Resources
Reunion Dinner: Teaching Seminars for Doctoral Students P17-400 Saturday 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM Convention Center - 201 (Street Level) Buffet Dinner for Participants in 2016, 2017, & 2018 Wabash Teaching Seminars for Doctoral Students (Chicago, Dallas, NYC & Boston)
Teaching and Traumatic Events P16-109 Friday12:00 PM to 5:00 PM Convention Center - 201 (Street Level) Current events are pressing conversations about trauma and traumatic events in classrooms across higher education, not just those associated with theology and religion. This pre-meeting workshop invites religion and theology faculty into critically reflective conversations about trauma and traumatic events related to classroom teaching. The workshop will explore such topics as: hot-button issues, teaching methods and strategies for engaging trauma and traumatic events in classroom teaching, and crisis teaching. The workshop will also provide participants with a range of effective teaching resources related to the topic. We will begin with a buffet lunch at noon and conclude at 5 p.m. Prior to the workshop, participants will read a short essay in advance and be prepared to discuss your teaching context. Pre-registration is required. Space is limited to 40 participants. Send an email to Beth Reffett, reffettb@wabash.edu Registration deadline is October 15. Ella Johnson, St. Ambrose University, Panelist Richard Newton, University of Alabama, Panelist
Identity in the Classroom P18-103 Sunday 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM Convention Center - 201 (Street Level) Diversity in the classroom is often presented as a challenge for educators, but what if we consider the multiple identities of ourselves and those of our students as assets? Join Eric Barreto (Princeton Theological Seminary) and Rebekka King (Middle Tennessee State) for lunch and conversation about how this perspective can reorient our teaching. We will begin with a buffet lunch at 11:30 am and conclude at 1:00 pm. Pre-registration is required.Currently full, accepting pre-registration for waiting list. Space is limited to 50 participants. Send an email to Beth Reffett, reffettb@wabash.edu, to sign up. Registration deadline is November 1. Eric Barreto,Princeton Theological Seminary, Panelist Rebekka King,Middle Tennessee State, Panelist
Grant Design Conversations P19-101 Monday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM Convention Center - 201 (Street Level) Do you have a grant idea for a project on teaching and learning? Have you ever thought about applying for a Wabash Center grant? Do you have questions about our grant procedures and protocols, whether your project would qualify, or how your ideas might be shaped into an appropriate Wabash Center proposal? Come see us in the Convention Center Room CCC on both Sunday, Nov. 18, 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm, and Monday, Nov 19, 9:00 am - 11:30 am to meet with one of the Wabash Center Staff. Please write Beth Reffett (reffettb@wabash.edu) to schedule a time to meet with us.
Faculty of Color Luncheon P17-110 Saturday11:30 AM to 1:00 PM Convention Center - 201 (Street Level) You are invited to attend the Faculty of Color Luncheon. This mealtime gathering is a space for fellowship, mutual support, and empowerment for our teaching lives. Hear about Wabash Center programming and how to apply for the 2019-20 Peer Mentoring Cluster grants. Pre-registration is required.Currently full, accepting pre-registration for waiting list. Send an email to Beth Reffett reffettb@wabash.edu. Registration deadline is November 1. Walk-ins may also be accepted if space is available.
Dinner for New Teachers (Invitation Only Event) P18-402 Sunday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM Sheraton Downtown,I.M. Pei Tower Mezzanine Level - Denver Room By invitation only, new teachers will join together for an elegant dinner and directed table conversations about the first year of teaching.
Wabash Center Activities at 2018 AAR & SBL Annual Meetings Teaching and Traumatic Events P16-109 Friday12:00 PM to 5:00 PM (November 16) Convention Center - 201 (Street Level) We will begin with a buffet lunch at noon and conclude at 5 p.m. Prior to the workshop, participants will read a short essay in advance and be prepared to discuss your teaching context. Pre-registration is required. Space is limited to 40 participants. Send an email to Beth Reffett, reffettb@wabash.edu Registration deadline is October 15. Ella Johnson, St. Ambrose University, Panelist Richard Newton, University of Alabama, Panelist Teaching Against Islamophobia A16-208 Friday 1:30 PM to 6:30 PM (November 16) The Hyatt Regency Granite Room - (Third Level) Follow-up gathering for participants in the “Teaching Against islamophobia” workshop, co-sponsored with the AAR. Faculty of Color Luncheon P17-110 Saturday11:30 AM to 1:00 PM (November 17) Convention Center - 201 (Street Level) This mealtime gathering is a space for fellowship, mutual support, and empowerment for our teaching lives. Pre-registration is required. Currently full, accepting pre-registration for waiting list. Send an email to Beth Reffett reffettb@wabash.edu. Registration deadline is November 1. Walk-ins may also be accepted if space is available. Transferable Course Design P17-201 Saturday 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM (November 17) Convention Center - 201 (Street Level) This session is designed for individuals in contingent faculty positions. Contingent faculty (those teaching part-time or working full-time on a contract basis) are often called upon to teach multiple courses at short notice. Can course design empower preparation for a specific course, while also creating learning experiences transferable to other courses? Join leaders P. Kimberleigh Jordan (Drew Theological School) and Hussein Rashid (Barnard College) for refreshments and conversation about how one might pursue both goals with integrity. Session Leaders: Kimberleigh Jordan, Drew Theological School Hussein Rashid, Barnard College Space is limited to 50 participants. Please register in advance by sending an email to Beth Reffett,reffettb@wabash.edu). Registration deadline is November 1. Walk-ins welcome, as space is available. Reunion Dinner: Teaching Seminars for Doctoral Students P17-400 Saturday 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM(November 17) Convention Center - 201 (Street Level) Buffet Dinner for Participants in 2016, 2017 & 2018 Wabash Teaching Seminars for Doctoral Students (by invitation only). (Chicago, Dallas, NYC & Boston; ATSI, FTE, and HTI) Wabash Center Reception P17-501 Saturday8:00 PM to 10:00 PM(November 17) Sheraton Downtown,I.M. Pei Tower Second Level - Grand Ballroom 1 Come join us for drinks and dessert as we celebrate our work with faculty in religious studies departments and theological schools. Identity in the Classroom P18-103 Sunday 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM(November 18) Convention Center - 201 (Street Level) This session is designed for doctoral students in theological and religious studies. Diversity in the classroom is often presented as a challenge for educators, but what if we consider the multiple identities of our selves and those of our students as assets? Join Eric Barreto (Princeton Theological Seminary) and Rebekka King (Middle Tennessee State) for lunch and conversation about how this perspective can reorient our teaching. We will begin with a buffet lunch at 11:30 am and conclude at 1:00 pm. Session Leaders: Eric Barreto, Princeton Theological Seminary Rebekka King, Middle Tennessee State Space is limited to 50 participants. Please register in advance by sending an email to Beth Reffett, reffettb@wabash.edu). Currently full, accepting pre-registration for waiting list. Registration deadline is November 1. Walk-ins welcome, as space is available. Grant Design Conversations P18-203 Sunday 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM(November 18) Convention Center - 201 (Street Level) Do you have a grant idea for a project on teaching and learning? Have you ever thought about applying for a Wabash Center grant? Email Beth Reffett (reffettb@wabash.edu) to schedule a time to meet with us. Dinner for New Teachers (Invitation Only Event) P18-402 Sunday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM(November 18) Sheraton Downtown,I.M. Pei Tower Mezzanine Level - Denver Room By invitation only, new teachers will join together for an elegant dinner and directed table conversations about the first year of teaching. Grant Design Conversations P19-101 Monday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM(November 19) Convention Center - 201 (Street Level) Do you have a grant idea for a project on teaching and learning? Have you ever thought about applying for a Wabash Center grant? Email Beth Reffett (reffettb@wabash.edu) to schedule a time to meet with us. "Wabash Center Lounge" Convention Center 201 (street level) Come by and visit between sessions. Wabash Center events at the ETS Annual Meeting Other sessions on teaching
The image of the beach environment displays its givens: sand, sea, sky, dunes, plants, even the unseen particles in the air. The image of the boardwalk and “private property” sign shows a (passable) boundary onto which one can walk to the beach. It provides narrow, bounded access to a more open, free beach space. In times of change, the academic dean must understand the givens and the boundaries of theological education. Givens are the physical (temporal) and ontological realities that give boundary (like the narrow boardwalk) and freedom (like the open beach) to the work of the dean. As deans of theological schools, theological givens ought to be primary. As the beach becomes something else without sand, sea, and sky, the theological school becomes something else without a certain set of theological givens, and their relationship to other realities. Theological convictions and commitments rooted in texts and traditions, and how they cohere, serve as the sand, sea, and sky of the theological school environment. Other givens––cultural, social, institutional, etc.––will inform each dean’s context. The theological givens, I think, order and prioritize the other givens. The dean must know and value the givens in order to understand and carry out her role as an academic leader. Boundaries show the dean the context and scope of her work. They also indicate lines that either ought not or should be crossed. At times, the dean must help faculty, staff, and students flourish within a certain boundary, whether institutional, cultural, social or others. Other times, the dean must help faculty, staff, and students break through boundaries such as an antiquated and disparate curriculum. Curriculum revision offers one example where the academic dean leads the school to define new boundaries. These new academic boundaries will resonate if they reflect the givens of the school, like the boardwalk “fits” the beach environment because of how it helps us access and enjoy the beach. Academic leadership necessitates clear vision and creative discovery of the proper path for the people of the theological school. The givens and the boundaries of the school give the dean a context and lenses for that vision. When changes to theological education come, as they always have, a clear vision enables the dean to see his or her way forward so that the faculty, students, staff, and other constituents of the school may confidently follow, even if the future is unclear.
Teaching and learning in academic settings can sometimes appear contrived or artificial in relation to the “real” world or professional contexts for which students prepare. However, this does not always have to be the case. One of the things that has surprised me about teaching in theological education is the spontaneous emergence of holy moments or sacramental spaces in the classroom. These serendipitous occurrences have transpired despite carefully constructed lesson, lecture, and discussion plans. The intrusion of grace-filled moments in the midst of linear, rationally focused pedagogical agendas remind me of the synergistic power of the Divine that never leaves us alone, even in our best efforts and intentions. Addressing trauma through pedagogy as a form of educational and professional development can be an integral part of the teaching and learning experience. Pain is a part of life. In fact, pain is a constant, albeit varied, component of what it means to be human. There is great value in developing ways to gradually face pain directly, as opposed to shrinking or retreating from its reality. Part of a quality classroom education is helping students negotiate methods of confronting pain. Knowledge-based and contextually-driven learning enables students to acquire applicable models for dealing with pain and trauma in other settings. One way of thinking about teaching and traumatic events in the classroom is to envision instructional and experiential sacramental spaces. Sacraments are outward, visible signs and symbols of invisible, interior spiritual graces. They are gifts of the Divine. Although primarily viewed as specifically dogmatic and rites-based, sacraments can also be understood in terms of the varied means by which God manifests transcendental grace. Opening pathways for the intrusion of the holy, through multiple iterations, into learning spaces mirrors the healing process and thus becomes a viable way in addressing trauma. Historically, Roman soldiers took an oath of allegiance, or sacramentum, declaring a vow of obedience to their militaristic superiors. Similarly, adherents of ancient religious cults ritualistically declared service to the gods or mottos heralded by those societies. By pledging devotion and loyalty, participants bonded to the values and beliefs exemplified by the institution. Christians adopted this system in response not only to the allegiance believers swore to the Divinity of Christ, but also in recognition of the gift of Christ’s own suffering. The solidarity of God with humanity in pain formed the nucleus of a movement. Swearing the sacrament of faith to God was indeed, as in the other systems, a rite of membership. But it was also a means of acknowledging the work that God had done and was doing on their behalf. This deeply reflective theological method is relatable to teaching trauma in the classroom. Teachers and learners bring their best efforts in terms of preparation, study, and participation. That is, they do the work. Yet, they also make room for the work of God. Teachers can allow for this to happen through the cultivation of listening moments in the classroom. For example, the traditionally contemplative method of lectio divina is organized by study, prayer, reflection, and meditation. These steps allow for holy listening to the Spirit in the midst of the rational, exegetical process of biblical learning. Balancing the logical processes involved in classroom learning with short breaks of reflection, problem-solving, and simple quiet nurtures a sacramental atmosphere. In so doing, awareness is distilled that God embraces our best efforts with the unmerited grace that transforms.
Ground TransportationAbout a week prior to your travel you will receive an email from Beth Reffett (reffettb@wabash.edu) with airport shuttle information. This email includes the cell phone number of your driver, where to meet, and fellow participants with arrival times. Please print off these instructions and carry them with you.Contact Information on Day of TravelWabash Center: 800-655-7117After Hours: as directed in the travel email Venue (Trippet Hall): 765-361-6490The Travel Authority (to change flights) 800-837-6568 Tami Brubaker tami.brubaker@altour.comThommi Weliever thommi.weliever@altour.com
Wabash Center Staff Contact
Sarah Farmer, Ph.D
Associate Director
Wabash Center
farmers@wabash.edu