professors of theology and religious studies. Not only do these students increasingly define the context of our teaching, but more importantly many of the learning objectives of theology and religious studies also uniquely position teachers in these disciplines to engage students in developing a critical perspective on this millennial context.

Proposal abstract :
Two-day meeting of faculty from the eleven seminaries of the Episcopal Church to focus on theological pedagogy and the vocation of seminary educators. Leader of the event will be Parker Palmer.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather together members of the faculties of all the seminaries of the Episcopal Church for a conference on issues of pedagogy and vocation fro teachers in theological seminaries. They hoped to begin a conversation about issues of teaching and vocation among Episcopal seminary teachers, which would then be continued in the individual seminaries. They also hoped to build collegiality, solidarity, collaboration and cooperation among Episcopal educators and seminaries.
Virtually the entire faculties of the 11 Episcopal seminaries attended for a total of 110 participants. The conference was led by Parker Palmer. The final report indicates, "The agenda was intensive, and the focus clear. In the evaluations, many participants noted that the conference exceeded our original expectations and was the occasion of the highest quality for learning about these issues." Participants expressed a deeper sense of their vocation as teachers as a result of the conference. Individual seminaries report ongoing conversation as a result of the conference.

Proposal abstract :
Consultation to initiate communication among faculty who represent various perspectives on the integration of religion, spirituality, and psychology to improve theoretical and practical educational models and to extend the repertoire of approaches and resources for teaching and learning.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather pastoral counselors together for a consultation whose aim was to bring into dialogue three groups of faculty who represent three distinct, "nonconversant perspectives" on the integration of religion/spirituality and psychology. Three groups of individuals gathered: (1) liberal Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish faculty, (2) Evangelical Christian faculty, and (3) psychologists who are interested in religious issues. The goal of the consultation was communication between the groups and examining theoretical and practical educational models in their work.
The participants agreed that their knowledge of educational models was developed in ways useful for their individual teaching. Their preconceptions about their differences were challenged and they found that they had much more in common than previously realized. They learned that their points of difference were more inline with the divisions between empirical and theoretical research that is present in the field of psychology generally. A major success of the consultation that contributed to overall learning was the opportunity to form personal relationships with colleagues who represent different perspectives.

Proposal abstract :
The purpose of the project is to inspire and resource teaching and learning in religion, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding in higher education, especially schools of theology and religion. The project will bring together educators in theology and religion to: 1) consult on the state of teaching and research in religion, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding; 2) discern emerging pedagogies for teaching and learning in this field; 3) strategize how to institutionalize such teaching and learning in sustainable ways; and 4) strengthen networks for ongoing collaboration This project is being sponsored by Boston University School of Theology and its Religion and Conflict Transformation Program, in collaboration with the JustPeace Center for Mediation and Conflict Transformation of the United Methodist Church and The Boston Theological Institute.

Learning Abstract :
The Consultation, "Teaching Religion, Conflict Transformation, and Peacebuilding," revealed the healing contours of a relatively new movement in theological school and higher education. The movement studies the role of religion in stirring and sustaining conflict, and the simultaneous power of religion to inspire and guide the transformative work of forgiveness, restorative justice, trauma healing, and reconciliation. We discovered that many schools' mission statements support this emerging field with accents on social transformation; programs in the field have expanded significantly in the last decade; and effective pedagogies accentuate mentoring, narratives, pilgrimages, hard conversations, collaboration, meditation, and action-reflection. We also learned that, to advance the movement, we need to continue sharing our best pedagogies and programs. The conversation begun in this Consultation will continue through the creation of a support network and resource pool. An interfaith consultation is also being planned to expand the conversation within Abrahamic traditions.

Proposal abstract :
In January 2008, a conference will be held at Brandeis University on the teaching of rabbinic literature, as part of an ongoing research project at the Mandel Center entitled the Initiative on Bridging Scholarship and Pedagogy in Jewish Studies. This conference will bring together teachers and scholars of rabbinic literature from colleges and universities, rabbinical seminaries, institutes for advanced Jewish studies, synagogues, and k-12 schools. In addition to learning with and from one another, the conference will promote the power and the potential of teaching among the participants. And most importantly, the conference will contribute to the development of the scholarship of teaching rabbinic literature - a sub-field of the scholarship of teaching that is in its infancy - through the publication of papers and presentations.

Learning Abstract :
This project was based on a hypothesis that teachers and scholars of rabbinic literature from a variety of settings would be intrigued by the prospect of coming together to explore the teaching of their subject. That hypothesis proved to be correct. For two days, over 200 people attended presentations on everything from teaching midrash to children, to teaching the history of ancient Israel to college students, to teaching halakhic literature to adults. The energy and enthusiasm of the participants was corroborated by robust evaluation data. And videos of the presentations have already been downloaded thousands of times. Alongside the sense of accomplishment, however, is a renewed appreciation of the difficulty of developing the scholarship of teaching. Countless hours were invested to encourage presenters to move beyond exploration of fascinating aspects of the subject to fascinating (or better, troublesome) aspects of teaching the subject, and from advocacy to disciplined inquiry. Naturally, some investments paid off more than others.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a two-day collegial conference with invited faculty of world religions from across the state of Kansas. Participants in the conference will share information about courses taught, learn adult teaching methodologies, develop a collegial network, and discover resources for teaching world religions.

Learning Abstract :
Two colloquia were held last year to discuss the teaching of world religions in the community colleges of Kansas. A total of twenty different individuals from nine different community colleges attended. The other colleges, though invited, were unable to send a representative. Of the 14 participants (along with the project co-directors) who attended the second meeting, 11 were repeat attendees, thus affirming the value of our gathering. We were in agreement that teaching courses in the field of world religions presents a number of challenges in today's socio-cultural context. Some of these challenges are inherent in teaching within any area that touches on personal beliefs and traditions. Others can be attributed to ever-changing current events and rhetoric. Our colloquia demonstrated that we can provide each other not only with printed resources (such as syllabi, text suggestions, and methodological techniques), but also with colleagues with whom we can discuss these resources in our specific socio-cultural context.

Proposal abstract :
This project will support a colloquium with selected religion teachers from Kansas community colleges to discuss the following questions: 1) How do the teachers of religion in the community colleges of Kansas assess student learning in their classrooms? 2) Is there incorporation of belief structures in course content and/or assessment? 3) What quantitative and qualitative testing methods are employed? 4) Are there additional assessment tools that teachers should utilize? 5) What is the role of the institution’s assessment requirements? The primary goal is to increase awareness of the importance of assessment and to offer increased skills in the development of classroom assessment tools.

Learning Abstract :
We assess student learning in religion classes in a variety of ways allowing room for student creativity and personal engagement. Although personal beliefs are part of the conversation, the conclusion was that testing should require the student to present the facts/teachings of course texts. The process design of the meeting generated a list of quantitative and qualitative assessment methods. If there is one area that represents the greatest area of learning in this colloquium, it is to be flexible and open to variety.

The two exciting outcomes of this colloquium are discussed above. One is the formalization of Association for Kansas Community College Teachers of Religious Studies and the other is the possibility of an additional state colloquium and organization for the future. The only disappointing aspect of the meeting was that a number of possible participants had last minute conflicts and were unable to attend.

Proposal abstract :
Professors of religious studies and theology successfully integrate textual study, social history, ethnography, and other approaches into their classrooms, but a sensitivity to and sensibility of religious constructions of space and place - central components to religious experience - are often neglected. This workshop challenges us to add the study of space and place to our courses.

Learning Abstract :
The Wabash grant funded this American Academy of Religion pre-meeting workshop on space, place, and religious meaning. The workshop re-affirmed that there is an interest among religious studies faculty and graduate students in not only developing a sensitivity to religious space and place, but in addressing the question of how to employ such ideas in the classroom to make the religions being taught come alive, whether in historical or contemporary perspective. This workshop worked on the pedagogical development of the study of religious space and place by including an introduction to theoretical leaders in the field and a panel discussion by teacher/scholars who already employ such techniques in their classrooms. Workshop facilitators learned that there is an even greater need in such a context for hands-on examples and development of teaching strategies relevant to those teaching about religious traditions, and that we should consider offering such a workshop in the future, as well as continue to work on the development of a suitable Handbook on Religious Space and Place which would be an asset for all teachers of religion.

Proposal abstract :
1/2 day pre-conference (AAR/SBL) workshop to discuss classroom integration of experiential and academic knowledge and practices by utilizing the resources of the Peabody School at Vanderbilt Univ. and a team from Belmont Univ. The participants will evaluate the impact of experiential learning by publishing their findings and a bibliography and by creating a Listserv and/or Website.

Learning Abstract :
The grant sought funding for a pre-conference meeting before the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion on the topic of experiential learning and service learning. They hoped to solidify a network of academics in religion and theology involved in community-based, experiential or service learning teaching. They also hoped to explore further issues related to the integration of experiential and academic knowledge in the classroom.
One part of the workshop focused on evaluation of service learning, led by Dwight Giles, professor at the Peabody School at Vanderbilt University. Another topic considered the nature of community partnerships. One key insight from this session was a discussion on understanding that community-based learning is demanding and not for all teachers. It is important that the teacher do the work along with the student. Finally, a faculty-librarian partnership discussed their work with students in a school that serves a poor neighborhood. As a result of the workshop further work in service learning was planned for the next AAR annual meeting.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a consultation to bring together professors of youth ministry from various mainline Protestant seminaries, divinity schools, and schools of theology in order to a) determine current curricula and pedagogical practices in teaching youth ministry and b) enhance the teaching of youth ministry through sharing resources, approaches, and discussing pedagogical and theological commitments underlying the teaching of youth ministry.

Learning Abstract :
The project director reports that the consultation was held in October of 2003 with 18 participants. The topics that most significantly affected their teaching as professors of youth ministry were the following: 1) the youth culture that is "technology-driven multitasking" requires teaching practices that "engage multiple levels of thought simultaneously"; 2) the need to teach youth ministry "as a means of laying foundation for a lifetime of formation" in theological reflection; and 3) the need to recognize a "theology from youth perspectives" and therefore, "teach forms of youth ministry that problematize the questions of youth rather than assuming we know what those questions and answers are."

Proposal abstract :
A one-day consultation in October 2008, Teaching Spirituality Well, will bring together teacher-scholars of spirituality in order to explore “best practices” in teaching/learning spirituality and to develop potential strategies for the facilitation and support of those practices within educational institutions. Christian spirituality as a relatively new but established academic discipline is already committed to innovative teaching for the reciprocal integration of classical faith traditions and students’ vocational pursuits. The consultation will build on four years of annual pedagogical-learning sessions to address the increasing importance of teaching spirituality well for the greatest transformative impact on student learning.

Learning Abstract :
The most immediate impact of the consultation on participants was renewed collegiality and enhanced energy for constructive imagining of the future of SSCS as an association of teachers-scholars involved in transformative teaching-learning in spirituality. There was new appreciation of the founding voices, now clearly complemented by the next generation of leadership within the Society. New questions surfaced and some new conceptual voices entered the conversation. Greater interest in collaboration across constituencies and academic societies also emerged. The project is therefore affecting the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality in some generative ways - i.e., future topics for shared investigation, renewed methodological inquiries across disciplines, clarification of methods for best teaching-learning practices within classroom settings, and broader inquiries into the impact of teaching-learning spirituality within the public domain.

Success for this consultation is defined largely by the clarity of focus, extent of leadership-membership contribution, and apparent bridging of scholarship-teaching concerns for "teaching spirituality well." Short-term success can be seen first in the successful focusing of attention on the three working theme-clusters. It was no mean feat to facilitate strong-minded scholars into just three working groups. Consultation participants clearly engaged the topics with energy and were able to provide leadership of the public session, facilitating contribution of insights by over 100 attendant voices. In both the day-long and public events, there was a good diversity between learner-centered issues and teacher-scholar-centered ones, suggesting the groups bridged the theory-practice split quite well. Long-term success of the venture remains to be demonstrated. A task force of the SSCS governing board is discerning next steps for deepening the conversation for the Society as a whole.

Proposal abstract :
Ecumenical consultation to explore how best to prepare students in a holistic way to be spiritual formators for others.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought funds for a consultation on teaching spiritual formation with faculty and practitioners in seminaries, theology schools, and spiritual formation programs in the Chicago area. The consultation would help participants clarify the focus and effectiveness of their teaching, particularly in light of the holistic approach to teaching that is different in important ways from a traditional classroom focus on lecture, reading and research papers.
A day long consultation was held, with the group divided equally between professors and practitioners. The topics discussed included the following: challenges in doing or teaching spiritual formation; how the students are like or unlike the "formators"; the main components and chief goals of "spiritually formative processes"; and implications of these reflections on teaching.

Proposal abstract :
3-day meeting of women professional theologians to expand and develop a conversation about theological vocation, including mentors and mentoring, identity of the theologian, and the scholar’s relation to Christian tradition.

Learning Abstract :
Project sought to explore issues that face women who are dedicated to a life of faith within the Christian church yet who also work within an academic theological context. The conversation would be developed through a three-day conference. They hope to generate a vocabulary to make such discussions easier, as well as to discover and share resources for the integration of voice and vocation.
From the conference, the group discovered several "middles ways" that they need to negotiate. One involved the role of their personal spiritual lives in relation to their academic professional lives, particularly represented in the religious studies discourse. Another negotiated middle involved radical and conservative ideologies in regards to feminist sensibilities. Other issues involved generational distinctions, social location, and secular contexts.

Proposal abstract :
New social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube along with a number of RSS feeds, search aggregators, and blogging portals have dramatically changed the way information is shared and knowledge is developed. Students under 40 - the so-called “Net Generation” that came of age along with internet technology-increasingly rely on social media as an integral part of a mode of participatory, collaborative learning that educators can productively engage when they better understand how social media works at the level of epistemology, identity-formation, pedagogy, and practical classroom use. To support instructors efforts to understand and utilize social media for pedagogical purposes, CDSP and the GTU library are collaborating on a two-part colloquium which provide an overview of the new social media landscape and its pedagogical implication and provide opportunities for practice with social networking tools and expert feedback.

Learning Abstract :
The objectives of the workshop were to introduce participants to shifts in social consciousness associated with changes in social media and to familiarize them with the major social media tools that are participating in this shift. While the workshop was not a "how to" session in the sense that learners were not instructed on the ins and outs of various tools, participants did work with tools such as Facebook, YouTube, Twiter, and Wikipedia by way of experimenting with ways of integrating both the tools themselves and emerging modes of participative collaborative learning in the context of theological education.

Proposal abstract :
In this historical moment of postmodernity, religious plurality, methodological diversity and shift from a politics of identity to those of ideology, there is an emerging “third wave” within womanist religious scholarship. Here religious scholars maintain womanist heritage and terminology while challenging the assumptions of a previous generation and exploring new areas of inquiry. This project invites a discussion on learning and teaching among established and emerging religious scholars who identify their scholarship as being part of this “third wave” in womanist religious thought. Participants will discuss personal educational experiences of learning womanist religious thought, and share strategies, techniques and syllabi for teaching womanist religious thought. This will take place during a two and one-half day conference on “Third Wave Womanist Religious Thought” at the Claremont School of Theology in February 2010.

Learning Abstract :
We gathered fifteen scholars who identified all of or part of their work as
"third wave" womanist religious thought. In seeking data about how this new
wave is forming, we learned: 1) Context matters: how the information and
discourse is learned, transmitted, and mediated affects assumptions,
connections, and conclusions about the nature and meaning of womanist
religious thought (WRT). Most scholars learned WRT through written resources
in formal graduate education settings. 2) Mode of Transmission: paying
particular attention to the influences of WRT affects the impact that WRT
had on the formation of participants' own intellectual production. Most
scholars referenced the impact of the writings of Delores Williams and Alice
Walker, while expressing variations about the role of womanist mentors. 3)
Naming: feelings of exclusion in larger descriptions of womanist (around
race, gender and sexual identity) affect identification of one's work as
womanist. All scholars expressed respect for the tradition from whence the
third wave emerges while maintaining an eager passion to advance the field
in new and exciting ways. Participants shared syllabi and felt it helpful
for expanding their reading lists in terms of their own research and future
syllabus construction. Many of these syllabi will be posted online.

Proposal abstract :
This consultation will gather fifteen Asian and Asian North American scholars drawn from diverse religious studies and theological subfields for a five-day retreat in Southern California to address concerns that are particular for Asian North American faculty in mid-career and to attempt a longitudinal mentoring plan for Asian North American faculty in different stages of their career.

Learning Abstract :
The Mid-Career Asian and Asian North American Religion and Theology Faculty Colloquy gathered 13 participants at Claremont School of Theology in the summers of 2016 and 2017 for reflection on mid-career challenges and issues, including teaching, research, career development, mentoring, and the balance of life and work. Participants took field trips to Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple and the Jain Center of Southern California to understand Asian religious communities' contribution to society. The colloquy helped participants to reflect on their past experiences as teachers, articulate visions and vocations as teachers and scholars, develop long-term career plans, identify issues in their institutional contexts, and recognize new strategies and resources in their work. It provided a supportive environment for participants to share their vulnerabilities and discuss intricate racial politics in religious studies departments and seminaries. Participants will use various Asian North American networks to strengthen communication and collaborative work. We hope to disseminate findings from the colloquy through publications, blogs, and podcasts.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a faculty seminar to explore inclusion of the performative dimension of Catholic ritual and practice in eight undergraduate courses across the curriculum that examine religion.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to re-connect participation, ritual, practice and performance more adequately to classroom pedagogy and scholarship about Catholicism. Through a faculty seminar, it hoped to explore the performative dimension of Catholicism and of Catholic knowledge. Specifically, they hoped to exchange ideas on how to enhance aspects of their courses to include aspects of ritual and practice in Catholicism.
Twelve faculty members met for a four-day interdisciplinary seminar on teaching, research, and writing about the bodily and performative dimensions of Roman Catholicism. Faculty representation was in the areas of religious studies, philosophy, psychology, Spanish, sociology-anthropology and visual arts. Each scholar shared scholarship on practices of Catholicism from their discipline, reflecting upon pedagogical strategies that help to teach that practice. The project director reports that faculty were highly engaged with the discussion and found the seminar stimulating and useful. Participant evaluations bear this out.

Proposal abstract :
The aim of this grant is to provide ongoing learning for the members of the College Theology Society (CTS), an academic society comprised of more than 900 members from colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, in relationship to addressing race specifically, and diversity in general in the classroom. We seek to provide resources and support that extend beyond those offered in our respective institutions to a cohort of 15-20 faculty who have expressed a desire to deepen the “gifts” of diversity and to tackle its challenges. We propose doing so through two 1.5 day workshops in June 2010 and June 2011--”Making Visible the Invisible” and “Unlearning Privilege: The Classroom as Spiritually and Socially Transformative Space.” Both will immediately proceed our annual convention and be facilitated by experts in this area of scholarship and pedagogy. The workshops will be linked by a year-long on-line colloquium through the CTS website.

Learning Abstract :
The aim of this grant was to provide ongoing learning experiences for the members of College Theology Society, an academic society comprised of members from colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, in relationship to addressing race specifically, and diversity in general in the theology/religious studies classroom. Three questions oriented our inquiry: 1) What are the gifts and opportunities of having difference in the classroom? This objective of exploring the gift and challenge of race and diversity is easy to say but very difficult to enact. The struggle of this learning does not involve an inability to understand concepts at arms length and on an intellectual level, something we as academics are well equipped to do. Rather it involves the far more demanding capacity to reflect on affective learning in the here and now, not only in the context of our classrooms but also in the context of our relationships among each other as fellow members of an academic enterprise. The skills we acquire in intentionally engaging the diversity among ourselves will translate into ways of being in the classroom that do the same. 2) What are the challenges of having difference in the classroom? Issues of power within a group intensify the struggling to explore issues of diversity. The vulnerability of untenured faculty and various roles in the academy must be accounted for in order for all members to engage constructively issues of diversity. Addressing the power dynamics at work among group members will shed light on dynamics that undoubtedly shape interactions in our classrooms as well. 3) What can CTS do to promote the gifts and help with the challenges of teaching in a diverse classroom? Throughout the workshop the need became clear for a multi-dimensional approach to identity (race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, status within the academy) in order to adequately account for the reality of oppression. To engage in this work it is necessary to have a community of scholars committed to this inquiry to critically explore white privilege, racism, sexism, and homophobia.

Proposal abstract :
This grant will support a planning session of current officers and other key leaders of the Association for Case Teaching, including selected members from each major region of the country to meet for three goals: 1) the revision of the organizational structure in order to facilitate regional offerings of workshops; 2) the development of a strategic plan for increasing ACT’s visibility and recruitment of potential workshop participants; and 3) the refinement of case study curricula.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to fund a gathering of the executive committee of the Association for Case Teaching, in order to revision their organizational structure, to develop a strategic plan for reaching a wider constituency, and to refine their curricula for varied expressions of the case study workshop. The discussion was organized around the following topics: Learnings (revisiting Future Search goals), Leanings (rearticulating vision and establishing priorities), Landings (strategies and proposals regarding structure, leadership and funding), and Leaps (assigned responsibilities).
In order to nurture their vision for increased presence and workshops offerings regionally, they agreed to offer advanced training in the Case Method in conjunction with the annual workshops. They also created criteria for matching their organization to an appropriate home base, and developed improved Board procedures. Finally, they continued to develop ways of making their resources available electronically.

Proposal abstract :
Support for consultations to increase the capacity of PC (USA) related theological schools and their professors to teach public leadership, to foster the creation of a cadre of faculty members in each seminary that are able to teach public leadership, and to foster the development of clergy and clergy-in-training to be public and ministerial leaders. The grant also supports the investigation of how best to learn and teach public leadership.

Learning Abstract :
The series of Consultations on Teaching Public Leadership held by participating seminaries of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. defined the meaning of the term public leadership-one of the stated goals of the Association of Theological Schools for the Master of Divinity degree. The Consultations developed measurable learning outcomes for M.Div. programs to equip theological students to become public leaders of congregations and agencies. New courses were developed and others revised that include the cultivation of public leadership skills as an important part of their learning objectives. An audit of best practices used by the participating seminaries to teach public leadership indicated an array of courses that address this issue throughout the curriculum of the institutions, but it also exposed a lack of recognition by many faculty of the importance of teaching public leadership as part of the mission of the schools.

Proposal abstract :
We find ourselves constantly striving to stay current with the means and opportunities of new media. We propose to bring new media specialists into dialogue with Christian education faculty of four theological seminaries in Atlanta to create a space where faculty can envision ways to advance teaching and learning about theology and religion in a media literate culture. By understanding how new media and technologies are developing and how they will impact the way future generations communicate, collaborate, socialize, do research, persuade, teach and learn, we expect to improve the ways in which we meet the needs of younger seminarians. The rapidity and pervasiveness of the change challenges professors of Christian education to new networks of learning. The consultation we propose will open for us new knowledge and new networks of learning.

Learning Abstract :
The intention behind this small grant was to bring together Christian education professors from the four Atlanta area theological schools: Candler School of Theology at Emory University, MacAfee School of Theology at Mercer University, Interdenominational Theological Center, and Columbia Theological Seminary to discuss with cutting age new media developers and educators the latest trends in online education. This meant coordinating many schedules of many different institutions and individuals. To some extent the event that was held on May 2, 2009 was a success as we had representatives from both the academic community and the technology sages, although not as many as we hoped. The evaluations were positive and participants learned a lot about virtual worlds, electronic textbooks, and other social internet media. We hope to continue this learning through an electronic social media site with Christian education professors in other locations.

Proposal abstract :
Ten seminary colleagues of differing race, ethnicity, and gender will be invited to join in a process of reflection and analysis of their character and practice as teachers by participating in two workshops based upon the pedagogical model of transformative mediation.

Learning Abstract :
This project was designed as a collaborative investigation of the applicability of the theory of transformative mediation to teaching in the seminary classroom. To that end, the project director invited nine colleagues to participate in two workshops during the fall and spring semesters of the 2003-2004 academic year and to complete weekly exercises for self-reflection and self-assessment during the fall semester.

Participants expressed appreciation for the opportunity to reflect on their teaching both individually and with a small group of colleagues. The single consistent criticism was difficulty with finding time every week to write out responses to the weekly exercises on-line. If this project were undertaken in the future, the participants might be organized in dialogue dyads or triads bi-weekly to discuss the impact of the theory's insights on their teaching.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a project that brings together faculty in the New York City area to discuss best practices in the teaching of urban religions, build and solidify connections among regional scholars, and to assess and generate strategies for teaching about religious life in New York City.

Learning Abstract :
Our consultation successfully identified and brought together a large proportion of the New York metro areas' scholars whose research and teaching centers on the city and its religions. The breadth of expertise and scholarly and pedagogical issues and ideas mirror the diversity of the city. Nonetheless, all scholars shared interests in teaching religions as dynamic, living communities, and pursuing new strategies of teaching (through encounter, oral history, ethnographic and historical research, and interactive web-based learning). Likewise, the group identified several areas and arenas that demand scholarly attention and scholarly collaboration, including community based studies focused on multiple religious organizations from multiple traditions, and the formalization of data collection methods and theoretical frameworks.

Proposal abstract :
There is no suitable undergraduate textbook for professors who want to teach courses in globally inclusive and critically engaged philosophy of religion. Nearly every English-language, undergraduate textbook in philosophy of religion limits itself to the philosophical issues of theistic religion (Christianity, really); those that include “non-western” religious philosophies simply tack them on to the categories and issues of theistic philosophy of religion. We propose a summer pedagogy workshop on “global-critical” philosophy of religion. The workshop would bring together ten scholars whose areas of specialization collectively cover four fields: religious philosophies of the world, comparative religion, traditional philosophy of religion, and method and theory in the study of religion. For two full days, we will work together to create a syllabus, collect course readings, and address the underlying pedagogical issues related to teaching philosophy of religion globally and critically.

Learning Abstract :
Our project was a two-day workshop in "global-critical philosophy of religion" (GCPR) that aimed to produce a syllabus for an undergraduate course in philosophy of religion (PR) that is religiously inclusive and critically engaged. Fifteen scholars, representing a variety of area specializations and philosophical styles, discussed the structure, content, and objectives of the course, but failed to complete the syllabus. One thing that we learned is that our project is only a modest, first step toward reforming PR at the undergraduate level; what is really needed is an undergraduate textbook in GCPR. Another thing that we learned is that there is considerable difference about how to do GCPR, especially with respect to raising questions of truth and value about a global diversity of religious philosophies. Nevertheless, we hope that when our syllabus is completed, it will provide others with a different model for teaching PR at the undergraduate level.

Proposal abstract :
Funding will help support the second conference of the Society for Teaching Comparative Philosophy, to be held at Drake University in July 2015. The conference goals are to provide educators in our field with pedagogical resources, to further our field’s contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning, and to promote the inclusion of global and multicultural perspectives in philosophy and religion classrooms at the undergraduate level. The small project grant from the Wabash Center will help cover travel expenses and stipends for workshop leaders and invited speakers, as well as catering costs for a 2-day conference. Our pedagogical materials will be shared on the STCP’s website, and selected presentations will be eligible for inclusion in an upcoming special issue of the journal ASIANetwork Exchange.

Learning Abstract :
The 2015 Meeting of the Society for Teaching Comparative Philosophy brought to the foreground the politicized nature of comparative philosophy as a field. As teachers, our practices in the classroom impact our students' perceptions of cultural diversity and their capacities for cross-cultural dialogue. Hence, the question of pedagogy necessarily entails that we as teachers critically interrogate our own assumptions, not only about what we do in the classroom, but about how we understand the parameters of "comparative philosophy" as a methodology. Indeed, the challenges we face in the classroom are often catalysts for critical scholarly inquiry. This productive relationship between teaching and scholarship has become one of the key values that the STCP seeks to foster.

Proposal abstract :
Sexuality, more so than other subject areas, magnifies the embodied nature of teaching and learning as well as conspicuously silences open dialogue given its taboo status in many religious and theological contexts. Students need to be equipped to consider affective and contextual issues of sexuality in the context of their overall educational formation. Instructors need constructive pedagogical strategies for teaching sexuality across a variety of cultural contexts and religious traditions in order to deal effectively, responsibly, and explicitly with classroom dynamics and institutional contexts. We will convene eleven professors with expertise teaching sexuality and religion across disciplines, from diverse institutional and religious contexts, to: 1) identify the unique aspects of the religious or theological context contributing to the null curriculum related to sexuality; and 2) develop pedagogical strategies to overcome these constrictions, which we will then implement and share at our home institutions, a national conference, and through peer-reviewed publication(s).

Learning Abstract :
Sexuality, more so than other subject areas, magnifies the embodied nature of teaching and learning as well as conspicuously silences open dialogue given its taboo status in many religious and theological contexts. Yet, student learning about sexuality that incorporates knowledge of and about religion, in particular, may greatly improve the public discourse about sexuality through our students as responsible citizens and as leaders in their chosen professions. To bridge this gap, a collaborative group of professors and instructors with expertise and experience teaching sexuality and religion in a variety of disciplines and diverse institutional and religious contexts developed, tested, and refined classroom teaching strategies to shift from a content-based "subject matter" to an embodied learning experience, resulting in perspective transformation as a primary student-learning outcome. Findings in the form of "guiding questions," encourage instructors to attend to contextual, experiential and performative aspects of the classroom environment.

Proposal abstract :
Support for an African-American cohort group to engage the central question of how our embodiment of Black Church/Black Theology/Black culture influences our teaching in theological and religious studies. Goals include: charting the impact that Black presence has had on theological pedagogy; consideration of the liminality of Black theological education at this critical time in its history; and to write an anthology concerning the influence and embodiment of Blackness on theological education.

Learning Abstract :
In our research about the presence, influence, role and contribution of African-American professors on the classrooms of religion and theological education, it was our hunch that white supremacy and patriarchy are still a major obstacle and genuine threat that demands critical strategy both in the identity politic with colleagues and also in the classrooms with our students. We suspected that the presence of race is a critical aspect to the curriculum in general and the teaching practices, specifically. We wanted to analyze the teaching practices that Black professors have developed and have come to rely upon that will push-through or thwart some of the racism, classism, and sexism involved in teaching and learning. During our research, we rehearsed a multiplicity of issues and strategies which a Black professor negotiates daily and which White colleagues are not burdened by. We were fascinated at the amount of attention the presence of our Black bodies, our literal physicality, received in the classroom and have written about these issues of body. A major thread of our work had to do with the role and strategies we use to educate others about their own racist behaviors that keep them from a critical understanding necessary in our disciplines and subject matter. And significant time has been spent by our group advising, discussing and strategizing on ways of maintaining health, sanity, creativity, and faith.

Proposal abstract :
The Bible has historically comprised a core component of the Humanities at PC(USA) liberal arts colleges, given the latter’s indebtedness to Judeo-Christian traditions. Herein a challenge for biblical studies teachers resides in contestations over content, method, and interpretive authority, alongside the Bible’s disputed importance in college curricula. At the same time, the Bible is a potential resource for helping students to ask “big questions.” This project will bring together biblical studies teachers at five PC(USA) liberal arts colleges for three workshops over the next year, wherein we aim to develop a collaborative, supportive atmosphere and think about ways to understand similarities and differences between our teaching personae and practices. Rather than rehearse oppositions between “faith” and “intellect” in teaching biblical studies, we will embrace three intersecting sites for exploring pedagogical dilemmas and strategies: values identification and spiritual life, critical thinking and interconnectedness of knowledge, and community-integrative education and civic engagement.

Learning Abstract :
This project aimed to consider a range of questions facing teachers of biblical studies at PC(USA) liberal arts colleges, including: a) what specific resources the Presbyterian higher-educational heritage offers for contemporary biblical-studies pedagogies; b) how teachers of biblical literature at PC(USA) liberal arts colleges might overcome dichotomous understandings of biblical studies pedagogies as being either rooted in "seminary" or "university" models; c) how teaching the Bible with undergraduates at PC(USA) liberal arts colleges can be enhanced through challenging supposed oppositions ("faith"/"intellect," "believers"/"non-believers"); d) how the Bible, which historically has occupied a central place in liberal arts curricula, might be best encountered in a contemporary liberal arts setting - with contemporary students; and e) how teachers of biblical literature in these settings might learn from each other and clarify our own pedagogical orientation to the material that we share, embracing a holistic vision of what teaching the Bible can be and do.

Proposal abstract :
This consultation will gather Religious Studies faculty who are currently engaged in mentoring undergraduate research or are leaders in the field of teaching and learning in Religious Studies to discuss critical questions related to defining undergraduate research in the discipline and plans for developing resources that might be helpful for faculty who are engaged in mentoring undergraduate research.

Learning Abstract :
The success achieved by meeting the proposed goals for this Consultation affirms the strong desire and need for sustained reflection on the nature and role of Undergraduate Research in Religious Studies. Unlike many other disciplines, ours is in the early stages of conversation about Undergraduate Research. Religious Studies faculty are doing Undergraduate Research in response to the pressures and supports of their institutions and in the paucity of discipline specific discussion and resources. As a result, Consultation participants were necessarily engaging the general issues, key questions and specific details pertaining to Undergraduate Research, simultaneously identifying theoretical and practical concerns and goals. The Consultation cultivated both an excitement and an appreciation for the depth and breadth of the subsequent work to be done. The discussions, debates and work generated by this Consultation demonstrate that there are significant issues and theoretical differences that require further consideration in attention to the planning and implementation of the Consultation, the co-directors learned that the work entailed was significant and that we should have budgeted for a stipend.

Proposal abstract :
Over an eighteen-month period, this Working Group will engage in the development of the theoretical and practical issues pertaining to the distinctive processes and aims of Undergraduate Research in Religious Studies. Sustained attention to the place of Undergraduate Research in higher education nationally, its origin in the methodological framework of the natural sciences, and the current state of this pedagogy in our discipline and on our campuses, makes this work timely and necessary. Sustained conversation regarding the theoretical issues related to Undergraduate Research in the field of Religious Studies will provide support for faculty development and will make a significant contribution to teaching and learning in Theology and Religious Studies.

Learning Abstract :
The Working Group on Undergraduate Research in Religious Studies successfully accomplished the stated goals of this grant in the allotted time period. Sustained thought and discussion was given to the primary theoretical issues related to Undergraduate Research in Religious Studies, and to relevant pedagogical methods and processes for promoting excellence in Undergraduate Research in Religious Studies. Through the completion of a variety of dissemination tasks in our classrooms, the academy, and organizations focused on UR, the members of this Working Group promoted institutional and disciplinary support for Undergraduate Research in Religious Studies and have become emerging leaders in this pedagogy. The desire and commitment to locate ongoing efforts to continue this work past the grant period on the part of Working Group members attests to an appreciation for the subsequent work that can still be done.

Proposal abstract :
A project to develop teaching materials and strategies to meet the special needs of Asian, Asian American, and Asian Canadian women students of religion. These funds will enable three university faculty to join the ATS funded project.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to develop teaching materials and instructional strategies for teaching Asian and Asian American/ Canadian women's theologies in North America. The integrated project team would gather in Cambridge Mass. to create a text for use in the academy.
The report was created, including three sample syllabi. The report included the following topics: 1. the teaching of Asian and Asian North American theologies in the U.S. and Canada; 2. teaching materials and instructional strategies for teaching Asian and Asian North American theologies; 3. Asian and Asian North American women as faculty and students; and recommendations to institution.

Proposal abstract :
Three day conference to promote discussion between scholars across disciplines (theology, religious studies, history) about teaching religions in the American South, emphasizing the uses of electronic media.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to fund an interdisciplinary, multimedia conference entitled "Religion in the American South: Toward a renewed scholarship." They hoped to promote discussion between scholars in theology, religious studies and history about teaching religion in the American South with emphasis on electronic media.
The project director reports that the conference reinvigorated scholarly interest in religions in the South and emphasized the potential of the web for research and teaching in this area. It also promoted the exchange of ideas about teaching among conference participants.

Proposal abstract :
The growth of distance education in seminaries has generated an intense intramural debate among theological educators regarding the legitimacy of distance education for clergy preparation – in particular, spiritual formation. Hence, this project will tackle issues associated with nurturing spiritual formation among seminary students in a variety of contexts through a series of consultations over three years. Members of the consultations will come from Protestant ATS member schools representing those who currently use distance education and those who have resisted using it. A position paper will serve as a catalyst for dialogue and reflection at the first consultation. The second consultation will build on the first by suggesting ways in which spiritual formation can be facilitated through pedagogical strategies. The final consultation will continue the work of the previous two years and work toward creation of a working model for assessing spiritual formation in distance education. Project Goals. 1) Arrive at a consensus among consultation participants regarding a shared core of spiritual formation concepts that resonate across Protestant denominational and theological traditions, 2) Identify specific and unique problems posed by distance education regarding spiritual formation, 3) Propose specific pedagogical strategies that demonstrate spiritual formation in distance education, 4) Construct a preliminary assessment model that seeks to measure the impact of learning in distance education on the spiritual formation of students, 5) Disseminate findings and proposals through written essays, and 6) Create an online conference room for participants to engage in ongoing conversation about the topic.

Learning Abstract :
This consultation was able to produce a final working document for publication entitled "Spiritual Formation in Theological Distance Education: An Ecosystems Model." This document reflected the shared consensus of the group regarding the concept of spiritual formation and its application to online theological education. It also identified the two major problems of community formation and creating dialogue that could foster and sustain student spiritual formation regardless of course content and modes of delivery. Specific pedagogical strategies and a preliminary assessment tool were constructed and will be tested in future work. Dissemination of our findings can be found in publications and presentations available online and in periodicals.

Proposal abstract :
Teaching theologians, church leaders, and bishops will gather for two consultations between their regular biennial meetings to develop, identify and promote practices in pedagogy that are congruent with the theology of the ELCA.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather together teaching theologians of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and church leaders to clarify their vocation as teachers and to strengthen their roles in the life of the church. They hoped to develop ways of thinking and to initiate practices that better express and embody their vocation as teaching theologians. They also hoped to promote pedagogical practices congruent with the theology of the church.
The first consultation focused on the vocation of the teaching theologian in the ELCS. While no clear relationship between Lutheran theology and pedagogy was established, clear understanding of "Lutheran Leanings" in scholarship and teaching was articulated. It especially affirmed its character as requiring teachers to "teach in an ecclesially public manner." The second consultation focused on Evangelical theology and oversight in a pluralistic society. This allowed both bishops and teaching theologians to develop better common purpose and understanding of each other. An important outcome of the consultation was the proposal of a new association of teaching theologians in the ELCA who will meet regularly.

Proposal abstract :
Consultation to work on improving teaching and learning in the area of biblical studies through identifying strategies for the integration of the study of archaeology.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to convene scholars in a series of consultations devoted to integrating knowledge from the field of biblical archeology into biblical studies courses that have been traditionally limited to the literature of biblical cultures. It sought to identify ways to integrate the material culture of the biblical world into biblical studies courses, to consider new pedagogical strategies to that end, and to strategize practical approaches for integrating the work into syllabi.
The first consultation was dedicated to creating material for an anthology of practical strategies for integrating archeology into biblical studies. Participants' remarks became the basis of essays for the anthology. They also discussed teaching experiences in this area, syllabi and teaching materials. The second consultation was devoted to continued discussion on the anthology and the practical pedagogical issues it raised. Finally, they discussed ways to present accumulated teaching materials and specific resources.

Proposal abstract :
In response to the increasing prevalence of part-time instructors in Theology and Religious Studies courses, particularly in small Jesuit institutions, as well as in response to a challenging job market for the graduates of Jesuit doctoral programs in these disciplines, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities' conference of theology and religious studies chairs is proposing to create a national postdoctoral teaching fellowship program. The program would establish a cohort of three-year, non-renewable postdoctoral positions at participating institutions, which would provide young scholars with job security, teaching preparation, and professional mentorship, while also providing institutions an opportunity to shift away from dependence on part-time instructors. We propose to craft, during academic year 2016-17, a proposal for a Wabash doctoral grant that would underwrite the teaching preparation component of this project; the present proposal seeks support for a planning meeting in November 2016, in connection with the AAR/SBL annual meetings.

Learning Abstract :
The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) Theology and Religious Studies Chairs Conference held our November 2016 planning meeting in San Antonio, Texas. We had several interrelated goals for the November meeting. First, we sought to assess whether the institutions and departments represented by the AJCU chairs' conference would be willing to commit to establishing a nation-wide network of postdoctoral teaching fellowships in Theology and Religious Studies. This network, as we envisioned it, would both help smaller Jesuit institutions improve the quality of teaching in their theology or religious studies departments as well as provide recent graduates of Jesuit doctoral programs in theology and religious studies with a new set of professional opportunities. While these interconnected agenda items were the primary purpose for the gathering, we also took advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to assemble to conduct the usual business of the conference's annual meeting.

Proposal abstract :
This project aims to bring together a small working group of theologians and scholars representing Catholic, Protestant Mainline, Pentecostal and evangelical theologians, for a pre-conference workshop on November 18, 2011 in San Francisco. Recognizing that theology is still largely taught in traditional ways, which privileges the European-American tradition, this workshop will seek to explore resources and possible pedagogies for teaching theology in a transnational and global manner and proposing further strategies for developing a pedagogy for teaching Global Theology. The project is co-led by Kwok Pui Lan, Dwight N. Hopkins, and William A. Dyrness, professors with different types of expertise and connections to the international theological communities.

Learning Abstract :
This working group of 8-10 teachers and scholars, in two meetings, explored the challenge of teaching theology in a globalized world. The group began by reviewing current practices via sharing of syllabi and classroom experiences, and by reflecting on current challenges in the academy. The latter include indifference and the inertia within current curriculum and teaching strategies. In imagining a possible pedagogy for global theology, members isolated experiential learning, historical revisioning, and inter-religious focus as central to effective learning, especially as these both reflect and challenge the identity and needs of current theological students. Outcomes included plans for an AAR seminar, an active blog http://teachingtheology.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-is-transnational-pedagogy.html, and projection of a book on the pedagogy of global theology for the AAR series on teaching.

Proposal abstract :
Series of four full-day meetings that gather representatives from regional institutions that have introductory courses on Bible in the general education curriculum. Topics will consist of the rationale for the presence of such courses, the use of new communication technologies and evaluation/assessment in such courses, and consideration of the future cultural role of biblical studies.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to bring together representatives of colleges and universities from the Eastern Great Lakes region for a series of four consultations on the Bible and general education curriculum. The purpose of the consultation was to assess the rationale for those courses and to evaluate various methodologies used in teaching them. Ultimately, it hoped to examine and articulate the role of Biblical studies in the core curriculum of an
American university at the commencement of the 21st century.

They found that there is no one normative approach to Biblical texts in general educational curriculum. Rather, the curriculum should be learner centered, focusing on helping students to discover their own answers. Biblical courses will remain key to curriculum in the 21st century because of the ways in which Biblical literacy helps to create an historical reality by which to evaluate immediate experience. Also, it helps students read primary texts. Computer technology and the internet are key resources for teaching Bible in the 21st century.

Proposal abstract :
With this grant we want to bring together theological educators from across North America to share their experiences on the intersection of educational technologies and theological teaching and learning, and to explore new challenges – such as the proliferation of online and distance education-the digital culture presents to traditional concepts of theological education and spiritual formation.

Learning Abstract :
The conference was hosted jointly by Garrett-Evangelical and Kenrick-Glennon Seminary and sought to bring theological educators together to explore how to engage digital technologies (so prevalent in our society) in an ethical manner that invites seminary students to become proficient, adept end users and responsible decision-makers. An open invitation was sent to over 150 colleagues and theological institutions inviting their input and experience both as participants and as presenters to explore the influence of the digital culture on traditional models of theological education and spiritual formation to concepts of creation and creativity in technoculture and the virtual theology of cyberspace. A website for participants was established. The schedule for the conference was reduced from a Friday – Sunday format to a Friday – Saturday format. This move proved to be a miscalculation as it shortened the time for interaction between sessions and forced the scheduling of events too close to each other. Evaluations were done in the form of emails – giving participants time to reflect on the overall effect of the conference. There was a consensus of the respondents that it would probably be best to continue these conversations on an annual basis, though opinion varied as to where. The goals of the project were met and the discussion among the participants and their respective institutions will continue far beyond the confines of the conference.

Proposal abstract :
The event focuses on teaching and learning for civic engagement and social justice and revitalizing the vocations of teaching and learning through service.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to support a pre-conference workshop to be held before the Upper Midwest Regional Meetings of the AAR-SBL. The event focused on two key themes: teaching and learning for civic engagement and social justice, and revitalizing the vocations of teaching and learning through service. Specifically, the workshop would engage the issues of service learning in religious studies..
The event was held prior to the regional meeting. Two nationally known leaders in service learning led the workshops. Participants reported that the event provided them with a clear overall understanding of service learning and many ideas for ways to use it in their teaching. One other outcome of the workshop was participants' interest in having more programming at the regional meeting on pedagogical issues.

Proposal abstract :
Educating the faculty through a conference and two consultants on the pedagogical issues of authentic dialogical engagement and reviewing/assessing the curriculum for its adherence to the ‘interfaith‘(Muslim/Christian) dialogue concept.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to reflect on the theory and practice of dialogue, within the context of inter-religious experience, with a goal of embedding this pedagogical process into the curriculum. Through a conference of seminary representatives who are most involved in diversity and dialogue, along with a faculty retreat, they hoped to ensure that a broad understanding of dialogue would become an integral part of all their degree programs.
Organizers confirm that the grant "facilitated a key and defining theme for the Seminary." Activities included a conference of nineteen professors, all engaged in teaching inter-religious dialogue, a retreat with faculty facilitated by outside consultants, and a conference on the topic of "teaching dialogue" between Muslims and Christians. As a result of these efforts, the Mission and Values statements of the Seminary had explicit reference to the goal of dialogue, a new core course on dialogue became part of their revised MA program, and an issue of Muslim World was developed on the theme of Christian-Muslim dialogue.

Proposal abstract :
Given the increased necessity for and everyday practice of interfaith engagement, the typically “informational” nature of seminary courses in interreligious relations is inadequate. As a corrective, we propose to create and share a collection of six critical case studies of courses in interfaith dialogue that optimize the full range of dialogical practices and purposes, including the advancement of mutual understanding and appreciative relationships. Case studies will be written by a working group of three Hartford Seminary and three external faculties. Case writers will be assisted by critical engagement with consultants in educational pedagogy and interfaith relations, by funding to hire evaluators for their case courses, and by dialogue among themselves, with Hartford Seminary faculty, and with peers responding to draft cases during a conference for theological educators. The conference will serve as an initial vehicle for sharing the cases. Subsequently, revised cases will be published both electronically and in paper.

Learning Abstract :
The project's case studies and an integrative essay are available at: http://www.hartsem.edu/ All courses emphasized dialogue as a practice, therefore requiring a practicum experience. In the absence of multi-faith student bodies, creating the practicum experience requires extra-curricular connections to non-Christian constituencies and can be labor intensive. A wide variety of approaches are demonstrated in the cases. Practicum participants need to understand that dialogue is a mutual conversation, not a forum for promoting one's tradition. Teaching interfaith dialogue also demands a significant substantive component along at least two dimensions: 1) basic knowledge of faith traditions other than Christianity, and 2) a firm grounding in the theology of religions. Individual students will be challenged, a few inevitably to the point of discomfort, in their knowledge of their own tradition, beliefs and practices. Among the wide variety of pedagogical techniques employed in the cases, all six cases include spiritual disciplines.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a project to focus on the following goals: 1) Provide faculty opportunities to think critically and creatively about the theoretical foundations and practical applications for use of two-dimensional art as a pedagogical tool in the undergraduate religion classroom; 2) Identify "best practices" for teaching theology with two-dimensional art through the use of various methods, including: formal presentations, large and small group discussions, immersion in and reflection on arts events, and teaching demonstrations; and 3) Evaluate "best practices" in context by observing theology and the arts lessons developed by consultation participants in the intervening year and presented to members of the consultation in the second year.

Learning Abstract :
This study was designed to bring together twelve scholars from around the country who utilize two-dimensional visual art as a pedagogical tool in the undergraduate classroom. The objectives of the consultation included deepening our understanding of the theoretical frameworks in theology and the arts, exploring how to read images in the context of theology, sharing challenges and successes in the classroom, and considering legal issues in the use of art as a teaching resource. Regarding the latter, the group discovered that copyright restrictions are at once strict yet very ambiguous. Chief among learning outcomes was the need for greater cross-disciplinary conversation between art historians and theologians, for the latter too often overlook insights that seem commonplace to the former. While theologians are prepared to use art as more than an illustrative tool, dialogue with art historians will assist them in learning to read a painting as a theological text. Assessment of student learning in the theology and arts classroom defies quantitative analysis and remains elusive even when qualitative methods are employed. The group found that distribution of annotated course syllabi would be extremely helpful for instructors hoping to venture into this interdisciplinary study. It hopes to publish several articles and "notes from the classroom" in a forthcoming issue of Teaching Theology and Religion.

Proposal abstract :
Over the last several years, Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) and Hebrew College (HC) – immediate neighbors – have developed a variety of innovative inter-religious programs for our school communities and for the public. One key pedagogic practice guiding our efforts at co-formation has been havruta (from the Aramaic word for “tie together”). This traditional form of Jewish peer learning involves partners meeting over a sacred text, and reading and interpreting together. This dialogical model encourages holistic engagement in which participants help each other in their intellectual and spiritual growth. This grant project would provide ANTS and HC the opportunity to reflect on the role havruta learning has played and can play in the formation of our students, faculty, and institutions. The grant would support analysis of the use of havruta in our inter-religious work to date, and the refinement and expansion of this educational model – both its theory and practice – through faculty development.

Learning Abstract :
Through our grant, we learned that there is genuine interest among the vast majority of the faculty at our schools in advancing the interreligious educational work we have been developing over the last decade. Our colleagues are committed to helping train future religious leaders to serve effectively in a multi-religious society. In an effort to deepen and refine this sacred work, we will continue to explore productive ways for our faculties to work collaboratively, further developing their interreligious pedagogic craft and serving as models and guides for our students. In invoking the classical Jewish model of havruta (peer) learning in this context, our colleagues and we seek to foster intentional and respectful relationships that allow for open discussion of commonalities and differences across religious and institutional lines. We are excited that a new group of faculty havrutot will be team-teaching courses over the next three years as we continue to hone our collective vision for interreligious education and leadership formation.

Proposal abstract :
This grant derives from the co-facilitators’ (Renee K. Harrison, Howard University, School of Divinity, DC and Jennie S. Knight, Guilford College, NC) recent publication Engaged Teaching in Theology and Religion (Palgrave Macmillan, October 2015). The grant's purpose is to gather an intergenerational, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and interdisciplinary network of scholars of religion and theology, within the Washington, DC Theological Consortium (WTC). Primarily, to engage in meaningful, honest, and open discussion and, share pedagogical practices that enhance teaching and learning about difficult, sensitive, and relevant social phenomena. These phenomena may include racism, injustice, criminal justice and incarceration, sexism, misogyny and patriarchy, classism, poverty, LGBTQ identification, same-sex marriage, environmental justice, and various other related socio-political factors affecting U.S. and global communities. Harrison and Knight will lead the participants through a process of self-reflection about their pedagogical practices, offer effective practices across disciplines, and invite participants to support, brainstorm, and collaborate with one another.

Proposal abstract :
This project brings together professors teaching in religion and theology for a two-day workshop on constructivist pedagogies, in particular “learner-centered,” “inquiry-guided,” “problem-based,” or “community-based” approaches to teaching. Briefly, constructivism holds that learning occurs in a holistic (intellectual, affective, and social) way through developing an enlarged sense of the “whole.” Consequently, constructivist pedagogies emphasize strategies for problem-solving and dialogue so that students use their prior experience to acquire knowledge. They also seek to harness students’ motivation and creativity in order to heighten the interaction within which learning optimally occurs. Participants in this project will develop familiarity with constructivist pedagogies and explore ways to incorporate its insights within the disciplines of theological education and religious studies. As a result, this project will help professors explore how constructivist pedagogies can provide an effective approach to teaching at an institution where students in different degree programs (M.Div., M.T.S., M.A., B.A., B.Th.) from different backgrounds, and with different life experiences, take many of the same classes.

Learning Abstract :
This project brought together professors teaching in religious studies and theology for a two-day workshop on constructivist pedagogies - in particular "learner-centered," "inquiry-guided," "problem-based," or "community-based" approaches to teaching - to explore the ways it can create synergy between theological education and religious studies at an institution where both disciplines are taught. As a result, this project helped professors develop more effective approaches to teaching students in different degree programs (M. Div., M.T.S., M.A., B.A., B. Th.) from different backgrounds, and with different life experiences.

Proposal abstract :
Recognizing the significant change in the contemporary context for worship in a global and pluralistic culture, this project aims to develop a new paradigm for teaching worship as a way to help liturgics faculty become better equipped in their teaching. Two liturgics professors will be invited from different institutions and will work with me to construct new approaches to teaching liturgics courses by reconfiguring the nature and function of worship in a global world, the image and role of worship leaders in a pluralistic culture of congregations, and an effective pedagogy that can help students stretch and broaden their knowledge and experience of worship. A one-day workshop will include three conversation sessions and demonstrations of teaching in an actual class setting. The project will be evaluated based on the students’ class evaluations and the participants’ self-reflection and feedback. Funding will support the participants’ travel and accommodation, reception, honoraria, stipend for the project director, and miscellaneous expenses for the event.

Learning Abstract :
The project seminar was useful for the participants. It helped us improve our teaching in many ways. By sharing and evaluating our course syllabi, we gained some insights into improving our courses from global perspectives; through the preparation and delivery of our lectures, we could challenge students to think about worship out of the box. The entire process of the project went well, as I had planned, and our lectures turned out to be invaluable resources to teach worship from global perspectives. However, offering three lectures for three-and-a-half hours did not allow sufficient time for discussing crucial issues emerging from the lectures at a deeper level. Perhaps, a panel discussion with one or two presentations in relation to multicultural worship in a global world might have been a more effective pedagogical strategy than giving three lectures to have enough conversation with students within the limited time.

Proposal abstract :
Support for the gathering of a group of twenty college-level teachers to explore together thoughts and strategies for effective teaching in the emeging field of religion and ecology.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather together 20 college-level teachers for a 3-day workshop to explore together thoughts and strategies for effective teaching in the field of religion and ecology. The group invited comprised members of the Forum on Religion and Ecology. This group developed out of a series of ten conferences on the world's religious traditions and ecology, held at the Center for the Study of World Religions at the Harvard Divinity School from 1996-1998.
A total of 22 scholars in the area of religion and ecology attended the workshop held at Indiana University. The project director reports: "Elements of this workshop I would highlight for others to emulate would be 1) clear assignments and provocative pre-workshop readings, 2) short presentations (rather than long polished presentations), 3) a combination of small discussion groups and whole-group discussions, and 4) creation of a ‘safe' environment to try out new ideas and discuss those troubling aspects of teaching."

Proposal abstract :
This project seeks to address the specific questions involved in teaching religious studies courses from an academic perspective in a secular state university in Pennsylvania. We propose a series of symposia with invited speakers, both from world religions in Pennsylvania and pedagogical experts, together with Religious Studies faculty from across the state to be hosted by our Department of Religious Studies at IUP. Our goals are to reflect on what is working in our current pedagogical strategies, interact and share problems and successes with faculty of other Pennsylvania universities (especially those in the state system to which we belong), and incorporate new pedagogical methods as learned through this reflection and interaction with all participants. Our culminating activity will be to compose a resource handbook on teaching Religious Studies in Pennsylvania.

Learning Abstract :
Our three annual symposia in 2007-2009 were organized under three separate sub-themes meant to stoke creative thinking about how to teach students about religion and religions at PA state universities (many of which do not have a religiously diverse student population): Critical Thinking on Women and Religion; Religion and Media; and Religion and Violence, and the Response of the Public Intellectual. We were able to invite faculty across Pennsylvania, as well as three guest speakers in different religions each year, in addition to two pedagogical experts in years one and two. In addition to learning new teaching strategies and topics for our constituency via our interactions with each other, our concrete results included influencing two of our sister state universities to offer new courses in Religious Studies as well as to begin new minor programs. We are also still working on a resource handbook to be published online.

Proposal abstract :
Three-day consultation of faculty and administrators from Jewish and Christian seminaries in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions to discuss and develop strategies for theological training in a religiously plural world.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to develop a three-day consultation bringing together faculty and deans from Jewish and Christian seminaries in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions to examine the challenges of teaching theology in a religiously pluralistic world.
The consultation was held with 21 seminaries represented. During the consultation, participants identified and addressed the following areas of particular concern: "(1) the ways in which theological education might become more self-conscious and self-critical in its attention to the challenges raised by the Jewish/Christian encounter; (2) the ways in which a sustained encounter with the Jewish or Christian other might become a more vital force in the formation and education of seminarians; (3) the challenges raised by the Shoah in the seminary curriculum both on theological understanding and on religious identity-formation; (4) new approaches to teaching theology that capitalize on the synergy that comes from encountering the religious other."

Proposal abstract :
The proposal is an effort to improve the instruction of faculty members in the six HBTS through the appropriation of disciplines of theological education and the skillful use of its signature practices. The end result of improving the instruction of faculty members is to improve the learning outcomes of students in a comprehensive range of pastoral responsibilities and skills outline by the Master of Divinity degree standards of the Association of Theological schools (ATS).

Learning Abstract :
The most significant result of the Wabash HBTS conference is that each HBTS institution has come to the conclusion that institutional planning and evaluation are not impositions from external authorities designed to undermine and thwart the efforts of HBTS to survive. Rather, the emerging message being internalized and which undergirds the planning and evaluation processes is that the accrediting expectations not only facilitate survival, they also enable institutional thriving far into the future. In fact, the Wabash HBTS conference has helped to initiate in some cases and continue in other cases a new institutional ethos which fosters best practices for carrying out the institutions' mission and objectives.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a two-year consultation of a selected group of Asian, Black, and Latino/a teachers of biblical studies in the U.S. on how the Bible is read within these racial/ethnic communities and taught as an Asian, Black, or Latino/a faculty, as well as how these findings can be incorporated into the teaching of biblical studies by faculty members not of these groups.

Learning Abstract :
The main goal of providing a forum for careful and critical discussion on how to read and teach the Bible from the perspectives of Black/Asian and Latino/a communities was met. The various sessions gave the participants a unique experience of inter-racial/ethnic communication and great strides were made in the group's ability to communicate effectively. It was very helpful to use the first of three sessions to give autobiographical introductions and deliberations on racial/ethnic studies before tackling the goal in the second session of sharing drafts of papers on race/ethnicity/nation and biblical studies. By discussing syllabi, lesson plans and choices for student assignments, the group engaged pedagogical issues involved with race and ethnicity course offerings across the curriculum from undergraduate courses through seminary courses to doctoral courses. Presentations at an international conference and at a national conference, along with a book and plans for future meetings of these some of the alums helped to disseminate some of the groups' work as well as gave opportunities for feedback from others outside the group.

Proposal abstract :
The Inter-Seminary Initiative will equip faculty, administrators and students in Philadelphia’s area schools of theological education with the skills and experiences to minister in a world of growing religious diversity. The focus of this request is to answer the question: What are the most effective methodologies for multi-faith education. The Interfaith Center will organize professional development opportunities for faculty in diverse area seminaries to learn a range of pedagogical approaches that have been successfully employed by peer leaders in the field who have incorporated multi-faith education into the classroom.

Learning Abstract :
Funding from The Wabash Center allowed the Inter-Seminary Initiative, a collaborative of twelve seminaries in the Philadelphia region, to explore the question ‘what are the most effective pedagogical models for inter-religious education?' Through extended listening sessions, open house events, and facilitated conversations at day-long or multi-day retreats, we have found that immersive, direct, and dialogical experiences are the better practices for inter-religious education. While other pedagogical offerings are helpful and useful, the more that people are in direct contact with one another, over a sustained amount of time, the more likely they have a transformative experience. This transformation will impact the classroom and higher education experience, as well as future leadership in the congregation or elsewhere. The Inter-Seminary Initiative continues to explore how to offer embodied, hyper-local encounters, which we consider foundational for inter-religious education, despite a movement toward online and distance learning offerings.

Proposal abstract :
The Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia is planning a Retreat for representatives from area seminaries. This will be the first major gathering of the Center's Philadelphia Area Inter-Seminary Initiative. "Encounters in Learning: Preparing Tomorrow's Religious Leaders for Interfaith Engagement" will be held on June 9th and 10th at Cranaleith Spiritual Center in Philadelphia. This is an opportunity to share research on the current state of interfaith education; to explore themes of common interest and concern; and to build relationships across institutions. The all-day session is open to as many members of seminaries' faculty, administration and staff who are interested. Specific evening and morning sessions will be for individuals selected by each institution to represent their interests in planning the Initiative going forward.

Learning Abstract :
The Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia is engaged in the formation of a regional Inter-Seminary Initiative to promote interfaith learning among seminary faculties, administrators and students, preparing them to live and lead faithfully in a religiously diverse world. The Wabash Center provided pivotal funding for a two-day retreat for representatives of area seminaries. Entitled Encounters in Learning: Preparing Tomorrow's Religious Leaders for Interfaith Engagement, this retreat was attended by 33 representatives of 11 schools. Participants on day one included Presidents, Deans, Faculty, Librarians and others, with a cross section of leaders from these seminaries remaining for a second day, forming an oversight group that continues to work on future planning and implementation of the full initiative.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a planning meeting to determine which topics to address at the 20th anniversary conference.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather members of the editorial board of the Journal of Feminist Studies in religion to plan a conference to be held in 2005, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the journal.
The planning group decided on the theme "Teaching for Change: Creating Knowledge, Transforming Institutions" for the conference. It would focus around the issues of critically assessing the history and development of the teaching of feminist studies in religion in departments of religion and theological schools.

Proposal abstract :
The Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion (JFSR), Inc., on the occasion of its 20th anniversary of publication, received a grant to bring feminist scholars and teachers together for a four-day conference. The goal is to critically assess the history and development of the teaching of feminist studies in religion in departments of religion and theological schools, explore different theoretical approaches in the field with the attention to their effects on course and program design and criteria of evaluation, discuss diverse models of feminist pedagogies, and envision strategies for transforming classroom teaching and institutions. Because the JFSR, Inc. is committed to nurturing the next generation of scholars and teachers in the field, one half of the participants will be graduate students and junior faculty. The JFSR, Inc., is in a unique position to convene such a gathering because of the broad network it has established with scholars and teachers across religious disciplines for twenty years.

Learning Abstract :
The grant provided for 73 participants and 7 student volunteers to engage in 4-day conference around issues related to feminist studies in religion. The conference had three main foci: Taking Stock, a critical survey of the teaching and learning of feminist studies in religion in diverse contexts; Theoretical Analysis, a review of diverse theoretical frameworks of feminist studies in religion and how they affect classroom teaching, course design, choice of pedagogy, evaluation of students, and impact on the academy and wider public; and Strategies and Commitment, a creative envisioning of how to strengthen ongoing feminist networking and mentoring, nurture a new generation, learn across racial and disciplinary boundaries and differences, and reach out to readers not in the academy. Papers generated for the panel discussion at the conference were published in the fall 2005 issue of the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion. An additional special issue of papers generated for and emerging from the conference is planned for a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion.

Proposal abstract :
Weekend consultation of representatives from the religion departments of six Presbyterian colleges to compare programs, share resources, and discuss other aspects of teaching and learning.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to create a consultation on teaching Bible, theology and religion in evangelical colleges related to the Presbyterian Church (USA). The purpose of the consultation would be to investigate, discuss, and clarify the purposes, goals, curricula and place of the departments of Bible/religion/theology in evangelical Presbyterian liberal arts colleges. The consultation would consider the importance and place of these departments for Christian higher education, focusing on their necessity for Presbyterian/Reformed college education.
The response of the participants were very positive. The project director reports that the discussions were thought provoking, new friendships and networks were made, and each participant was affirmed in his teaching vocation. An affinity was gained though participants also recognized the diversity and uniqueness of each school.

Proposal abstract :
Funding will provide a 2-3 day meeting for four faculty members from different institutions to meet and plan a week-long seminar on the use of slave narratives as pedagogical tools in theology and religion classes. These discussions will have a direct effect on the classroom experience by exposing students to 19th century marginalized persons who found creative strategies for their spiritual and political well-being through their own engagement with biblical stories.

Learning Abstract :
We do not think, after our preliminary conversations, that a one-week seminar would be sufficient, so we are in the process of developing a proposal for a 3-year endeavor with yearly symposia involving a small, select group of conversation partners and culminating in a final formal conference on the pedagogical use of the slave narrative across the theological curricula. We would like to assist the UNC research staff in updating their excellent resources, especially in the areas of "religious themes" (within the slave narrative tradition) and pedagogy. Their website resource can be a revolutionary pedagogical tool in any classroom at any level of the educational journey.

Proposal abstract :
How can theological educators nurture a new generation of religious leaders who are innovative and agile in their leadership? This project would study how teaching and learning practices within theological education themselves foster the skills, competencies, and habits associated with agility. We assume that if they have been learners under conditions that foster agility, our students can become leaders of it. Rather than studying pedagogical innovations per se - i.e., the use of instructional technologies and novel techniques for delivering education - we would begin to curate a set of pedagogical practices that directly or indirectly communicate the need for agility, privilege the habits of agile learners, and/or allow students to develop the characteristics of agile leaders. This grant would support a 24-hour gathering of theological educators; ideally our project would continue beyond this initial gathering.

Learning Abstract :
Using a shared online space for discussion prior to a 24-hour gathering, this project studied how teaching and learning practices within theological education themselves foster the skills, competencies, and habits associated with agility. Our main conclusions were that theological educators can nurture a new generation of religious leaders who are agile in their religious leadership by taking ownership of the language of ‘agility' and ‘leadership' in ways appropriate to the theological community. Reflective, meditative, and narrative practices may help theological learners relate to tradition and stay connected to what is essential even while leading change toward what is new. Immersing learners in community projects and partnerships with local organizations that are creating real change is also crucial.

Proposal abstract :
Consultation of fifteen pastoral theologians for sustained conversation about current resources, curricular issues, and teaching strategies for courses in pastoral care, and postmodern challenges for pastoral formation and practice.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather for a consultation 15 participants from the Society for Pastoral Theology to discuss the ways they teach a "correlational discipline" affected by attention to post modernist issues of power and difference. Specifically, they looked at the construction of basic courses in pastoral theology in the M.Div. curriculum, PhD curriculum, and the development of pastoral identities more rooted in multicultural realities. Their goal was to engage curricula of pastoral theology more intentionally with the realities of culture, power and difference.
The consultation was very successful specifically around the following issues: sharing foundational course syllabi; teaching methods using and teaching critically operative meta-theories for pastoral theological reflection; doctoral program pedagogies; formation and vocation. They recognized "a consensus among participants about the importance of helping students develop skills in analyzing the dynamics of power in contemporary contexts" and of "the value of assisting students in identifying normative values operative in their pastoral practice and interdisciplinary methods."

Proposal abstract :
A conference in which individuals who are currently teaching rural ministry courses in accredited seminary programs can compare teaching and learning methods and resources.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather together seminary professors who teach in the area of rural ministry. For the purpose of comparing teaching and learning methods and resources, and to work together on significant teaching and learning issues common to rural ministry education.
The Rural Ministry Education Conference was held over six days at a retreat center in rural Minnesota, with 19 in attendance. One learning of the conference was recognition of the high level of creativity and qualification among the professors in this specialization. Other learning acknowledged the marginality of this specialization within theological education. This is significant due to the contradictory reality that the majority of seminarians come from suburban churches, yet the majority of first calls are to rural and small town churches. The conference helped to create a network of practitioners in this area for sharing resources and for collaborating.

Proposal abstract :
This project will create a dialogue among African-American scholars around the problems of alienation and presumed epistemic privilege as impediments to learning for African-American students. Specifically, the dialogue will focus on the common classroom experience for many African-American theological teachers of teaching courses in Black religion in predominantly white institutions and finding the learning of their African-American students’ hampered by the students’ presumption that, in a curriculum from which many feel alienated, these courses are “theirs” and consequently spaces of affirmation and not of serious intellectual exploration and learning. The questions framing this dialogue are: In what ways do students expectations shape/misshape students’ experience of learning?; What obstacles are presented when students wrongly presume that church “culture” will be the culture of the theological classroom?; What tools and strategies for African-American faculty teaching African-American students about the Black Christian tradition are available to make sure that learning happens?

Learning Abstract :
The major learning from the project was that the ecology of the institution created not only barriers to learning but also opportunities. With the idea of epistemic opportunity arising in our second meeting a major shift in our conversations happened. During the early parts of our conversations we focused largely on pedagogical strategies that might overcome barriers which our students brought to the class. However, when we happened upon this idea of epistemic opportunity as a goal for not our pedagogy but, also as a basis for creating mini-ecosystems in the larger ecology of our institutions, this was a breakthrough. For this changed the question for us to how is it that we can create space for students to bring themselves into the classroom (a broader idea than their stuff, e.g., culture). As we processed the case studies we began to grapple with the various questions of what it means for the students to not only bring the brokenness and alienation which arises in the general institutional ecology into the classroom but also the strength and creativity which empowered them to be in front of us, as teachers, in spite of that ecology. The shift was then from an investigation of the layers of barriers to learning to include substantial reflection on creativity that emerges precisely from navigating those barriers. This is the primary learning which all participants took away from our conversations and the one which may be helpful to others.

Proposal abstract :
Teaching biblical exegesis to students preparing for religious professions poses significant challenges in this era marked by, among other things, pervasive biblical illiteracy, methodological pluralism, and institutional and pedagogical commitments to diversity in our classrooms. This two-year consultation, comprised of twelve North American seminary and divinity school professors of Bible, aims to revision the goals and strategies of teaching exegesis in these contexts. Participants will consider: (a) the role of biblical exegesis in theological education and its placement within curricula; (b) understandings of what constitutes good exegesis and, accordingly, the exegetical habits we seek to engender in students; (c) pedagogical strategies that foster those habits; (d) available resources and what may be needed; and (e) means of assessing student learning. Participants will apply and evaluate the consultation’s findings in their classrooms. The consultation will share its outcomes through publications, formal and informal conversations, and strategic planning within the participants’ institutions.

Learning Abstract :
As a result of our participation in the consultation "Teaching Biblical Exegesis in Theological Schools," we are: (a) more aware of how the diversity of our teaching contexts and our students informs our pedagogies and the goals of our courses; (b) inclined to describe the work of teaching biblical exegesis less in terms of introducing interpretive methodologies and more in terms of cultivating certain hermeneutical habits and dispositions in our students, and (c) more intentional about helping our students appropriate the fruits of their exegetical study wisely and creatively for their ministerial contexts.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a 2-meeting consultative process in which faculty members from four seminaries, representing a diverse array of traditions (evangelical, reformed, Catholic, and Lutheran) explore together how their actual practices of teaching have changed in relation to curriculum shifts undertaken in response to the changing context of the church in North America.

Learning Abstract :
The four schools involved in this grant found the project so helpful in large part because it gave them room to create and practice reflection that was deliberately appreciative, and thus primarily generative in character. Such processes are neither short, nor easily assessed in quantitative terms--they are also largely shunned or marginalized within academic practice. Given that the central thrust of a seminary organized to support an apostolate requires a teaming approach, and given that few faculty have had experiences of teaming in teaching (true teaming, as opposed to "parallel play"), it becomes all the more necessary to create room for this kind of faculty development. The pressures and exigencies of contemporary theological education work against the kind of space and time an "abbey" or "monastic" approach to theological education might make possible. Given that reality, finding ways to support faculty development through shared approaches to teaching is a highly fruitful and generative investment.

Proposal abstract :
Building on conversations about our vocations as teacher-scholars at mid-career in the summer 2007 Mid-Career Colloquy on Teaching and Learning in Theological Schools, participants during the fall semester will interview colleagues regarding their understanding of their vocations. Each participant will interview a junior colleague, a mid-career colleague, and a senior colleague to solicit their responses to three questions: 1) How do you understand your vocation within your institution at this stage of your career? 2) From your perspective, what are the major factors in your school that support your sense of vocation, and what are the major factors that do not support your sense of vocation? 3) What action, practice, or strategy do you use to help you maintain a sense of your vocation and vocational commitments given the realities of life in your institution?

Learning Abstract :
Due to the success of these interviews, I would consider using them as a regular part of Wabash workshops and colloquies. Interviewing colleagues as a part of our colloquy provided the following contributions to our participants: 1) a larger perspective on the vocation of the theological educator, 2) a clearer view of their own understandings of themselves as theological educators, 3) an opportunity to build relationships with their own colleagues, 4) a better sense of their own institutional cultures, 5) and a fuller sense of the state of theological education today. While the nature of the interviews might vary from workshop to workshop, they provide a great source of information and learning for members of the workshop or colloquy.

Proposal abstract :
Most theological schools have recognized the urgency of preparing graduates able to lead in culturally and racially diverse settings, to minister with specific racial and cultural groups, and to work against systemic racism. This grant will fund a series of conversations with colleagues from the Association of Chicago Theological Schools on the related issues of cross-cultural theological education. Participants will respond to questions like the following: How are African American students prepared for ministry in the Black church in your (predominantly white) seminary? How are all students formed for ministry in the racialized North American context? What form does anti-racist theological education take in your seminary? What are the student learning outcomes you have set for these issues? These conversations will result in enhanced awareness of alternative approaches to teaching and assessment of learning, awareness that will lead to concrete changes/improvements in our classrooms and the learning of our students.

Learning Abstract :
Many seminaries approach theological education from a cross-cultural perspective and recognize the urgency of preparing graduates able to lead in culturally and racially diverse settings, to minister with specific groups, and to work against systemic racism. This project has provided a way for the theological schools in Chicago to share their experiences and learning in cross-cultural and anti-racist education. "De-linking Eurocentrism" provided a conceptual framework for conversations that ranged through curriculum, pedagogy, institutional climate, and regularly returned to the need for strategic alliances between faculty and administration. The benefit of the project was at least as much in the discovery of allies in nearby schools, colleagues with similar commitments and concerns, as in the shared resources, experiments in pedagogy, and experience of the way values are reflected in institutional patterns.

Proposal abstract :
This project brings together professors of diverse backgrounds to explore the use of religious board games in the classroom. The aim of this project is to establish essential issues in board game pedagogy in order to further the use of this methodology and also in preparation for a larger pre-conference workshop being planned for the American Academy of Religion annual meetings in 2008. Our focus will be on identifying issues that need to be addressed - issues such as methodology, implementation and assessment. This will be a two-day workshop that will include presentations by participants on practices, results and difficulties; discussion of related experiential learning research and methodologies; and a meeting with students for feedback on their experiences with board games in the religious studies classroom.

Learning Abstract :
Assessment is the foremost issue for board game pedagogy. Finding clearer assessment tools to implement at the beginning and end of the semester should help. We will also be utilizing social scientific methods over the next year, running 2 sections of the same class, one with and one without board games, but with the same professor and student body. One interesting question that arose was regarding the need for a theoretical framework when the students first work with the games. Since one major aim is to break down the rigid categories that students bring to the study of religion, are we simply substituting other categories if we give them a specific framework? Would it be useful to find an even more open approach? Another significant issue that was raised is how to bring the tools and student learning from this methodology to students' lives outside the classroom.

Proposal abstract :
The five college consortium of Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and the University of Massachusetts is in the planning process of establishing the United States’ first multi-institutional certificate program in Eastern Christianity. Prior to focusing on this program’s curriculum, we are hoping to have a series of three dinner meetings to discuss the larger pedagogical issues of teaching Eastern Christianity in a Western context. These would be dedicated to addressing the classroom challenges and learning goals shared by those of us who teach undergraduate courses in Eastern Orthodoxy. These three meetings would thus allow area faculty to first discuss the pedagogical underpinnings of this new program before later meetings that will focus more on program logistics.

Learning Abstract :
A series of three dinner conversations allowed faculty from the five college consortium to discuss the pedagogical challenges and benefits of teaching Eastern Christianity in a primarily Western Context. They also provided the impetus for further collaborations as we explore ways to better coordinate our teaching and consider the possibility of implementing the U.S.'s first, multi-institutional program on Eastern Christianity. Two topics were of particular note: 1) concerns with how to balance claims concerning the importance of Eastern traditions for the history of Christianity without resorting to an orientalist discourse of Eastern "otherness"; and 2) discussions of how greater focus on the orthodox churches could lead to a concept of "global Christianity" broader than its current configuration that often concentrates primarily upon Western missionary efforts. Instead, greater attention to the long history of the orthodox churches could lead to a fuller representation of Christian diversity from its origins to the present.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a study on the impact of the culture of the seminary on theological education and ministry formation. Particular attention will be given to the increasingly culturally diverse student population's impact on theological education and ministry formation.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought funds to convene a task force to plan a study of the impact of the culture of the seminary on theological education and ministry formation. This study would be part of a larger effort by the NCEA Seminary Department to develop resources for Roman Catholic theological schools and college seminaries to effectively address issues of cultural diversity that impact the institutional aspects of the seminary program, classroom teaching, pedagogy and interpersonal relationships.
The planning meeting was held successfully in June, 2004, with a proposal developed as an outcome. The project director reports: "The planning grant was essential for the preparation of the proposal. Without it the Seminary Department would not have been able to convene the planning meetings … These conversations underscored both the potential value and the complexity of the proposal initiative."

Proposal abstract :
Consultation to engage in public pedagogical dialogue on urban theological education, focusing on the best methods for teaching and learning in urban ministry.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought funds for a consultation of 40 theological educators on pedagogical issues of urban theological education. They sought specifically to focus their attention on highlighting the best methods of teaching and learning strategies in the area of urban ministry. This included community partnerships, interdisciplinary analysis, cross-cultural engagement and mentoring. The consultation was jointly sponsored by New Brunswick Theological Seminary and the Association of Urban Theological Education and Ministry (AUTEM).
They highlighted a "growing interest to bridge the connection between teaching and learning, faith and practice, by implementing faith commitments through public participation in the academy, church and society, particularly with respect to the plight of poor and oppressed communities." Participants came to see that the combination of formal and non-formal teaching methods called for radically new partnerships between the seminary and the community, and challenged seminaries to be more inclusive theologically to match the constituencies with whom they work in an urban context. Also discussed was the importance of modeling the ministers/scholars they sought to train. Finally, rather than standardization of teaching strategies, they proposed a holistic frame of values.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a consultation to address the challenges, discern resources, and develop collegial support for teaching religion in community college contexts. Goals include: clarifying the tasks of teachers of religion; sharing insights and resources; developing communications focused on teaching religion in community colleges; and planning an annual community college activity in conjunction with the AAR and the Religious Education Association.

Learning Abstract :
The consultation sought: 1) to undergird the critical task of teaching about religion in community colleges. It did! 2) to share information about the courses being offered in community colleges: the course guidelines that establish course transferability to other institutions, the syllabi, and the texts currently in use. Clearly the evaluations said this happened. 3) to learn about the successes and the challenges the teachers and colleges encounter. Evaluations affirmed this. 4) through the process of the consultation, to model adult teaching/learning modes and thereby enhance teaching skills. Participants appreciated the open process. 5) to develop a collegial network, with a listserv, a web presence, and, if desired, future conferences. This will continue, but remains to be accomplished. People are working on the field trip and all have expressed interest in the AAR Regional. 6) to link teachers to extant collegial resources such as the American Academy of Religion (both nationally and regionally) and to the Religious Education Association together with the Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education. More needs to be done here, perhaps providing a year's membership in these two organizations as well as following up the AAR Midwest regional.

Proposal abstract :
We propose a 2-day workshop to bring together scholars of late antique history to discuss how politics in general, and the contentious topics of our current political climate in particular, can appropriately inform our pedagogical approach. We are particularly interested in understanding how our courses can and should be shaped by our institutions’ mission statements, our disciplines’ learning objectives, and the skills and content students need to possess in order to address issues of current political significance. On the first day of the workshop (for which we are seeking Wabash funding), we will focus exclusively on a series of pedagogical questions that will orient us to our goals in the classroom, guide us to define our student learning outcomes, and help us envision our identity and role as a teacher. On the second day of the workshop, participants will work collaboratively to create a set of syllabi shaped by the prior day’s work.

Learning Abstract :
This grant project convened over fifty faculty to reflect on the role of politics in the classroom. Specifically, through a 2-day workshop, two conference sessions, and a series of pedagogical articles and blog posts, scholars of late ancient religion discerned intellectually responsible ways to teach subjects that have become politicized in recent years (including immigration, race and ethnicity, the climate, and marginalized peoples such as slaves, foreigners, and refugees) and collected a set of teaching materials for these topics.

Proposal abstract :
The project will build a workgroup of eight recently tenured and tenure-track faculty to investigate the process of developing research programs in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) while discussing the career challenges related to pursuing SoTL research in religion. This project first will seek to nurture work in the scholarship of teaching and learning by providing a forum for early- and mid-career faculty with strong interests in SoTL research: a writer’s retreat that provides space to work on existing research as well as to discuss research questions, methods, and challenges. The retreat provides a “next step” for several project participants’ prior experiences with Wabash Center workshops on SoTL. Second, this project will seek to establish a scholarly cohort in which such research can be discussed and exchanged after the initial work of the project is completed.

Learning Abstract :
The project involved building a cohort of mid-career scholars in religion and theology to investigate (1) the challenges and opportunities early and mid-career scholars face in creating an ongoing research agenda in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), and (2) the possibility of fostering a research community of SoTL in religion and theology among younger scholars. Work on the project was done through a series of engagements with eight scholars, which included a summer retreat and a meeting at the national AAR to discuss preliminary conclusions. Most importantly, the group identified some of the challenges faced in creating a scholarly agenda in SoTL. The challenges included the lack of graduate training in SoTL, the methodological differences between SoTL and religious studies, the lack of a strong community of scholars engaged in SoTL in religion and theology, and numerous issues related to the prestige and purpose of SoTL.

Proposal abstract :
Contemporary conversations around higher education and civic engagement have highlighted the importance of fostering students’ critical thinking as future citizens, providing public spaces for open discussion and exchange of ideas, and promoting civic engagement by involving students in activist pedagogies and/or service-learning. Two consultations in November 2008 and November 2009 will bring together a group of scholars in theology and religious studies to explore a range of pedagogical strategies for civic engagement, including subject-centered critical reflection, the interpretation of media, activist pedagogy and/or service learning. During the first consultation we will discuss key publications on the topic and formulate pedagogical strategies to test in our own classrooms in spring 2009. During the second meeting we will develop, refine, and theorize these strategies and set the different methods in a broad framework so they can be effectively adopted by other teachers.

Learning Abstract :
Through two one-day workshops (in 2008 and 2009), as well as work done in classrooms at the participants' home institutions, this project resulted in practical and theoretical insights into how civic engagement relates to teaching religious studies. Practically, each participant contributed a pedagogical strategy related to civic engagement; each strategy was tested and revised during the project. Reports of these strategies were discussed, with project participants seeking commonalities and challenges in the midst of diversity. The group thus created several possible models of practical pedagogies of civic engagement. Theoretical insights on these practices also emerged. Participants came to the conclusion that teaching civic engagement includes (1) providing ways of reflecting on the complexity of understanding religions and civic life; (2) engaging in self-reflection about social positionality or location; (3) fostering empathetic accountability among students and faculty; and (4) motivated action in conversation with critical reflection.

Proposal abstract :
Support for three meetings of seventeen faculty to develop and distribute materials that explore methods for teaching about African American religious traditions.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather a group to develop and distribute materials that explore methods of teaching and learning about African American religious traditions. They hoped to discuss issues related to teaching and learning, and to examine innovative ways to engage African American students, in particular, and all students, in general, in the study of African American religious traditions. The result of their gathering and work together would be a book on the topic. The group members were all participants of the 1999-2000 AAR Teaching and Learning Workshop, "Mining the Mother Load of African American Religious Life."
The project directors report that the group met three times between November, 2001 and October, 2002. The manuscript was written through a collaborative process of dialogue and engagement which the formal gatherings made possible. The completed work was accepted for publication at Oxford University Press.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a meeting of librarians on “Introduction to Theological Librarianship” at the ATLA meeting in June 1997

Proposal abstract :
Provide learning-focused opportunities for reflection on, conversation about, and experimentation with Hebrew language pedagogy, especially related to uses of electronic media.

Learning Abstract :
Project sought to fund a research seminar for both professors and graduate students on the teaching of the Hebrew language. It sought to reflect upon, dialogue about and experiment with Hebrew language pedagogy that focused on learning. Other goals included exploring the ways in which electronic media might foster interactive learning and to create an archive of effective teaching and learning aides.

Grant funding resulted in the creation of a CD-ROM with PowerPoint presentation of Hebrew grammar that allows for class interactivity. Also, the group developed an innovative vocabulary learning program called "Living Words", which teaches Hebrew vocabulary through pictures and Hebrew words occurring in the contexts of the Hebrew Bible. The project had an immediate impact at the seminary, prompting the Bible department to discuss changes and the language programs and its overall curriculum.

Proposal abstract :
A three-year consultation of all teachers of biblical studies from the different theological faculties of the United Church of Canada (UCC) on how biblical studies are taught.

Learning Abstract :
Through the gathering of Bible from the seminaries of the United Church of Canada we helped one another define and articulate who we are as teachers, what we do in the classroom, how we contribute to the church, particularly the UCC, and how we can further develop this identify, both individually and collectively. We grew from a dispersed bunch of individuals linked only by larger institutional connections to become a ‘community of practice' centered on teaching the Bible for leadership in the church. We learned that the nurturing of such a community takes time and energy, but that this investment will "pay-off" through the development of reflective teachers who are engaged in the construction of deep learning. While full agreement on core values may constantly elude the group, healthy debate and frank exchanges leads to an atmosphere of trust where participants can learn from one another how to become better teachers.

Proposal abstract :
The ATS and The United Church of Canada (UCC) are encouraging theological schools to develop and implement a greater degree of integration in theological education programs, based on the ATS Guidelines for Assessing Learning and the UCC Leadership Outcomes Framework. Successful implementation will include the capacity to assess the achievement of more intentionally sought outcomes for church leadership. The recently approved UCC Leadership Outcomes Framework reflects an invitation to UCC theological schools to work in a denominational partnership. The goal of this proposed grant project is to gather approximately 60 regularly appointed faculty in Testamur granting schools and denominational guests from UCC schools that are ATS accredited along with faculty with whom we relate from UCC diaconal and Native ministry centres. The gathering will hear about the learning outcomes work already underway by faculty/faculties and will explore how faculty are integrating (or can integrate) this work into their teaching practice. Faculty in UCC schools have some awareness of the ATS/UCC Learning Outcomes Project but this gathering will provide an opportunity for faculty to deepen their understanding and participate in building a partnership in leadership outcomes pedagogy in the UCC context. It will aim to build trust among theological faculty and build toward significant change. A focus group of faculty from across Canada has met to refine and vet the final design for the collegium.

Learning Abstract :
The major learning that emerged from this project is that the partnership between the church and its schools in context of The United Church of Canada and in relation to academic preparation for ordained ministry needed to undergo a cultural shift. The church needed to own its role in determining learning outcomes for ministry leadership and assume responsibility for strategies that will assess candidates' readiness for ministry. At the same time, theological schools needed to understand how their learning outcomes for M.Div programs and assessment strategies can draw into closer alignment with the church's defined expectations. The dance between theological schools' autonomy and the church's expressed learning outcomes for ministry leadership remains complex but strengthened. A greater awareness of learning outcomes pedagogy has been achieved with individual faculty members and within theological schools. All schools now report that they are working on defining learning outcomes applicable to ministry programs and with full awareness of the UCC's Learning Outcomes Framework for Ministry Leadership.

Proposal abstract :
Jointly-sponsored symposium held at Regent College to further understand how Scriptures are translated, read, interpreted, and taught differently across cultures and to foster dialogue between faculty in evangelical schools, third world theologians, Bible translators, and mission leaders engaged in teaching ministries.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather international scholars for a symposium on how scriptures are translated, read and taught in different ways across cultures. They hoped to highlight the role of scriptures in Christian mission. They also hoped to develop a conversation between their faculty and mission leaders and theologians from around the world.
The project director reports two important learnings. First, they discovered a critical need to include World Religions training in their curriculum, and attention to this reality in ministry formation. Second, they discovered the need for intentional dialogue between scholars of developed countries and those of the developing world.

Proposal abstract :
The REA proposes to host two events at its 2014 annual meeting under the aegis of the Wabash Center. The first is a daylong pre-conference event for students, teachers, and practitioners that will unfold in two parts. Participants can choose to be present for one part or both parts of the day. The second event is the Ph.D. student breakfast, traditionally sponsored by the Wabash Center, which provides a setting at the Annual Meeting where students gather to hear from senior scholars on thriving as a teaching scholar inside and outside the academy. Both events will address particular ways that scholars can equip themselves to address the changing contexts of teaching and learning through creative expansion of their repertoire of teaching practices and partnerships.

Learning Abstract :
This small grant was focused on inviting faculty and doctoral students in the field of religious education into engagement with the ecology of digital scholarship and teaching, while nurturing their vocational development. A series of workshops on digital culture and pedagogy which stressed issues of a scholar's "digital presence" and "teaching with experience using digital tools" were offered as a pre-conference event just prior to the 2014 Annual REA meeting. A breakfast seminar for doctoral students was also held during the convention, at which Dr. Willie James Jennings offered the language of artistry as a rich resource for sustaining the vocation of a scholar/teacher in this complex and rapidly transforming scholarly field. In particular he invited doctoral students to consider the adaptive challenges and opportunities the field of religious education poses to them, and he offered the generative framework of being an artist as a strategy for engaging such challenges.

Proposal abstract :
Convene a conference on service-learning in religion as a pre-conference of the 1999 AAR meeting in Boston and publish a volume based on the proceedings as part of the American Association of Higher Education’s series on service/learning in the disciplines.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to organize a national conference on service learning in religion, emphasizing foundational and curricular issues. It would be scheduled as a pre-conference to the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion. Based on conference proceedings they hoped to publish a volume on service learning in religion in collaboration with the American Association of Higher Education and National Campus Compact.
Conference evaluation forms indicate that the conference achieved its intended goals. Further, reflection included a continued effort to articulate issues related to service learning, including the positive and negative aspects of it as a pedagogical strategy. They also sought to clarify issues surrounding different service sites, different institutional locations and different missions. Finally, they saw the need to continue reflecting on the place of service learning in graduate programs.

Proposal abstract :
What understandings are key to teaching Doctor of Ministry degree program students - students experienced in the practice of ministry in a diverse range of cultural contexts? How do approaches to Doctor of Ministry teaching need to be different from Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy teaching? Through a three-year series of conversations on these and related questions interwoven with collaborative experiments in alternative teaching/learning activities, ministry project advising, and faculty resourcing, this project will encourage and enable efforts to address the challenges of teaching a new generation of post-M.Div. practitioners in ministry and international D. Min. students seeking alternatives to "classical Western education." Participants will be resourced by consultants in cross-cultural education and faculty colleagues open to engaging in D. Min. teaching/learning experiments. Potential outcomes include: 1) changed understandings of the teacher-student/teacher-learner relationship; 2) revised D. Min. learning objectives, assessment rubrics and proficiency criteria; and 3) new resources for course design, ministry projects, and signature assignments.

Learning Abstract :
What understandings are key to teaching Doctor of Ministry degree program students - students experienced in the practice of ministry in a diverse range of cultural contexts? How do approaches to Doctor of Ministry teaching need to be different from Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy teaching?

Through a three-year series of conversations on these and related questions interwoven with collaborative experiments in alternative teaching/learning activities, ministry project advising, and faculty resourcing, this project encouraged and enabled efforts to address the challenges of teaching a new generation of post-M.Div. practitioners in ministry and international D. Min. students seeking alternatives to "classical Western education." Participants worked with consultants in cross-cultural education and faculty colleagues open to engaging in D. Min. teaching/learning experiments.

Proposal abstract :
The small grant will be used to gather a leadership team of women scholars/ teachers of religion and theology to discuss the notion of indignation as a rubric for understanding women faculty issues -- particularly teacher identity, the influence of indignation on vocation, classroom practices, and oppressive forces which seek to render women faculty powerless. In addition, the leadership team will develop proposals for further development of pedagogies of indignation in relation to women faculty.

Learning Abstract :
This planning grant was used to design a project for women who teach and who are simultaneously activists. We are interested in the lives of women who work for justice as they teach and who take seriously their emotional health and well being as well as those who are curious about the role of emotions in the classroom. We see the current phenomena to be problematic - the phenomena of a dramatic increase of women in leadership and very little transformation in the curriculum of higher education. Our plan is to create communal conversation for women so that we might (in an extended conversation) fashion, discuss and create practices for teaching that incorporate the activist spirit and that also take the emotional side seriously. This grant allowed face-to-face meetings with our leadership team to better shape and focus our project.

Proposal abstract :
This project is the first step towards a larger project for developing training modules for seminary faculty. It will bring expert seminary faculty to a dinner meeting at the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) meetings to be held in Chicago in November 2012, with the invitation to critically examine the project, undertake collaborative research and writing and within six months produce a framework that outlines the methodology and content for developing training modules for seminary faculty that roots the classical disciplines of seminary curricula in their multi-religious contexts.

Learning Abstract :
This project was the first step towards a larger project for developing training modules for seminary faculty in order to root the classical disciplines of seminary curricula in their multi-religious contexts. Notable seminary faculty and scholars in the field of religious diversity and inter-religious relations collaborated with SCUPE in researching and writing a framework that outlines the methodology and content for developing training modules for seminary faculty. These experts have been willing not only to be engaged in the development of this framework, but have also agreed to participate in its implementation.

Proposal abstract :
Funding will support the development of a three-day consultation exploring the pedagogical problems and possibilities that accompany theological education that connects ecology and social justice. This consultation will gather, from around the nation, ten professors in graduate level theological education who teach “ecology and theological studies” and who desire to expand “ecology” to “eco-justice.” (“Eco-justice” here refers to the convergence of ecological concerns and social justice concerns). Participants will collaborate to: 1) identify pedagogical issues and challenges inherent in a curriculum linking environmental issues to social justice; 2) design questions for exploring these challenges; 3) construct knowledge for meeting these challenges; 4) broadly disseminate this knowledge within their professional communities; and 5) build local collegial support for teaching eco-justice. The group’s findings eventually will be summarized in an edited volume on teaching eco-justice in theological education, designed to give practical support for professors venturing into this little explored domain.

Learning Abstract :
This project catalyzed learning on varied levels. On a primary level participating faculty learned a great deal about challenges and possibilities that emerge in theological education when social justice issues (such as environmental racism and climate imperialism) are brought to bear on ecological issues. Moreover, we learned from one another a wealth of approaches to exploring the intersection of social justice and ecologic sustainability, and teaching in that nexus.
Participating faculty raised and led one another in exploring such issues as:
- Eco-justice as the framework for seeking to dismantle sexism and racism and to eradicate poverty.
- Using womanist methodology as the pedagogical basis for teaching eco-justice in theological education.
- The epistemological challenge of learning from voices of the Earth.
- How to prepare our students to forge paths toward sustainable earth-human relations that we have failed to forge.
On a secondary level, consultation planners gained tremendous insight into method and process for creating further venues in which faculty may collaboratively construct pedagogies that equip students to face the Earth crisis as a theological issue and a social justice, and to lead others in that venture.

Proposal abstract :
Support for research project to bring together scholars from each of the six ATS accredited HBCU seminaries in critical reflection and dialogue on the academic purpose, content, and methodology, currently used by these institutions to prepare leaders for the African American Church and community.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather together in consultation scholars from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) to examine the pedagogy used to prepare clergy and laity to "translate" the ideas of the theological academy to the issues of the African American church community. A working paper would be developed and then responded to by representatives of each of the 6 ATS accredited HBCU seminaries.
The consultation was held in July, 2003 at the Shaw Divinity School. Participating seminaries included: the Divinity School of Shaw University, Hood Theological Seminary, Howard University Divinity School, the Interdenominational Theological Seminary, and Samuel De Witt Proctor School of Theology. The project director reports that as a result of the consultation dialogue, the group developed "a new commitment to stay together in order to engage in common work around a flexible and experimental, but growing and consistent focus on Black Issues in Theological Education."

Proposal abstract :
Pre-conference meeting of those who teach in pastoral psychology and theology to evaluate the practice-theory-practice method used in "Introduction to Pastoral Care" courses and the correlation of various disciplinary perspectives used at the master's level in both seminary and university contexts.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather teachers of pastoral psychology and theology in a one-day meeting preceding the annual meeting of the Society for Pastoral Theology. The purpose of the meeting would be to reflect upon various methods of practical theology used by those who teach in the area of pastoral theology at a master's level. Specifically, they hoped to consider their use of a practice-theory-practice method in their introductory courses and examine how various disciplinary perspectives relate to each other and to practice.
The following five themes emerged as common rationales for their teaching strategies: theological education that seeks both pastoral formation and critical thinking, with the method of practical theology to ground it; beginning with and valuing experience, with authority granted to the context of pastoral care; enhancing self-awareness of social identity and power differentials; acknowledging students' accountability to denominational and professional organizations; and forming students who have a capacity for empathy and who know how to establish and maintain faithful relationships.

Proposal abstract :
The PhD program at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary – SEBTS - currently has approximately 210 students enrolled. Although an impressive number of the graduates of the program are teaching effectively in a wide range of institutions, the seminary constantly seeks to improve its training of the next generation of theological educators. As a part of this endeavor, the seminary wishes to convene a group of recent graduates from the PhD program to the campus in Wake Forest, North Carolina for an intensive brainstorming session. These graduates are currently serving as faculty and/or administrators at Christian liberal arts institutions. These graduates will serve as consultants who will 1) assess the PhD program based on their experience in it, 2) identify ways in which the program can better prepare graduates to teach in settings similar to the ones in which they currently serve, and 3) suggest strategies for improving the PhD program.

Learning Abstract :
On April 26-28, 2018, the Ph.D. Studies office at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) hosted five of the program's graduates who are currently teaching effectively in a wide range of institutions in order to improve its training of the next generation of theological educators. Driving toward our desired end of improving the program's ability to equip students for teaching in higher education, our presenting question for the consultation was, "How can the Ph.D. program of SEBTS better train graduates to teach effectively in Christian liberal arts institutions?" During the meeting we sought to accomplish the following goals: 1) Identify ways in which the Ph.D. program at SEBTS can better train instructors to teach effectively in the 21st century; 2) Identify ways in which the Ph.D. program at SEBTS can prepare graduates for the types of contexts in which they will be placed; 3) Develop strategies by which SEBTS can improve the quality of the Ph.D. program in general.

Proposal abstract :
Support is requested to enable a group of professors with responsibilities for teaching Christianity in large public universities in the south to gather during a two-year process in which they reflect critically upon the place of Christian Studies in religious studies in large public universities, develop new models for teaching Christian Studies in this context, and disseminate their results (both successes and remaining or emerging tensions). The proposed gatherings will be held in association with the 2007 and 2008 annual meeting of the Southeastern Commission for the Study of Religion (SECSOR), and the grant will be administered by SECSOR.

Learning Abstract :
"Rethinking the Religious Studies Classroom: Mapping the Hidden (and Not So Hidden) Dynamics of Teaching Religion in the South," discussed two main themes. First, Christianity shapes how our students understand the world, whether they are practitioners or not. Their understandings are informed by personal orientations to Christianity, by social groups such as Life Teen, and by a general sense of growing up with the historical legacies of the South. Thus, students bring forms of identity that we as teachers may threaten, as well as a language for talking about them that is in tension with academic discourse. Developing strategies for unpacking and bridging these differences is key. Second, we came to see that, as Religious Studies departments expand to address religions from a global perspective, two results are gaps in the curriculum on Christianity and a proliferation of methods and discourses that may lead to a breakdown in communication with students and within departments. Developing departmental learning goals becomes crucial, so that we can meet the needs of students, satisfy the many constituents of public universities, and fulfill our mandate to contribute to an informed and critical public discourse.

Proposal abstract :
The purpose of this grant is to build upon and broaden previous collaborative work done by the group concerning issues of pedagogy, student characteristics, curriculum, and vision in the three schools of the Saskatoon Theological Union that provide a majority of graduate education for the mainline churches of Western Canada.

Learning Abstract :
The follow-up retreat was helpful for gathering faculty from the three institutions again to have discussion about collaborative teaching endeavors. The development of a curriculum committee appears to have been a good move. It looks like this group will serve an important role in aiding faculty at the three schools as they seek to cooperate and coordinate their teaching efforts. The establishment of faculty trust is rarely easy and even more complicated when faculty are involved with different institutional contexts. It looks like the grant has enabled significant steps forward toward forming a foundation of trust and cooperation.

Proposal abstract :
This project will utilize an outside consultant to work with about 20 Faculty from the three schools of the Saskatoon Theological Union, St. Andrew’s College (United Church of Canada), College of Emmanuel, St. Chad (Anglican Church), and Lutheran Theological Seminary, to focus on issues associated with institutional and Faculty teaching and learning interrelationships. As the Union the three schools represent the largest mainline Theological Schools in Western Canada and therefore cooperation associated with pedagogical concerns is regarded as essential for training ministry personnel in much of Canada. Hence the project hopes to tackle issues of cooperative teaching, institutional stresses related to three different administrations and denominations, and matters pertaining to joint policies and agreements.

Learning Abstract :
We held two day-long retreats for all Faculty, a retreat in each semester. We hired an outside consultant skilled in enabling people to reach a depth of conversation that was conducive to cooperation. The first session barely scratched the surface of our relationships, but the second one fostered a much stronger sense of trust among the faculty. There were some interesting facts came to light during the time together, for instance, 80% of the faculty members will retire at the same time, so how do we plan for continuity in our cooperation? It is difficult to have a joint calendar with different expectations of the three denominations, about who teaches which classes (some can only be taught by professors in their own denomination). It seems like the breaking of things is actually God's opportunity, we have regrouped and are renewed. We intend to provide quality and innovative theological education together. We need to have our policies collected and written down in a standard handbook for all three Colleges. The feeling of all concerned is that we must have a retreat like this every semester to keep the communication open and active.

Proposal abstract :
Student learning through international experience is a developing area that combines interdisciplinary methods. Normally the goal is to provide students with greater awareness about global society while also building specific knowledge in their own field (e.g., religious studies or language). Across North America institutions are pursuing this objective in a variety of ways. The disciplines of Religious Studies and Theology, with their predominant concern for social justice and care for others, have much to contribute to the discussion of how to prepare students for such experiences. Moreover, given the long standing presence of service learning and travel associated with education about religion, there is a precedent in place for scholars of religion to offer insights into past successes and failures in such ventures. As such, this project seeks to establish a community of scholars who incorporate service learning in their programs to define and elaborate the parameters of the discipline in its various forms, as well as identify and compile a variety of “best practices” relating to student learning outside their home country.

Learning Abstract :
Wabash funding allowed us to pursue questions about pedagogical models promoting global citizenship. The Good Global Citizenship Think Tank I (January 2010) and II (January 2011), provided a forum for students, scholars and program facilitators to listen, think together and learn about the implications of international experience programs on student learning and on the international communities to which our students travel. We were able to focus on the ethical and moral implications of such education and asked questions surrounding the kinds of values implicit in and absent from such programs. Together we identified some "core concerns" and worked to examine these through student reflection papers, scholarly articles on internationalization of education, and case studies that examine the kinds of programming happening in Canada today. We have been excited and inspired by the inclusion of students throughout this project: their public presentations during the think tank and in academic forums, and their written contributions that will be included in our collaborative volume on this topic. Furthermore, Wabash funds have allowed us to pursue and share a breadth of new research on this topic through public workshops, scholarly presentations, research articles, and a forthcoming edited book.

Proposal abstract :
Research to discover, gather, improve, create, test, and evaluate teaching assessment instruments for religious studies and theology teachers in undergraduate and graduate education in three Roman Catholic institutions.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather a team of five scholar-teachers with extensive administrative experience to study teacher assessment in three Roman Catholic religious studies and theology departments. Their purpose was "to gather, discover, improve, create and test teaching assessment instruments for religious studies and theology teachers."
The team of five met monthly for a year to discuss ways to become more effective teachers and how to encourage others to become better teachers. In gathering and reflecting upon assessment literature they found very little was addressed to the specific needs of theology and religious studies. They experimented with new assessment techniques and reviewed the results. They discovered that "the most important instrument for classroom assessment is gathering with concerned faculty to discuss our mutual classroom expectations, experiences, and experiments."

Proposal abstract :
Consultations between graduate school faculty and current professionals working in one of three specific ministry areas will elicit strategies for better teaching and learning in pastoral administration, pastoral care ministries, and catechetics.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to fund three consultations "to assist the College in its development of additional curricular options and directions in its Graduate Program in Pastoral Theology." The consultation process involves three dialogic sessions of three days duration each and included program administrators, faculty and recognized professionals in the examined areas of Pastoral Administration, Pastoral care and Catechesis.
Content was specified for the new program and priorities within specialty areas were clarified. An appropriate and potentially effective strategy was designed for curricular delivery. A pedagogical model was constructed and agreed upon. Potential compatible faculty was identified within the consultative process.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a project to: develop consensus across member seminaries of the Midwest Association of Theological Schools (MATS) about assessment processes and products related to the major responsibilities of a newly ordained priest; bring to MATS seminaries current best practices and current research related to the development of professional workers in other fields; and create broadly validated assessment tools that will be integrated into practice by MATS seminaries and shared with seminaries across the nation.

Learning Abstract :
The project enabled a group of seminary educators to collectively design a framework for integrating the formational components of the Program for Priestly Formation (e.g. human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral dimensions) into specific outcomes, behaviors and performance tasks. This was accomplished in the design of the DACUM. The DACUM provides for us a realistic perspective of what students should know and be able to do at the completion of the program through specific duties, tasks and behaviors. The challenge for the group is to create further rubrics and performance actions that will allow students and faculty to assess the integration of the skills, knowledge and affect integrated by students for their future ministry. (Seminaries have adopted Shulman's idea that a student's learning of the theological dimensions of leadership and ministry is not ultimately gauged by knowledge of the concept, but by the ability to exercise leadership through performance actions.) The seminaries that participated in this project are now ready to apply the DACUM to their curricula. One model that we hope to develop with future funding is the portfolio that will designate specific rubrics, performance evaluations, and select written work from across the M.Div curriculum to demonstrate the student's engagement and motivation, knowledge and understanding, performance and action, reflection and critique. One year was beneficial in meeting the primary goal of the grant. However, we realize that it will take two years for the dissemination of our work to begin to be utilized within the classroom.

Proposal abstract :
If Millennial students do not see boundaries between religious traditions, as suggested by sociological studies of the generation, is the academic project of comparative theology, which aims to transgress boundaries between traditions, at risk? Colloquia participants will gather to explore and share pedagogical strategies for “meeting” Millennial students “where they are” in order to invite them into the discipline of comparative theology. First, the colloquia project aims to establish a shared understanding of our Millennial students and the unique features of the Millennial classroom. Around this foundational paradigm, colloquia participants will offer scholarly perspectives on teaching comparative theology for Millennial students; collaborate to develop specific teaching techniques and learning designs to best engage the Millennials; and collectively imagine how comparative theology itself ought to be reshaped in conversation with this generation of students.

Learning Abstract :
Comparative theology presumes boundaries between traditions, in order to transgress them. Millennial students, who resist and reconfigure traditional boundaries, would seem to represent an uncomfortable demographic for such a practice. Our project gathered teacher-scholars to imagine new pedagogies that are student learning-focused and also meaningful for comparative theologians' own scholarly work. Drawing on participants' classroom experience, as well as sociological studies of millennial students, the workshop reflected on the challenges posed by the emergence of new epistemologies and patterns of religious belonging. At the same time, we learned that comparative theology offers certain "affordances" to millennial students that other forms of theology or religious studies may not. Because comparative theology is premised on engaging across boundaries, teaching in this mode enables students to talk about and learn with the diverse forms of boundaries, including religious ones, they experience in their lives, while also affording new grammars for naming transcendence.

Proposal abstract :
The purpose of the planning meeting on November 19, 2010, is to design a week-long colloquium on teaching writing as a theological practice. In reflecting on our own theological writing during a workshop in summer 2010, a group of ten theologians from theological seminaries, undergraduate, and graduate programs in religion, have identified practical and substantive problems with the teaching of writing in their disciplines. On a practical level, current strategies of teaching students to write for academic audiences often do not help students prepare either to face drastic changes in the field of academic publishing or to connect to wider audiences. Moreover, academic writing may actually hinder students’ personal development as theologians by discouraging the cultivation of their own authentic theological voice. In a week-long colloquium on teaching writing in June 2011 at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, New Jersey, we will address these concerns by developing teaching strategies to encourage greater flexibility and depth in student writing. During the November 19 meeting, we five members of the group will articulate specific objectives for the colloquium, design its sessions, and plan for future follow-up, evaluation, and dissemination.

Learning Abstract :
In our planning for a week-long colloquium on teaching writing as a theological practice, we have raised four questions about preparing theological students to write engagingly and intelligently for audiences beyond the academic disciplines. We ask to what extent writing theology is a process of spiritual formation; what attitudes are conducive to effective theological writing; how to cultivate the integration of substantive, critical learning with personal, honest writing; and finally, how to prepare students for rapid changes in the field of academic and trade publishing. We plan to address these questions by reflecting on our own experience as teaching-writers as well as by critically examining the multiple and overlapping contexts of the writing assignments we create for our students. In addressing these questions, we seek to integrate personal, spiritual and disciplinary modes of knowing and communicating, all within rapidly changing publishing and ecclesial contexts.

Proposal abstract :
What are the most effective means of teaching religious studies inside a prison? To address this question, we propose a workshop exploring two dominant secular paradigms in prison education. What can religious studies scholars learn from these pedagogical paradigms, and how might these paradigms need to be inflected based on the particular experience of religious studies educators? While there has been an increase in the number of prison education programs with religious studies faculty involvement, there has been relatively little discussion of the unique pedagogical issues raised for religious studies professors teaching in prisons. We have identified a group of ten scholars (including both theologians and secular religious studies scholars) who have expertise in this area who will gather to share best practices, build mentoring relationships, and explore connections between teaching and research.

Learning Abstract :
What are the most effective means of teaching religious studies inside a prison? While there has been an increase in the number of prison education programs with religious studies faculty involvement, there has been relatively little discussion of the unique pedagogical issues raised for religious studies professors teaching in prisons. These questions guided the workshop that we convened at the University of Montreal on May 3, 2015.

Proposal abstract :
We propose to offer a workshop in spring 2011 on critical pedagogy related to teaching contemplative traditions in liberal arts university settings, primarily for those in the Southwest region of the American Academy of Religion. The purpose will be to converse about philosophical, methodological and pedagogical issues raised in teaching such courses and offering relevant and appropriate exercises, to share practices and methods that will enhance student learning, and to create a supportive network of teachers in the region for an ongoing discussion about teaching contemplative traditions. We plan to gather 12-15 people at various stages of their careers and with different levels of experience in dealing with contemplative teaching.

Learning Abstract :
Aside from the value of the readings and information exchange in conversation, nearly all the most significant learnings in this workshop were re-learnings. First was the importance of "group ecology:" the ability to start fast and go deep due to 1) small group size, 2) respect and trust from collegial humility and support, 3) desire to learn without expending energy on scholarly positioning, and (critically) 4) the right space. Also crucial was to prepare extensively and build carefully, consulting at each step. Other key aspects to success were attending to definitional/category issues from the start and a group sense of excitement at breaking ground regionally and nationally. We look to continue the open conversation and community formation in the near future.

Proposal abstract :
In a four-day workshop at Rice University, up to 15 scholars from the Southwest region of the American Academy of Religion will meet to work on pedagogical issues relating to teaching contemplative studies in liberal arts settings. Participants have contributed examples of effective teaching strategies, research findings, and ideas for discussion to the workshop organizer and facilitator over the past year. These are the foundation for the sessions scheduled for each day. The workshop’s purpose is to generate an ongoing inquiry into teaching about traditions of contemplation and develop best practices for “contemplative pedagogy.” The workshop will improve participants’ ability to integrate contemplative practices and traditions into their teaching, argue for the importance of teaching contemplative practices as part of religious studies pedagogy in their home institutions, and present contemplative traditions and practices effectively to students.

Learning Abstract :
This workshop increased participants' knowledge about contemplative practices, ability to define relevant issues and concepts carefully, and capacity to integrate contemplative practices and traditions into their teaching as well as to present them effectively to students. We came to better understand the interplay of how mind and body affect and are affected by contemplative practices, and how visual arts can be better integrated into contemplative pedagogy. We continued to create a supportive network of contemplative teachers in our region and to refine the conversation about effectively making the case of the importance of teaching contemplative theory and practice as part of religious studies pedagogy in our home institutions. The workshop succeeded through extensive and careful preparation, shared readings, attention to definitional/category issues throughout, much information exchange, face-to-face engaged and respectful conversation, collegial humility and support, and a group sense of excitement at breaking ground regionally and nationally.

Proposal abstract :
A consultation in May 2008 will bring together racial ethnic women professors teaching religion and theology in predominantly white university and college settings in order to share pedagogical models and strategies for teaching. Racial ethnic minority women face particular challenges when they enter the classroom, and the religion classroom, itself, poses special challenges that complicate these women’s professional and personal lives. We want to explore, in the grant period, what happens when racial ethnic minority women enter the space of the religion classroom, both to them and with students, how this affects teaching, and what strategies may be employed to ease this interaction. In a time when pedagogy is embodied and strives for transformation of professor and student, a “colored” body, particularly in a predominantly white institution, brings forth a variety of response that is both overt and hidden. This is an opportunity for racial ethnic minority women professors to be reflective about their teaching and teaching context, share teaching strategies, and shape models of support within departments and institutions that will encourage recruiting and retaining women minority academic faculty in the disciplines of Religion and Theology.

Learning Abstract :
Racial ethnic minority women teaching in the Religious Studies or seminary classroom experience unique tensions. As, often, the only person of color and/or the only woman, these teacher-scholars find themselves analyzed by the gaze of both students and colleagues. From students, this gaze can exoticize the professor, bringing about unsettling moments in the classroom for which generating teaching strategies that both uncover racism and sexism and teach students to "read as the other" is necessary. From colleagues, this gaze can make the racial ethnic woman wonder continually if her colleagues believe she "measures up" to their standards, making the racial-ethnic woman either paralyzed or defensively over-productive in her teaching and scholarship. While such activity may lead to excellence in the career, the perfectionism, stress, and fatigue, ultimately, may undermine the teacher-scholar's longevity. Collegial support, teaching strategies, self-care, rest, and open conversations among racial ethnic women scholars, such as the conversation in this consultation, generate support, opportunities for publication, and teaching strategies that open true paths to excellence and sustained, transformative careers in the academy.

Proposal abstract :
This pre-meeting session at the Society of Christian ethics annual meeting in January 2011 promotes teaching sexuality from a professional ethics perspective and provides resources to do so. Darryl Stephens, Marie Fortune, and Kate Ott will present, respectively, the efforts of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (GCSRW) of the United Methodist Church, the FaithTrust Institute (FTI) and the Religious Institute (RI) to strengthen existing curricular coverage and training in ministerial sexual ethics, professional ethics, healthy boundaries and self-care as standard aspects of seminary and religious education. Following a panel discussion, faculty participants in this pre-meeting will work in groups led by the presenters to develop concrete strategies for improving the teaching of sexual and professional ethics in their own institutional settings.

Learning Abstract :
The project was successful in engaging faculty in conversation at that moment. During the workshop, faculty were very engaged and interested in the topic teaching sexuality from a professional ethics perspective. Most expressed interest in learning about readings and syllabi to integrate professional sexual ethics into existing courses and were glad to have an opportunity for this conversation. However, in follow-up emails, faculty seemed to have difficulty sustaining their attention to this issue amidst the busyness of their day-to-day administrative, scholarly, and teaching responsibilities. An expanding conversation about teaching and learning professional sexual ethics requires institutional structures to support this effort beyond those faculty persons who already have a research interest in or social-justice commitment to sexual ethics. Policies and expectations by church judicatories, in relation to seminaries, and public leadership roles, in relation to undergraduate education, may provide the infrastructure and support needed for improvement.

Proposal abstract :
Four faculty from graduate schools will meet to develop materials and guidelines for the preparation of leaders of children's ministry in congregations.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to fund a special meeting of four faculty members from four different graduate schools who have invested in the development of children's ministry leadership. The project had three goals: to discuss the nature of resources that are needed to inform seminaries and graduate schools about the development of academic programs for church ministry leaders; to create a working plan for a book on children's ministry in congregations; to create a preliminary outline of criteria and describe a model that can be used in the design of learning and worship experiences for children.
The book developed through the project had a working title: Being the People of God: Only When Children Are Present. The book intends to engage the topics of the principles of children's ministry, historical themes and perspectives, understanding community and cultural context, and implications for leadership and ministry development. They conceptualized a consortium of schools concerned with children's ministry development among 14-15 seminaries and graduate schools interested in developing children's ministry leaders.

Proposal abstract :
A year-long program of interdisciplinary, inter-ethnic seminars, a two-day workshop, team teaching, and a national meeting on teaching race and ethnic relations.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought funds for an interdisciplinary and inter-ethnic network of scholars with shared interests in ethnicity and race in relation to theological studies, classroom pedagogy and congregational life. Activities included: faculty seminars on race and ethnicity; a workshop with a guest lecturer on the topic of reconciliation; a required, team-taught course on race and ethnic relations; a gathering of scholars who teach courses in seminary on race and ethnic relations; and a faculty retreat on the topic of culture, race and ethnicity in theological education. Wabash funds were part of larger funding received.
Project directors report the following learning: the importance of "sustained vision and intentionality" among parties; the importance of strategic partnerships across race in "co-constructing conversational initiatives"; the importance of creating safe spaces with empathetic and critical listening; a commitment of all parties to being "learners together"; the importance of a shared vocational and theological core to pull together the diversity of the group: the value of external sources of funding to bring visibility and respect for the project; "the value of keeping one's own faculty at the center of every initiative, empowering and treating them as professionals"; the value of networking with and including external scholars; the value of networking with and dialoguing with denominational and church leaders who have experience of diversity in congregational settings.

Proposal abstract :
Support for development of pedagogical practices in theological classrooms that encourage intentional connections across disciplines, cultures, and discourses, in order to better equip students for more fully integrated ministries in the Church and the world.

Learning Abstract :
Purpose: to develop pedagogical practices that foster connections across disciplines, cultures, and discourses, in order to equip our students for more fully integrated ministries. Twelve educators began; four discontinued because of changes in professional or family circumstances. Positive outcomes: 1) our conversations were extraordinarily rich and important for our development as teachers; 2) interdisciplinary and multicultural programming was carried out in six theological schools; 3) an article on multiculturalism was published in Theological Education. Challenges: 1) The loss of four colleagues required that we drop the public-voice dimension of our work: many factors can hamper the effectiveness or commitment even of participants who start out with great enthusiasm and vision. 2) Neither of two planned collaborative articles was completed, despite carefully structured timelines and significant work.

Proposal abstract :
Against the backdrop of racial tension in the United States, two ethnically diverse Christian college faculties - one from a historically black college and one from a predominately white institution - will partner to develop and co-teach a course on racial reconciliation and ethnic diversity at their respective institutions. Preparation for the course includes building deeper relationships among faculty in a retreat context, with consultation, followed by regularly scheduled faculty development experiences. Using backward course design, faculty will develop a co-taught course to be offered at both institutions. Assessment of the student, faculty, and institutional experience will be offered for both local and national publication. We hope this will model for our larger faculties a way of inter-institutional relationship, research, and education. Most importantly, we hope that the students who take these courses will be formed and transformed by the experience in ways that will enable them to take those lessons with them to impact the world.

Learning Abstract :
Faculty and students realized at a deep level that the work of racial justice and reconciliation is difficult, time-intensive, and requires intentionality and purposefulness. The range and intensity of life experiences related to race varies dramatically from person to person, even within race subgroups, thus challenging any generalizations. The grant project generated an eagerness to continue to work together and to work toward having an impact more broadly in the community. The striking differences between a predominantly White, Southern Baptist-affiliated university and an historically Black college affiliated with the CME church pose challenges around racial justice and reconciliation, but also challenge other educational, political, social, and economic realities. The greatest challenge ahead for the two colleges in the effort to work toward racial justice may be the need to maintain momentum. Both schools are occupied with other institutional and educational responsibilities and each group participant has other primary job assignments.

Proposal abstract :
The purpose of this consultation is for representatives from seminaries of the PCUSA, UCC and UMC to gather and explore what is understood by “spiritual formation” and how the formation of students is being incorporated into the Master of Divinity program. Areas to be explored include the explicit goals for spiritual formation within the degree, courses being taught and the explicit spiritual formation experiences offered. In addition to these offerings, the seminary representatives will also present how spiritual formation is incorporated into the academic courses and community life of the Master of Divinity program as a whole. Drawing on the identified material, the consultation will discover how the field is being defined within the seminaries, identify what is similar or different in the represented programs, explore strengths and challenges for each program, and examine ways participants might strengthen their programs in this area.

Learning Abstract :
The purpose of this consultation was for twelve professors from seminaries of the Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church to gather and explore what is understood by "spiritual formation" and how the spiritual formation of ministerial students is being incorporated into the academic programs at their schools. Although no definition of spiritual formation was decided upon, a few core descriptors became useful for the group in its conversations: identity formation; developing habits of head, heart & body; holistic way of living; developing relationship with God and creation; compassion; and justice. Some courses being offered focus on knowledge and understanding of spirituality and others emphasize spiritual formation through practices and experiences. As this project's focus was on students preparing for ordained ministry, this difference raised questions of what preparation is required for spiritual formation of the pastor and for pastors to be able to spiritually nurture the congregation. The area the participants desired more time to address was the academic assessment of spiritual formation of students.

Proposal abstract :
This project aims to promote more effective teaching of religious history, with a focus on the Abrahamic traditions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. A 16-month multi-layered series will foster sustained conversation among those who teach in this area. Over the course of three semesters prominent scholar-teachers with specializations from antiquity to modern America will engage faculty and students on three levels: 1) a broader public lecture; 2) a smaller seminar on pedagogy for faculty and graduate students; and 3) informal discussion over meals. They will address new methodologies in teaching and research, the benefits as well as the limitations of the secular setting, and the overlapping identities of both historical religious communities and contemporary religious historians in the postmodern university. While the primary target audience is faculty and graduate students at the University of Florida, a volume of essays is intended for those who teach religious history at other institutions.

Learning Abstract :
Despite both the practical and conceptual challenges involved, we learned that an extended, multi-layered series is an effective means of generating and sustaining dialogue on a circumscribed theme. Though a large public university, the University of Florida is somewhat off the beaten track of many very prominent academics. In organizing this series, we were careful to invite scholars who not only lectured, but engaged in individual and group meetings with faculty and graduate students. This truly fostered the development of an intellectual community and ongoing conversation. We were very pleased that a core group of approximately 20 graduate students attended lectures and seminars presented by twelve different scholars over the course of three semesters. This project, then, was ultimately successful in promoting teaching and learning about religion in history and in shaping those who engage in this endeavor at the University of Florida and at other institutions.

Proposal abstract :
In Fall 2008 we will implement a new interdepartmental religious studies major that requires students to take courses from a variety of departments. Given the potential for students to come away from this program with a fragmented understanding of the study of religion—as they are exposed to a variety of approaches to religion and methods for studying it—we aim to develop coherence in the major by developing deeper intellectual and collegial relationships among those who will be teaching in it. We seek to learn about one another’s approaches to religion, to discuss and reflect upon strategies for interdisciplinary teaching, and to develop ways to foster students’ experience of a coherent, unified degree program. Toward these ends, we will hold a four-day workshop in June 2008, preceded by a planning meeting in March; create a formal collaborative group; make information available on the web; and confer with invited scholars.

Learning Abstract :
This project, developed in anticipation of the launching of a new interdepartmental major in Religious Studies, was intended to foster new relationships and connections among the faculty, coming from several different departments, who would be teaching our courses, in an effort to ensure that students' learning in the new program would be coherent. The centerpiece of the project was a three- and one-half day summer workshop, whose content was developed by the participants in spring planning meetings. The workshop was highly successful in fostering intellectual community among the participants and instilling a commitment to self-reflection and innovation in teaching about religion in the context of the interdepartmental program. A second one day conference was held the following summer which involved religion faculty from other schools in the area. The community that developed from the project has been apparent in and beneficial to both the functioning of the steering committee which guides the new Religious Studies Program and in the monthly workshops, attended by both faculty and students.

Proposal abstract :
The Religious Studies Program respectfully requests a grant from the Wabash Center to partially fund a two-day workshop for faculty members aimed at (1) investigating issues and problems related to teaching about religions in public settings outside of college classrooms, specifically public forums, media interactions, and K-12 professional development workshops, (2) evaluating several pedagogical models and related methods for translation into these public settings, and (3) developing plans for a series of events and initiatives to enact selected pedagogies across the subsequent two years. Participants in the workshop will include 20-25 faculty members and graduate students from the University of Minnesota and other Twin Cities area institutions who teach about religions. We will invite Dr. Elaine Ecklund (Rice University) to facilitate the workshop. This event is part of a larger initiative, titled “Religion and Public Life,” sponsored by the Religious Studies Program on the University of Minnesota.

Learning Abstract :
Two conclusions: First, the importance of having discussions across disciplines and topics to develop shared strategies for creating public discussions that "work" in the sense of fostering widespread participation of those with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and views, and supporting respectful dialogue and constructive disagreement as well as exploring areas of commonality. Second, the necessity to interrogate widely shared discourses which may adopt a universal
language but which in reality are deeply rooted in a particular, historically constituted
set of experiences in order to create an atmosphere of genuine inclusion.

Proposal abstract :
Theological Pedagogy must respond to the audiences of church, society, and academy. As the first decade of the new millennium comes to a close, all three of these audiences are in flux for Catholic theological education. The general question that this consultation will take up is how graduate theological education in Catholic theology can better prepare its graduates to respond to the changing scene when they take up positions that involve undergraduate teaching. It will do so by brining together directors of Catholic graduate programs in theology, a select group of chairs of undergraduate programs in Catholic theology, teachers of theology, current doctoral students and recent graduates, to discuss the changing scene in Catholic theological education from their different institutional contexts. The goal is to give directors of graduate programs valuable information for assessing the effectiveness of their curricula and programs in professional development and pedagogy, and to give chairs and directors of undergraduate programs a better knowledge of the educational contexts from which they are drawing new faculty.

Learning Abstract :
The consultation clearly demonstrated the fruitfulness of conversations between teachers of theology from diverse institutional settings. The impact of context on challenges and resources for teaching clearly emerged as well as common concerns and a common love of teaching and theology that united the participants despite their differences. Surveying members in advance and allowing their feedback to set the agenda paid dividends. The mixture of plenary addresses, small-group sessions and concluding plenary discussions (with "informal conversation time" too) worked well. The diversity of viewpoints was very useful for the reasons just stated. A further useful element (if time had allowed) would have been to have participants meet who had the same institutional setting, so that they could further the conversation and suggest some best practices to take back with them. Having underestimated the amount of work for follow-up, I would budget and plan for additional assistance after the consultation.

Proposal abstract :
Series of conferences for Catholic colleges and universities to help develop programs in Catholic social teaching.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought "to initiate the institution of programs in Catholic social teaching at twelve Catholic colleges and universities in the United States." It sought to respond to the lack of knowledge and practice of Catholic social teaching on the part of American Catholics, through the creation of college and university level programs.
Overall, the participants' efforts on the individual campuses were successful in creating stronger programs for teaching Catholic social teaching in their institutions. In these schools, administrative officers frequently cited the presence of these programs as evidence of the school's Catholic identity; however, at times the level of verbal support did not match the material support. Other learning involved the reality that schools have not yet fully appreciated or rewarded faculty for their involvement in Catholic social teaching and justice projects. Participants saw these programs as having a positive effect on their campuses.

Proposal abstract :
The grant will support the development and hosting of a three-day symposium of an interdisciplinary group of scholars and ecclesial leaders who will address the dynamics of white privilege from their respective academic departure points. The symposium will achieve three goals: 1) stimulate theological research on white privilege; 2) use the University of Notre Dame’s interdisciplinary resources toward the service of the academy, particularly the discipline of theology, and of the church in the effort to advance scholarly analysis of white privilege; and 3) make a methodological contribution by correlating form with content.

Learning Abstract :
The symposium was well attended by students from Notre Dame and St. Mary's as well as other area institutions, including a class of twenty students from Goshen College. The symposium events became an explicit focus of discussion in at least three graduate theology courses offered at Notre Dame and were also a point of reference in undergraduate courses in psychology and anthropology. All participants were provided with a Select Bibliography for further reading that corresponded with the presenters' particular areas of focus, and this served to generate conversations between participants and presenters about their work as well as other recommended resources corresponding to particular research topics. Many of these conversations took place over meals as students and other participants were invited in small groups to dine with the symposium speakers.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a project to help 10 academic theologians and 10 musicians develop pedagogy for teaching theology through music, to implement applications in academic coursework, and to compile projects created by the group for distribution via the Web.

Learning Abstract :
Some of the learnings and outcomes from this grant include the following. 1) It is possible for musicians and theologians not only to learn from each other, but for musicians and theologians from different denominations to work together congenially, and to enhance their own faith experience by coming into contact with Christian traditions different from their own. 2) Musicians know little about theological meaning in the sacred music they perform; theologians know little about the complexity or meaning of the music that accompanies sacred texts, or about its power to carry and communicate theological truths. Addressing these voids was perhaps one of the most important outcomes of the seminar. 3) What we shared from our Christian traditions far outweighed any differences. That was so evident as we explored together the music of our faith, which is remarkably ecumenical. 4) The participants expressed what a rare experience this seminar was for them. Perhaps this would be the case for most musicians and theologians, whose roles may be parallel but do not intersect. In this case, theology and music were studied and experienced together, for common goals, with shared understanding. 5) There is substantial need for written materials that probe the nature of what happens when theological texts are combined with music. Great works of sacred music are not studied by scholars for both their theological and musical characteristics, as a general rule. 6) Having the two week seminar at the beginning of the summer worked well. 7) We are only starting to understand the nature and power of the arts to convey theological meaning. It is a field waiting to be discovered, nurtured and probed.

Proposal abstract :
The University of South Carolina Upstate will host a one-day regional conference centered on the improvement and future of teaching Comparative Religion in the Upstate region of South Carolina. The grant-sponsored component of the conference will gather 5-6 full-time tenure-track faculty from regional colleges and universities to explore two core questions. The first specific focus is on how to improve the teaching of comparative religion in the region, with the intent that the conference will foster the practical exchange of classroom-ready techniques, strategies and pedagogical ideas and the identification of appropriate teaching materials. The second theme emphasizes the contemporary importance of the study of Comparative Religion and examines how religious studies can best be integrated into larger university curricula.

Learning Abstract :
The conference taught us that there is a strong and sustained interest in public conversations about a wide range of issues connected with religion and the roles of religion in public life. The challenge remains to formulate a clear topic that allows both a broad number of participants and yet still permits effective discussion. The strengths of our event were in the engaged, well-prepared and excellent keynote speaker and the flexible, interactive nature of the panel presentations. Areas for improvement include developing a more formal means of networking and establishing a more routine and structured format for elaborating and following up on some of the specific themes of interest that emerged from the event. We were pleased and encouraged by the results of what we hope is the first in a long-term joint exploration of religious life in the region.

Proposal abstract :
University of the West, a Buddhist-founded institution, will host a one-day event for select faculty of our interfaith consortium partners: Claremont School of Theology (Christianity), Academy for Jewish Religion (Judaism), Bayan Claremont (Islam), and the Indic Foundation (Hinduism). The colloquium, entitled “Teaching Contemplation Across Traditions,” will focus on 1) how contemplative practices and pedagogies are incorporated into religious and theological education within the five aforementioned religious traditions, and 2) how each of the five traditions prepares clergy and members to teach contemplative practices to others. The student learning needs that prompt this colloquium are twofold. First, as mentioned, contemplative practices enhance student learning experiences by bringing together mind, body, and spirit. Contemplation enables students to access new knowledge pathways (i.e. emotional, spiritual, kinesthetic, embodied, contextual, etc.) not always accessible through traditional academic practices. The second learning need deals with preparing religious leaders and pastoral care workers to serve diverse populations and foster inter-religious cooperation through the use of contemplative practices. The second need is particularly student-driven, while this particular solution is faculty-centered.

Learning Abstract :
The colloquium brought together faculty from our Southern California interfaith consortium—Academy for Jewish Religion (Judaism), Bayan Claremont (Islam), Claremont School of Theology (Christianity), Indic Foundation (Hinduism), and University of the West (Buddhism)—to discuss: 1) how contemplative practices and pedagogies are incorporated into religious and theological education within the five aforementioned religious traditions, and 2) how each of the five traditions prepares clergy and members to teach contemplative practices to others. Sixteen faculty participants gained a deep appreciation of contemplative practice from the respective faith traditions. Participants were especially impressed by the diversity of these practices and the different ways these practices engaged mind, body, and spirit. We also began to discuss how we incorporate these practices and perspectives into the classroom. A major realization was the communal nature of contemplative practice, i.e., the way in which religious contemplation (often seen as a solitary endeavor) actually creates and strengthens community.

Proposal abstract :
Support a consultation between the Scriptural Reasoning group and experts in contemporary theory of education/religious education -- to test, for example, our (members of the Scriptural Reasoning group) sense that Scriptural Reasoning does not fit into the persistent tendencies of that theory to draw dichotomies between universal/value-neutral and religion-specific subject matters, and to help frame the pedagogic inquiry for the Scriptural Reasoning group.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to develop a pedagogical approach to the biblical hermeneutical method of "Scriptural Reasoning." To this end, directors from the Societies for Scriptural Reasoning proposed a three-day consultation of its Scriptural Reasoning Theory group in dialogue with educational theorists so as to frame long-term strategies of research and programmatic planning in this area.


The consultation was held successfully in May, 2003, with Dr. John Proctor, professor of theological education at Westminster College, Cambridge University. The project director reports that work with the consultant helped to fulfill the goals of the project: "uncovering the basic categories of teaching and learning that pertain to the practice of scriptural reasoning and, thereby, preparing representatives of the SRT to plan a comprehensive project on pedagogy and scriptural reasoning … the consultation and report has enabled members of the SRT to identify the types of cognitive skills, text-learning, and social interaction that are required to practice scriptural reasoning across the boundaries of the three Abrahamic faiths."

Proposal abstract :
Support for a series of annual seminars devoted to exploring the challenges of building classrooms on North American campuses where Christian Systematic Theology is taught in a "transnational environment." Specific attention to the global contexts of theology will be a central aim of the project.

Learning Abstract :
The ongoing conversations about teaching and learning have been exciting and productive, the work on developing innovative teaching-texts has borne fruit in several books, and most importantly, the pedagogical challenges of engaging the hearts and minds of today's students has been expanded and deepened. Fifteen new assistant professors of religion/theology were admitted to the group and in doing so a new generation of theological educators were introduced to the pleasures and difficulties of theological teaching. Members were encouraged that scholarship and teaching need not be seen as competing enterprises but as wise companions. It is the conclusion of the group that the best theology is solid teachable theology. Insofar as this view of the group's collective scholarly endeavor has been promoted, it is the hope of the group that the field of theology in North America as a whole has been enriched.

Proposal abstract :
Three yearly meetings of this group of theologians will serve as a "forming ground" for the development of a major seminary textbook that helps students explore the relationship between classic doctrine and present day challenges.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to fund three years of gatherings (renewed for two extra years) of the Constructive Christian Theology working group. Its aim was to develop a major introductory textbook addressing all the major themes of Christian theology from a contemporary North American ecumenical perspective. They also aimed to create a "forming ground" for a new generation of North American theologians.
The meetings consisted of panel discussions and subgroup work on topical subsections. In addition to the work, the weekend was filled with good colleagueship and a growing sense of their shared vocation as professors of theology. The developed textbook was completed and published under the title, Constructive Theology: A Contemporary Approach to Classical Themes (Fortress, 2005).

Proposal abstract :
This project proposes a process for constructing a womanist signature pedagogy for educating Black clergy. In particular, we are seeking a year-long consultative initiative among the nation’s premier womanist seminary/religious studies professors to develop a pedagogy that is aware of the impact that race-class-gender disparity has on the formation of the Black Church in general and Black clergy’s theological formation in particular. In anticipation of this long awaited reflective context and workshop, 29 womanist theological educators and religious leaders have committed to work towards a womanist signature pedagogy that aligns with the logos of theological education, the pathos of transformative education, the ethos of womanist thought and the theos of Black religious traditions.

Learning Abstract :
This project grant sought to develop best practices, teaching resources, and pedagogical strategies to assist womanist theological faculty in transmitting womanist thought for practical implementation for the ongoing process of educating Black clergy. Due to racist assumptions, unreflective sexism, and underlying obstacles caused by economic strife, Black clergy are in need of womanist insight in their work to engender social and spiritual empowerment in their congregations. The project hoped that developing a womanist signature pedagogy would stimulate and support a mutually relational learning community for Black clergy. Via in depth interviews, consultations, collaborations and nation-wide conference between womanist scholars and religious leaders/activists, this initiative not only assessed operative distortions that create a gap between the classroom and the church, but also analyzed how bridging the gap could positively shape and revive Black Protestantism. In addition, this project encouraged and empowered its greatest asset, Black church women and clergy.

Proposal abstract :
Fifteen leaders from the various Baptist traditions will hold two five-day consultations around issues of Baptist identity and the vocation of the theological teacher within theological education.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather a group of Baptist theological educators around issues of Baptist identity and the vocation of the theological teacher within theological education. It worked to facilitate dialogue among Baptist scholars regarding their vocation and identity amid transitions in denominational and congregational life, to discuss ways of teaching Baptist heritage and identity to theological students who do not know or appreciate that heritage, and to develop networks for connecting new theological centers of Baptist studies and identity. The second phase of the project expanded to include educators at Baptist undergraduate institutions. The group was able to highlight distinctly Baptist approaches to education and vocation and to publish learnings in these areas in various venues. Creating important relationships and networks among teachers over how teaching and curricula are dealt with in the sometimes difficult climate of current Baptist education was one of the most important outcomes.

Proposal abstract :
The unfortunate divide that still exists between the so-called ‘practical’ and ‘classical’ disciplines often leaves seminary students unable to integrate their curricular work and engage in effective ministry. Fragmented learning can all too easily lead to fragmented ministry. This project aims to encourage and develop a collegial model of sustained conversation between Bible and pastoral theology within a representative sampling of theological schools in the United States for colleagues who have previously engaged in or who are open to the exploration of partnered (i.e. team) teaching. In a retreat workshop, five faculty teams will share syllabi and one integrative teaching and learning exercise for partnered courses (already taught or envisioned). Each presentation will be followed by questions and critique. The retreat setting is meant to foster a think tank community of inquiry for partnered teaching. Participants will compile a ‘best practices’ list, create a support network for conversation, generate an evaluative tool, and compile resources for partnered teaching and learning.

Learning Abstract :
Because the unfortunate divide still exists between the so-called ‘practical' and ‘classical' disciplines, seminary students struggle to integrate their curricular work with their ministerial practice. Our project encouraged and developed a collegial model of sustained conversation between Bible and pastoral theology to address this divide. We invited colleagues from a representative sampling of theological schools in the United States who had previously engaged in or who were open to the exploration of partnered teaching. In a retreat workshop, five faculty teams shared syllabi and integrative teaching and learning strategies for partnered courses. Each team presentation was followed by collaborative critique. The retreat setting fostered a think tank community of inquiry for partnered teaching. Participants compiled a ‘best practices' list, created a support network for conversation, and gathered resources for partnered teaching and learning. Participants received invitations to present papers on partnered teaching at the 2013 Annual Meeting of SBL.

Proposal abstract :
This grant will enable a diverse cohort of teachers to assemble in Washington, DC to discuss their craft and to assess whether or not an ongoing conversation among scholars would be mutually beneficial to their research and teaching in political theology.

Learning Abstract :
Wesley Theological Seminary conducted a highly successful meeting of 14 scholars at our new site in downtown Washington, DC. Through sharing best teaching practices we learned that there is a profound need for political theologians to talk to each other about the craft of teaching our subject. There were many creative and challenging teaching strategies presented and all attendees identified new practices they would incorporate into their own teaching. We learned that we perceive a need to engage in deeper public discourse with political actors. We will work on finding and engaging political conversation partners in Washington, DC. And we learned that we want to keep meeting.

Proposal abstract :
The aim of the project is to organize a one day round table centered on the topic of religious studies/world religions. The invited participants will be (a maximum of eight) faculty persons teaching World Religions/Religious Studies (WR/RS) in undergraduate programs from local Chicago area colleges and universities (e.g., Aurora University; Benedictine University; College of DuPage; Elmhurst College; North Central College; North Park University; University of Illinois Chicago). The purpose of the event is to provide a forum for the focused exchange of ideas, curricular materials, and best teaching practices. The goals for the event include: the opportunity to discuss the teaching and learning of WR/RS in community; improve pedagogy; broaden individual data bases in the pooling of curricular resources; and begin to build an area network for faculty teaching WR/RS (with a view toward developing some kind of regular colloquium). In addition, I hope this event will contribute to wider ongoing efforts to restore a program in WR/RS at Wheaton College.

Learning Abstract :
The Wheaton College World Religions Roundtable gathered invited faculty persons from several Chicago area colleges and universities for a day to discuss the teaching and learning of world religions. The event was designed to provide a forum for the focused exchange of ideas, curricular materials, and best teaching practices. The most significant thing learned from the event was the value of simply gathering for such a forum, summarized by one participant's response to the question: What was most helpful? "The opportunity to meet, get to know, interact with and learn from colleagues in a variety of related disciplines in schools in the area. The depth and range of wisdom and expertise was invaluable." The potential contribution to the ongoing conversation on teaching and learning was the discussion and exchange of ideas on the topics of "field trips" to Chicago area worship/learning centers associated with the world's religions and student interactive assignments.

Proposal abstract :
This project will support a consultation on teaching American church music history. Specifically, the grant will fund an exploration of how courses are currently structured, a consultation, and the circulating of the observations and suggestions that arise from the consultation. We expect that the principles suggested by the consultation to guide the teaching of American church music history will initiate a cross-disciplinary conversation, generate on-line information about current teaching practices and resources, expand and refine the suggested core principles that inform both teaching and learning.

Learning Abstract :
The Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals completed a survey of materials used to teach church music history at ATS seminaries, Bible colleges, and liberal arts colleges. We hosted a conference that crossed the disciplines to explore how church music history is being taught. We discussed needs and strengths and recommendations for improvement. We regret that we were unable to commission an historiographical essay. American church music history has never been a robust discipline, and yet many consider it an essential context for evaluating change over time. Scholars in several disciplines have recently shown how rich the study of American church music is for their own fields, and their interest provides an opportunity to enhance teaching and learning in a subject with wide import for American lived religion.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a day-long invitational consultation, followed by collaboration to create a web-based global conversation on teaching Pentecostalism. Purpose of the project is to address particular pedagogical challenges and construct models for teaching the history of Pentecostalism.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to address particular pedagogical challenges and construct models through a consultation of scholars. They hoped to identify challenges and concerns, offer several models and rationales and prepare web resources.
The consultation was hosted by the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals at Wheaton College. Scholars invited to the consultation prepared syllabi for reflection and discussion on teaching about these movements. They summarized the practical implications of their discussion as follows: 1) most secondary sources by insiders are "unapologetically normative"; 2) "the secondary materials produced by outsiders commonly reflect a mirror image of the insider sources; 3) "the primary materials are packaged with claims of supernatural activity"; 4) the majority of the sources are not published books and articles; 5) "the definition of the subject itself is problematic"; 6) the study of Pentecostalism is politically charged; 7) unlike some of the traditions historians study, Pentecostalism is "rapidly growing and changing"; 8) "Pentecostalism is no longer, if it ever was, primarily a North American phenomenon."

Proposal abstract :
Support for a conference with the goals of intellectual, pedagogical, and community development around concerns about the insider/outsider (subjectivity/objectivity) issue in teaching Religious Studies. Professors and grad students will be encouraged to develop, discuss and share strategies for dealing with religious identities in the classroom. Professors and undergrad students will be encouraged to recognize the parts they play as a shared learning community in the Religious Studies classroom.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to fund the conference of religion scholars to examine teaching and learning issues around negotiating both a private religious identity and a public academic identity. They hoped to examine ways that teachers are both insiders and outsiders to the tradition they teach, and the teaching strategies that are approach to that reality.
The project director reports that the conference occurred in February 2004 with a total of 60 participants. They found that the small group discussions were quite worthwhile for both students and faculty. Overall, they were most pleased with the diversity of the audience, with the mix of faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students.

Proposal abstract :
Series of three workshops involving biblical scholars who teach in colleges, universities, and seminaries in the Charlotte area to explore methods, models, and resources for teaching the New Testament.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to develop consultation on teaching and learning with Biblical scholars from the Charlotte-Rockhill area. The goal would be to explore methods, models and resources for teaching the New Testament, especially the introductory level course.
The project met the group's expectations with its emphasis on practical, classroom oriented discussions. One of the most positive benefits of the consultation was the opportunity for new teachers to have an informal opportunity to share strategies and information with one another and to be mentored by more senior colleagues.

Proposal abstract :
A consultation in May 2007 will bring together women teaching/scholars of religion who are seeking to combine action for social change with their academic profession so that they can share models and create new models for educational transformation. The participants are already committed to changing from a predominantly lecture model to an interactive and collaborative pedagogy that involves the students in integrating what they learn with their own vocational life goals. The consultation provides an opportunity for them to work together as an intergenerational, interracial and interfaith group to share their transformative strategies.

Learning Abstract :
The consultation succeeded in bringing together female teaching scholars of religion who seek to combine action for social change with their academic profession to share models and create new models for educational transformation. The consultation evoked lively debate and thoughtful reflection with specific action plans that will be fine-tuned by the participants. This kind of transformatory consultation required an engaged pedagogy that has a commitment to dialogue and critical reflection. Hence, the educational transformation we sought to discuss, addresses the structure of theological education and pedagogical strategies that will enhance teaching and learning such that students and teachers recognize that education is not a neutral enterprise, but a crucial vehicle for shaping broader societal values explicitly and implicitly.