http://www.aarweb.org/Programs/Religion_Major_and_Liberal_Education/default.asp
Call for Proposals
“The Religion Major and Liberal Education”
A Proposal from the American Academy of Religion to
the Teagle Foundation’s Initiative, “The Disciplines and Undergraduate Liberal Education”
Principal Investigator, Timothy M. Renick, Georgia State University
The Academic Field of Religion and Liberal Education
Amid a backdrop of deep global and national divisions springing from conflict between religious communities and ideologies, the academic study of religion plays an increasingly crucial role in undergraduate liberal education. With more than 10,000 scholars from approximately 1,400 educational institutions, the membership of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) has a profound impact on the ethical reasoning, intercultural knowledge and competence, and local and global engagement of Americans.
In the modern academy, the undergraduate study of religion has come to serve a role once occupied by disciplines such as English and philosophy. In religion courses, students come to engage issues central to the human condition – questions of diversity, inclusion, tolerance, values, and violence. Students examine normative questions in a way now foreign to most other undergraduate disciplines. They are exposed to great works of human literature and thinking. And the impact of the academic study of religion on undergraduate education is not limited to students who major in the field.
In the face of oftentimes mystifying acts of religious violence globally, American colleges and universities have increasingly turned to the academic field of religion for reason and insight. Religious studies is, by some measures, among the fastest growing academic disciplines, with over fifty new programs having been established at colleges and universities in the United States since 1960. On many campuses, religion courses are among the most popular electives; in not only private colleges but also state universities, courses in the field are increasingly required as a part of core requirements, thus impacting all aspects of undergraduate education. Time magazine cites a large and widespread increase in enrollments in religious studies courses at the university level since September 2001. And there is a growing public call for more and better education of Americans in the understanding of diverse cultures and belief systems. The Higher Education Supplement of the Times of London has urged U. S. universities to take steps to aid “Americans to become more religiously literate so that they can [better] judge public policy issues.” Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright concurs, writing that a failure to understand other religions “poses one of the great challenges to our public diplomacy.”
The Challenge to the Field: Principal Issues to be Explored
With the rapid growth of the major in religion, with the unique place it occupies in the modern academy, and with significant changes in the national and global context in which Americans view religion, there is a need for the field to reassess the relationship between the goals of the concentration and those of liberal education. A Teagle Foundation grant would play a significant role is this process, promoting a dialogue that will help to shape the religious and cultural literacy of the next generation of Americans.
There is perhaps no academic field more centrally involved in addressing essential learning outcomes involving not only intellectual and practical skills (such as critical inquiry, written and oral communication, and problem solving) but also the areas of personal and social responsibility (including ethical reasoning and action, intercultural knowledge, and civic knowledge and engagement) than the field of religion. There also are few academic fields that are more diverse, with undergraduate programs of religion variously situated in liberal arts colleges, religiously affiliated colleges, research universities, and theology schools.
In 2000, the American Academy of Religion, with a grant from the Lilly Endowment, examined the present state of the field in its Census of Religion and Theology Programs. With a 79% response rate, the Census revealed diverse conceptions of the major curriculum and a range of approaches to achieving what are, at times, very different learning outcomes. Some member programs have added requirements that students undertake coursework in world religions, non-Western religions, Islam, religious violence, or ethics. Others have begun to require that students engage in study-abroad experiences or conduct fieldwork in local religious communities. Still others mandate that students engage in service learning as a component of their studies through internships in non-profit, religious, and community organizations.
Despite the survey and the wealth of approaches it revealed, there has been little opportunity for a sustained follow-up discussion about the nature of the major, the effectiveness of various approaches in impacting student learning, and alternate steps that might be considered. There also has been little opportunity to disseminate information about the success or lack of success of approaches that have been tried by member institutions, leaving each institution, in effect, to reinvent the wheel. These steps are particularly crucial given the changes wrought to both the nation and the filed by the events of 9/11. They also are crucial given the increasingly prominent role that undergraduate courses in religion play in shaping the cultural literacy of a broad range of Americans, from journalists and lawyers to government employees, business leaders, and clergypersons.
This proposal outlines a path to promoting a sustained public dialogue within the field concerning how the concentration in religion can serve the evolving goals of liberal education and the needs of American society. Five principal questions to be explored include:
- How might teachers of religion invigorate learning in the field in light of recent global events? What is the role of the concentration in promoting intercultural knowledge and competence among students?
- In a context of growing religious violence and radicalism, how can teachers of religion encourage students to engage ethical issues in a way that is both academically rigorous and morally constructive?
- How can teachers of religion best create learning environments which encourage students to intelligently and critically engage the moral, religious, and spiritual issues central to humanity while in the major and throughout their lives?
- How can the concentration enhance its role in promoting practical skills central to liberal education such as written and oral communication, critical thinking, and problem solving? How might the promotion of these outcomes within the major be integrated with achieving the personal and social outcomes outlined above?
- In light of the growing number of institutions that require undergraduates to take courses in religion, what should be the shape of foundation or core courses in the field?
Timeline of Formal Procedures
The project formally will extend almost two full years, from the initial convening to the working group in early 2007 to the Annual Meeting of the AAR in November 2008 when there will be a special, open forum to discuss the completed White Paper. Ideally, the impact of the initiative will extend years beyond this initial period. All told, there will be a total of seven significant undertakings that a Teagle Foundation grant will make possible.
Fall 2006
Working Group Constituted. A working group will be constituted consisting of teachers from undergraduate colleges dedicated to the liberal arts, research universities, seminaries, and theology schools, as well a professionals from fields directly impacted by the concentration including such as the ministry, journalism, government, law, and non-profits. [See end of the proposal for the list of working group members.] The goal will be to determine not merely what outcomes teachers seek for their students, but what outcomes are civically and professionally required if our students are to be equipped to deal with a diverse and changing world.
Spring 2007
Initial Meeting and Initiatives of the Working Group. The working group will be convened for a two-day meeting at AAR headquarters in Atlanta. The goal will be to initiate a preliminary discussion among group members of the concentration and its relation to liberal education, and to develop planning for activities surrounding the project at the Annual Meeting of the AAR in November 2007. All working group members will be asked to develop a list of stakeholders in the field, including journalists, members of government, clergy, and members of the legal profession. The working group members will then contact this broad group of professionals to solicit opinions and recommendations regarding the type of learning outcomes that they perceive as necessary for success in their fields. Several of these professional stakeholders will then be invited to address the chairs of a wide-range of departments that teach religion at the Chairs/Leadership Workshop (described below).
“Seed” Grants to Member Institutions. The AAR will offers ten “seed” grants of $500 each to member institutions to encourage a structured dialogue about the religion major in the local context. Given the diversity of departments and programs in the field, the goal will be to select institutions representing the range of AAR membership – e.g., liberal arts colleges, religiously affiliated colleges, research universities, theology programs – in order for the working group and the AAR to gain broad input. Each selected department will be asked to hold a series of meetings among faculty, administrators, and stakeholders in their local context and to produce a written report on the state of its major and recommendations for revisions. The report will be structured around answers to the five principal questions outlined above. The written reports of each of the selected departments will, in turn, become part of the data on which the White Paper ultimately will be based. The reports of some of these departments might also lead participants to produce articles to appear in the special edition of Religious Studies News dedicated to the topic (see below). Additional goals will be to raise awareness, interest, and quality participation in the events outlined in this proposal (such as those at the AAR Annual Meeting in November 2007) and to encourage strong proposals from member institutions for the potential Teagle Foundation RFP to individual departments. In early 2008, participating departments will be asked to complete a follow-up survey and submit a report to the working group outlining any efforts or actions that may have been initiated by their home institutions to rethink the religion major.
Fall 2007
Special Edition of the Religious Studies News Dedicated to the Topic. Religious Studies News is a print-news quarterly that goes out to more than 11,000 recipients, including all members of the AAR, major libraries, and a range of interested professionals. Each edition features a “Spotlight on Teaching,” an 8- to 12-page pull-out section featuring multiple articles on a single theme having to do with instructional challenges and opportunities in the field, and a “Focus” section examining issues in the field. As part of the Teagle Foundation grant, the AAR and Religious Studies News will solicit articles for a special edition discussing challenges and responses to achieving the goals of liberal education within the religion major. This will extend the reach of the grant to all members of the AAR. Included in the group of contributors will be professional stakeholders from outside the academic world.
2007 Chairs/Leadership Workshop at the Annual Meeting of the AAR. Each year, the Annual Meeting of the AAR attracts more than 10,000 participants and opens with a day-long Chairs Workshop on a selected theme. The AAR proposes to dedicate the 2007 Chairs Workshop or a broader but parallel Leadership Workshop to the topic, “The ReligionMajor and its Relation to Liberal Education.” The working group will be invited to attend the workshop, and professional stakeholders from outside of academia will be among those asked to formally address the chairs. Not only will this allow leaders in the field – from both inside and outside academia – to concentrate for an extended period on re-conceiving the major, it will provide an opportunity for dozens of departmental chairs/leaders to take new ideas about the role of the major back to their home institutions. It also will provide formal contact between the chairs and working-group members. The special Chairs/Leadership Workshop will be promoted in a full-page notice in the call to the meeting, in Religious Studies News, and in the AAR’s online E-Bulletin, maximizing exposure for the event. Formal feedback from the participants will be sought in the aftermath of the workshop via a survey and written response, and, in 2008, a follow-up questionnaire will be circulated to participating chairs asking them to outline any resulting steps that have been taken to reconsider or reconfigure the religion major at their home institutions.
2007 Annual Meeting Special Session on the Major and Liberal Education. The Principal Investigator will put out a call to the general AAR membership for papers on the topic. A special session will be held at the Annual Meeting, open to all members, discussing challenges to the major and successful approaches for addressing the learning outcomes of liberal education. The event will be promoted in the AAR’s online E-Bulletin, in Religious Studies News, and in the call to the Annual Meeting.
Early 2008
Follow-up surveys and reports will be due. In March, the working group will request that both the departments receiving “seed” monies in 2007 and the chairs participating in the 2007 Chairs Workshop complete follow-up surveys and produce brief reports outlining efforts or actions that may have been initiated by their home institutions to rethink the religion major.
White Paper Drafted. A draft of a White Paper summarizing the data collected and the findings of these various parties will be produced by the Principal Investigator in early 2008 and circulated to the working group members.
Spring 2008
Working Group Finalizes and Disseminates the White Paper. The working group will re-convene in Atlanta to finalize a White Paper on the major that will then be distributed to the full membership of the AAR. Dissemination will occur through the Religious Studies News (with a circulation of over 11,000 members, libraries, and stakeholders); the AAR’s online E-Bulletin; the AAR website, with links to the Teagle Foundation website; and a special follow-up forum at the 2008 AAR Annual Meeting (see below).
Fall 2008 and Beyond
Follow-up Forum at Annual Meeting to Discuss White Paper. A special session at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the AAR, open to all the membership, will be dedicated to an open discussion of the White Paper. The event will be promoted in the AAR’s online E-Bulletin, in Religious Studies News, and in the call to the Annual Meeting. Through the initiatives outlined in this proposal, a structured but open dialogue will be initiated that will continue through the apparatus of the American Academy of Religion and through the activities of member institutions for years into the future.
Production of a White Paper
With the support of the Teagle Foundation, the initiatives outlined in this proposal will lead to a wealth of diverse data from at least eight distinct sources:
- Information available in the 2000 Census of Religion and Theology Programs and a 2006 survey update that is currently underway.
- Insights and position papers from the working group members.
- Insights and written responses from the group of professional stakeholders solicited and contacted by working group members.
- Reports from the ten member departments selected to conduct localized studies of their majors.
- Multiple articles on the topic produced for and published in a special edition of Religious Studies News, including some by non-academic stakeholders.
- Concentrated input directly to the working group from the seventy or so chairs and invited professional stakeholders who participate in the 2007 Chairs/Leadership Workshop dedicated to the theme.
- Papers produced on the topic for a special session on the theme to be held at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the AAR.
- Follow-up surveys and reports from the ten departments that received “seed” money and the departmental chairs who participated in the 2007 Chairs/Leadership Workshop outlining the rethinking and reconfiguring of the religion majors, if any, in their home departments.
Through this proposed 22-month process, the original working group will expand to over 300 parties – both inside and outside the academic field of religion – who will formally provide input to the working group. Thousands of additional teachers of religion will be exposed to the dialogue via the special edition of Religious Studies News and the sessions held at the 2007 and 2008 Annual Meetings; these parties will be encouraged to provide input. It is this broad database that will inform the final writing of the White Paper, “The Religion Major and Liberal Education,” by the working group in the spring of 2008. The White Paper will outline “best practices” for achieving the diverse aims of a concentration in religion in the context of the broad learning outcomes for a liberal education. The White Paper will also outline an instrument or instruments for assessing these learning outcomes in the context of the major in religion.
Project Assessment
A primary goal of this proposal is to encourage teachers of religion to engage in serious and sustained discussion about the state of the major and its relationship to the evolving learning outcomes of liberal education. As such, one crucial measure of success will be the level of participation and feedback that the project generates. This is a quantifiable number, available through monitoring attendance and participation at each of the seven major planned events.
A second goal of the project is to initiate a process of positive and voluntary change within individual majors and programs in the field. While such changes will rightfully occur over a period of a number of years, the proposal has been set up to produce specific indicators of such change that can be observed and measured within the 18-month window. Both the institutions awarded “seed money” for the discussion of their majors and the chairs who attend the 2007 Chairs/Leadership Workshop will be required to provide follow-up feedback in the year subsequent to the event outlining any actions taken in their home institutions to rethink, revise, or reconfigure the religion major. At the 2008 Annual Meeting of the AAR, the special follow-up session will provide a public forum for teachers and administrators of religion to share new developments and insights gleaned from the actions and experiences of their home departments. The final report to the Teagle Foundation will include both qualitative and quantitative summaries of the number and extent of these changes and the impact they have had on the discipline.
A third goal of the project is to provide useful resources to departments and programs which elect to revise or re-conceive of their majors or concentrations. The successful production of the White Paper, in general, and its sections outlining best practices and providing possible assessment instruments, in particular, will represent an important step towards satisfying this third goal. Just as importantly, the expectation is that the hundreds of parties challenged, impacted, and informed by the initiatives outlined in this proposal—teachers in the working group, stakeholders from the professions, departmental chairs, administrators, and attendees of the proposed events—will provide an invaluable resource for change in the academic discipline of religion over the next decade.
Working Group Members
Lynn Schofield Clark, Assistant Professor of Mass Communication and Director of the Estlow International Center for Journalism and New Media, Denver University, and author of From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and the Supernatural (2005) and co-author of Media, Home, and Family (2004), editor of Religion, Media, and the Marketplace (2007)and co-editor of Practicing Religion in the Age of the Media (2002).
Kyle Cole, Director of Professional Programs, American Academy of Religion
Elizabeth Condi-Frazier, ordained American Baptist minister, Associate Professor of Religious Education, Claremont School of Theology, and author of Hispanic Bible Institutes and co-author of A Many Colored Kingdom: Multicultural Dynamics for Spiritual Formation
Eugene V. Gallagher, Rosemary Park Professor of Religious Studies at Connecticut College, and Chair of the Teaching and Learning Committee of the AAR
Mitch Leopard, CNN correspondent on international issues and current M.A. student in religion
Eugene Y. Lowe, Jr., ordained Episcopal priest, Assistant to the President of Northwestern University and Senior Lecturer in Religion
Darby Ray, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Millsaps College and Director of the Faith and Work Initiative, and author of Deceiving the Devil: Atonement, Abuse, and Ransom (1998) and Christic Imagination: An Ethic of Incarnation and Ingenuity (forthcoming), and is editor of Theology That Matters: Ecology, Economy, and God (2006)
Timothy Renick (Principal Investigator), Chair and founder of the Department of Religious Studies at Georgia State University and recipient of the 2002 Outstanding University Teacher Award for the State of Georgia and the 2004 AAR Award for Teaching Excellence
Amna Shirazi, senior partner in the Shirazi Law Group, a law firm specializing in immigration and nationality law, and a former undergraduate major in Religious Studies
Chava Weissler, Philip and Muriel Berman Professor of Jewish Civilization in the Department of Religion Studies, Lehigh University, author of Voices of the Matriarchs: Listening to the Prayers of Early Modern Jewish Women (1999), and a teacher at Lafayette College, DeSales University, and Moravian College