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Secularization, the idea that religion would gradually diminish over time, was once widely assumed to be true by scholars of religion, but the unexpected resurgence of religious traditions has called it into question. Related debates on the distinction between religion and the secular have destabilized religious studies further. What does the crisis of secularization and secularism mean for the religious studies classroom? This essay proposes a model of religious criticism in the wake of secularism. No longer simply claiming a "view from nowhere," students and instructors can (by observing standards of evidence, reason, and self-disclosure) combine criticism with learning. Drawn from aesthetic and ethical traditions of criticism, religious criticism can be practiced by "teaching the conflicts" and through the pedagogical models of Freire and hooks.

The Teaching Professor, Volume 21, Number 8
Creating Learning Scenarios: A Planning Guide for Adult Educators

This guide is intended for educators from all subject, discipline, and workplace/vocational areas of adult education. It has been written to help educators plan, deliver, evaluate and reflect on the uses of scenarios for learning and teaching purposes. The guide begins with a rationale for using ‘scenario-based learning’ – why educators employ it, some motivational qualities of scenarios (through their closeness to film and television), and a note on what constitutes ‘successful scenarios.’ This is followed by an in-depth look at four main scenario options, and how these can be used to achieve particular learning intentions. The guide then focuses on a systematic approach to the planning of learning scenarios including the conditions necessary to optimize success. From here attention is given to the actual delivery of scenarios and selected moments for evaluation, and reflection. (From the Publisher)

Teaching and Learning in College Introductory Religion Courses

Introductory courses in theology and religion are taught at most colleges and universities across the US and UK. From public to private, non-sectarian to faith-based institutions, theology courses fulfill humanities general education requirements, and provide a foundational education for students intending further theological study. This book describes the best and most effective ways of teaching these courses. Offering practical, realistic, research-based guidance, this volume explores the best and most recent methods in teaching-theory. This book addresses the questions and concerns frequently posed by the professors and graduate students who instruct these multifaceted courses. It covers issues such as a teacher's role in defining theology and religion, the teaching and learning process, course structure, and content. The volume also examines recent case studies of theology and religious studies courses at various institutions, including a private non-sectarian university, a public research university, a Catholic masters-level university, and at a Protestant baccalaureate college. (From the Publisher)

REA Centennial Edition
Facing Dogmatism and Ambiguity
The Shaping of American Higher Education: Emergence and Growth of the Contemporary System

The reader may find the title of this excellent volume too modest for the rich presentation of American educational history it offers. Much more than a shaping of that historical record, the educational facts presented gain a special resonance from the richness of the social and economic background against which the history unfolds. (From the Publisher)

In the Long Run: A Study of Faculty in Three Writing-Across-the-Curriculum Programs

This volume allows both those teachers immersed in WAC programs and those still contemplating increasing the use of writing in their courses to peer into classrooms of those that have participated in such programs for years. Walvoord et al. report the long-term impact upon faculty of writing-across-the-curriculum programs, collecting interviews, questionnaires, classroom observations, student evaluations, and course documents from more than 700 faculty, one to fifteen years after their first WAC experiences. (From the Publisher)

Teaching Religion and Healing

AAR Teaching Religious Studies Series (Oxford University Press) The study of medicine and healing traditions is well developed in the discipline of anthropology. Most religious studies scholars, however, continue to assume that "medicine" and "biomedicine" are one and the same and that when religion and medicine are mentioned together, the reference is necessarily either to faith healing or bioethics. Scholars of religion also have tended to assume that religious healing refers to the practices of only a few groups, such as Christian Scientists and pentecostals. Most are now aware of the work of physicians who attempt to demonstrate positive health outcomes in relation to religious practice, but few seem to realize the myriad ways in which healing pervades virtually all religious systems. This volume is designed to help instructors incorporate discussion of healing into their courses and to encourage the development of courses focused on religion and healing. It brings together essays by leading experts in a range of disciplines and addresses the role of healing in many different religious traditions and cultural communities. An invaluable resource for faculty in anthropology, religious studies, American studies, sociology, and ethnic studies, it also addresses the needs of educators training physicians, health care professionals, and chaplains, particularly in relation to what is referred to as "cultural competence" - the ability to work with multicultural and religiously diverse patient populations. (From the Publisher)

The Teaching Professor, Volume 21, Number 7