Resources
This article presents a methodology for a feminist theology of education based on reflection of women's educational experience in light of historical and contemporary theological works, especially the writing of Julian of Norwich. It argues for hospitality as a metaphor for theological education and suggests an understanding of the student, teacher, and environment of education that can create hospitality in the classroom.
This article presents a methodology for a feminist theology of education based on reflection of women's educational experience in light of historical and contemporary theological works, especially the writing of Julian of Norwich. It argues for hospitality as a metaphor for theological education and suggests an understanding of the student, teacher, and environment of education that can create hospitality in the classroom.
Joachim Wach's classic 1924 treatment of two types of teaching and learning relationships is summarized by Professor Denny and commented on from three contemporary perspectives by three teaching scholars who raise the basic question, "Are Wach's models of student and disciple adequate for the nineties?" Following an introduction by Frederick M. Denny, the contributions presented are: I. Are Wach's Models of Student and disciple Adequate for the Nineties?, by Margaret R. Miles, II. Response to Joachim Wach's "Master and Disciple: Two Religio-Sociological Studies": Buddhism, by Charles Hallisey and III. Wach and the Double Truth, by Earle H. Waugh.
This article originated as a lecture at the celebration of 150 years of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies in King's College of the University of London. Professor Ford argues that our good practice as teachers has outstripped any available paradigm of the field, so it is necessary to reconceive it. He proposes four dimensions that unite theological and religious studies: how to study the phenomena of religions; how to establish norms and responsibilities; how to cope with radical, self-involving particularity; and how to involve the divine in academic studies.
This paper examines David Kolb's theory of experiential learning and its usefulness in developing religious studies courses in a 'Discover Chicago' program, wherein students spend an intensive 'immersion' week before the start of the autumn quarter touring, researching, interviewing, discussing, and analyzing a variety of phenomena in the Chicago metropolitan area. Then, during the quarter, they critically revisit issues raised by the immersion week, probing more deeply and letting their initial impressions take on more mature reflective forms by engaging in extensive reading and systematically relating text with experience. Finally, research projects are developed, being outgrowths of the activities of the summer week and the readings and discussions from the first part of the quarter.
To help non-specialists ensure that their teaching of Taoism is state-of-the-art, the author offers six suggestions: (1) Teach real Chinese Taoism, as it has been revealed by the social, textual, and historical research of Asian and Western specialists since the 1970s. (2) Use textbooks that reflect current scholarship. (3) Cover all phases of the Taoist tradition, not just the long-fetishized Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu. The classical text entitled Nei-yeh helps students understand modern forms of Taoist meditation, such as those in Ch'üan-chen Taoism, which has been neglected in our textbooks. (4) Use reliable translations by responsible scholars. (5) Use real Taoist texts, such as now appear in Livia Kohn's anthology, The Taoist Experience, and other new sourcebooks. (6) Make responsible choices. The author compares different pedagogical models and explains his own approach, designed to provide accurate knowledge of Taoist history and practices in a form that students will appreciate.
AAR Teaching Religious Studies Series (Oxford University Press) Classes organized by means of the 'religion and …' rubric cut both ways: they are elastic enough to attract wide student interest, thereby enhancing a department's enrollment statistics, but they are often theoretically unsophisticated, thereby hampering the future development of scholars of religion. After discussing the costs and benefits of such classes, this article focuses on one particular example of this popular rubric that would benefit from redescription: the use of films in the religious studies class. After identifying two competing approaches to using films, the essay concludes by discussing three feature films that can be used in all of our classes to teach a fundamental theoretical topic in our field: the insider/outsider problem.
This article presents an overview of a course entitled 'The Ethics of Ambition' which over the period of the last fifteen years the author has taught to undergraduates and seminarians, as well as in church-sponsored adult education programs. It summarizes and describes a number of pedagogical strategies that have evolved over time in response to the exigencies of these varying educational environments. More topically, the article offers a brief criticism of certain 'neo-conservative' assumptions regarding the pedagogical efficacy of the Christian narrative as these impinge upon the actual teaching situation.
The author believes that the value of teaching in the academy will continue to be diminished as long as teaching and scholarship are viewed as separate and unequal. Thus, pedagogical proficiency is a fundamentally important component of religious and theological scholarship. Pedagogical skills allow scholars to be in dialogue with people outside of their content specialization and outside of the academy; therefore, they enable dialogue with the people of a religious tradition who are not scholarly specialists, but who are the living community of the religious tradition. The article seeks first to articulate a clear understanding of teaching competency, drawing on the concept of pedagogical proficiency. The case is then made for the role of teaching in scholarly research and, finally, its specific role in religious and theological research, showing that research accountability to a living religious tradition necessarily demands teaching competency.
Three conceptions of general education developed under the titles 'general,' 'generalist,' and 'generalizing' are matched with appropriate strategies for teaching the Bible. These provide the basis for two points relevant to teaching the Bible in colleges and universities: first, that the prime object of attention is not the Bible, but rather a corporate agreement regarding an educational project; and second, that the ways in which the Bible might be taught will vary, appropriately, according to the ways in which that educational enterprise is understood. A corollary is stated: teachers of the Bible need to be as informed about research in teaching as they are in biblical research.
Grant Coaching
The Wabash Center understands our grants program as a part of our overall teaching and learning mission. We are interested in not only awarding grants to excellent proposals, but also in enabling faculty members to develop and hone their skills as grant writers. Therefore we offer grant coaching for all faculty interested in submitting a Wabash Center Project Grant proposal.
Sarah Farmer, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Wabash Center
farmers@wabash.edu