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Published by the American Academy of Religion October 2002 Vol. 17, No. 4 www.aarweb.org Annual Meeting News

Program Highlights...... 2-3 Jacques Derrida, Hans Küng, Francis Barboza, Arun Gandhi, & Sessions with a ❒✓ Canadian Focus IT’S TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP Employment Information Service Center and Employment Tips ....3 See page 17 for a membership form Friday night orientation & lessons from the first year on the job Four New Program Units ...... 3 Tillich; Zen Buddhism; Cultural History of the Study of Religion; and Religions, Social Conflict, and Peace Graduate Survey of Religion and Faculty Recruitment Workshop Theology Programs ...... 12 and Registration Form...... 4-5 Running a Successful Faculty Search Academic Doctoral Degrees Surveyed Getting Around in Toronto ...... 5 Public Access Terminal System links Annual Meeting Venues Candidates for Vice President Announced...... 7 Special Topics Forum ...... 5 Hans Hillerbrand and W. Clark Gilpin Cloning! Embryo research! Stem cells! Documents Needed to Cross the Border into Toronto ...... 6 American Academy of Religion Awards...... 8-9 Remember travel documents for easy passage to Canada Excellence in Teaching, Book Awards, Best In-Depth Reporting, and the Public Restaurants, Clubs, Understanding of Religion and Art in Toronto...... 6 Eat, Drink, and Think in Toronto Reel Religion ...... 6 Presidential Views ...... 10 Six exciting movies to be shown Vasudha Narayanan Reflects on Her Doctoral Work & Scholarly Career

FEATURES Memorial for Charles E. Winquist ...... 11 Future Meeting Dates...... 4 Executive Director of the AAR and Director of Scholars Press in the Early 1980s From the Student Desk ...... 12 Todd Farley of Fuller Theological Seminary as a Mere Mime Regional Meetings and Call for Papers ...... 25 Department Meeting ...... 13 Interview with Tim Renick, University System of Georgia Board of Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award winner Beyond the Annual Meeting...... 13 Willard G. Oxtoby delivers the American Lectures in the History of Religion Religion in the Public Interest ..14 Dena Davis discusses the Cleveland Voucher Decision JAAR Contents...... 15 2001 Presidential Address by Rebecca S.Chopp Spotlight on Teaching STAAR News ...... 15 A new RSN feature The Front Lines: Call for Oxford/ Teaching Religious Studies and Theology AAR Series Editor...... 16 Cultural Criticism Series editor sought in Community Colleges Annual Fund ...... 18 Nearly 500 contribute to the Academy Summer 2003 Chairs Workshop ...... 18 Georgetown hosts the Entrepreneurial Chair

Sexual Harassment Policy...... 20 AAR condemns sexual harassment in academic settings AAR-FALL02-PDF.qxp 10/7/02 1:28 PM Page 2

Religious Studies News, AAR Edition

2002 Program Highlights AAR Staff Directory Kyle Cole, Ph.D. Associate Director of Religionsource Annual Meeting Plenary Speakers E-MAIL: [email protected] TEL: 404-727-4725 Shelly Combs The AAR is proud to present a strong program of speakers and performances during this year’s Projects Assistant Annual Meeting. E-MAIL: [email protected] TEL: 404-727-4707 Barbara DeConcini, Ph.D. Meeting in Toronto, November 23-26, articles. In addition to lecturing worldwide Executive Director and Treasurer 2002. Derrida originated the school of at colleges and institutes and addressing E-MAIL: [email protected] deconstruction, a strategy of analysis that community and professional organiza- TEL: 404-727-3049 has been applied to literature, linguistics, tions, Gandhi is active in community, Joe DeRose philosophy, law, architecture, and religion. educational, corporate, and prison pro- Director of Membership and Technology Services grams, workshops, and conferences. E-MAIL: [email protected] The plenary address, Other Testaments: An Gandhi will be delivering a plenary TEL: 404-727-7972 Interview with Jacques Derrida “On address, on the topic "Have We Distorted Ina Ferrell Religion” will be conducted with Yvonne the Essence of Religion?" on Monday, Accountant Sherwood, University of Glasgow, Kevin November 25, at 7:15 PM-8:15 PM. E-MAIL: [email protected] Hart, Monash University, and John D. TEL: 404-727-2331 Caputo, Villanova University on Sunday, Carey J. Gifford, Ph.D. November 24, 7:15 PM–8:15 PM. A special Director of Academic Relations focus on Derrida’s work titled Other E-MAIL: [email protected] Testaments: Derrida and Religion has been TEL: 404-727-2270 developed between program units of the Myesha D. Hamm, M.Div. AAR and the SBL. The AAR sessions Administrative Supervisor include the Theology and Continental E-MAIL: [email protected] TEL: 404-727-3026 Philosophy Group’s Towards the Outside: Perspectives on Derrida's Religious Thought John Harrison (A191), and a session cosponsored by the Director of Finance and Operations/ Francis Barboza Feminist Theory and Religious Reflection Deputy Executive Director RANCIS BARBOZA, a talented Group and the Theology and Continental E-MAIL: [email protected] exponent of the classical dance form Philosophy Group titled La TEL: 404-727-7954 of Bharata Natyam, is world F Toucher/Touching Her: Touch in the Gospels Steve Herrick renowned for his innovative efforts to (A240). Director of External Relations expand the scope of this art form beyond Hans Küng to deliver E-MAIL: [email protected] the boundaries of religions. Barboza has TEL: 404-727-7948 the distinction of being the only dancer special lecture at Aislinn Jones worldwide who gives full recitals on both Annual Meeting Program Director Hindu and Christian themes. Trained Annual Meeting E-MAIL: [email protected] under some of the most eminent gurus of N THE AFTERMATH of September TEL: 404-727-8132 his time, Barboza has earned bachelor, 11, 2001, a new paradigm for interna- Scott McDonald master, and doctoral degrees in dance and I tional relations is required. Hans Küng, Administrative Assistant performing arts, as well as degrees in phi- president of the Global Ethic Foundation, E-MAIL: [email protected] losophy and theology. Barboza has numer- was a member of the "Group of Eminent TEL: 404-727-3049 ous research articles and papers to his Persons" convened by Kofi Annan, presi- Shannon Planck credit, as well as the book Christianity in dent of the United Nations. The UN Director of Development Indian Dance Forms. He has won many manifesto, Crossing the Divide: Dialogue E-MAIL: [email protected] prestigious awards for Indian classical among Civilizations is against all unilateral- TEL: 404-727-7928 dance and has been invited to perform ism and calls for an attitude of reciprocal Susan Snider around the world. Barboza’s dance perfor- co-operation, compromise, and integration Administrative Assistant, Media Referral mance will be Saturday, November 23, at instead of the former attitude of con- E-MAIL: [email protected] 11:30 AM-12:30 PM. A response to his Arun Gandhi frontation, aggression, and revenge, which TEL: 404-727-4711 performance will be offered by Arti RUN GANDHI is the fifth provoked so many wars in the era of Religious Studies News, AAR Edition is Dhand, University of Toronto and dancer grandson of India's late spiritual European nationalism and imperialism. published quarterly by the American Academy Meera Vignarajah, Toronto, ON. A leader, Mohandas Karamchand Küng postulates that where the old para- of Religion in January, March, May, and "Mahatma" Gandhi. Arun Gandhi lived digm always presupposed an enemy, the October. Letters to the editor and features with his grandfather through the final new paradigm knows partners, rivals and examining professional issues in the field are years of India's struggle to free itself from opponents: economic competition instead welcome from all readers. Please send editorial British rule. His grandfather showed of military confrontation. This new para- pieces in electronic uncompressed file format only (MS Word is preferred) to: Gandhi firsthand the effects of a national digm should be based on some fundamen- [email protected]. campaign for liberation carried out tal common ethical standards — a Global through both violent and nonviolent Ethic. Subscriptions to individuals and institutions means. In 1991 Gandhi, with his wife are available. See www.aarweb.org/ Sunanda, founded the M. K. Gandhi Küng will deliver the special lecture, The publications/rsn for more information. Institute for Nonviolence, located at New Paradigm in International Relations? Deadlines for submissions: Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Reflections after September 11, 2001 on January: October 15 Tennessee where Gandhi is also scholar-in- Monday, November 25, at 4:00 PM. A March: December 15 residence. The institute’s mission is to question and answer period will follow the May: February 15 ❧ October: July 15 examine, promote, and apply the princi- lecture. ples of nonviolent thought and action Advertising Jacques Derrida through research, workshops, seminars, For information on advertising, please see and community service. Gandhi is an ENOWNED FRENCH www.aarweb.org/publications/rsn accomplished author and journalist who philosopher Jacques Derrida will Publisher: has written eight books and hundreds of American Academy of Religion R be a plenary speaker at the Annual 825 Houston Mill Road, NE Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30329 Religious Studies News, AAR Edition is the newspaper of record for the field especially Editor-in-Chief: designed to serve the professional needs of persons involved in teaching and schol- Carey J. Gifford, Ph.D. arship in religion (broadly construed to include religious studies, theology, and Production Manager: sacred texts). Published quarterly by the American Academy of Religion, RSN is Myesha D. Hamm received by some 10,000 scholars, departments enrolled in the Academic Relations Layout: Program, and by libraries at colleges and universities across North America and Jill Connolly, Decatur, GA abroad. Religious Studies News, AAR Edition, communicates the important events of the field and related areas. It provides a forum © AAR, 2002 for members and others to examine critical issues in education, pedagogy (especially through the bi-annual Spotlight on Teaching), research, publishing, and the public understanding of religion. It also publishes news about the services and programs of the AAR POSTMASTER: and other organizations including employment services and registration information for the AAR Annual Meeting. Send address changes to Religious Studies News, AAR Edition, 825 Houston Mill Road, Atlanta, GA. For writing and advertising guidelines, please see www.aarweb.org/publications/rsn.asp Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, GA.

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ANNUAL MEETING NEWS Sessions with a Canadian New Program Units Focus EVERAL NEW UNITS join the Tillich: Issues in Theology, Religion, Annual Meeting program this year. and Culture Group The Challenges of Canadian Catholic Tillich: Issues in Theology, Tillich in Dialogue HE 2002 AAR Annual Meeting will S Perspectives (A126) Religion, and Culture Group, chaired by Monday, November 25 mark the first time the event is held Sunday, 1:00 PM–3:30 PM Robison B. James, University of Virginia, 9:00 AM-11:30 AM outside of the United States. In T and Mary Ann Stenger, University of honor of the AAR’s Canadian scholars, Louisville, is hosting three sessions this Paul Tillich, Postmodernism, and Process several program units have chosen to Religious Diversity in Toronto (A139) year. Topics include Tillich in Dialogue; Thought develop sessions with a Canadian focus. Sunday, 4:00 PM–6:30 PM Paul Tillich, Postmodernism, and Process Monday, November 25 4:00 PM-6:30 PM This year’s Annual Meeting includes a Thought; and Paul Tillich and Ernst number of opportunities to discover more A Dialogue between Canadian and US Troeltsch, co-sponsored with the Paul Tillich and Ernst Troeltsch about Canadian scholarship. Feminist Scholars of Religion on Strategies for Nineteenth-Century Theology Group. (co-sponsored by the Nineteenth-Century Responding to Militarism (A169) Group) Religious Ethics and Public Discourse: Monday, 9:00 AM–11:30 AM Gereon Kopf, Luther College, and Jin Monday, November 25, Canadian and American Considerations of Park, American University, are the chairs 1:00 PM-3:30 PM Stem Cells and Reproductive Technologies of a new Zen Buddhism Seminar. (A20) Walking Tour of Toronto’s Religious and Civic Seminars are collaborative efforts leading Zen Buddhism Seminar Saturday, 1:00 PM–3:30 PM Sites (A197) toward publication. Be sure to get in at Monday, November 25, Monday, 1:00 PM–3:30 PM the beginning of this effort. 1:00 PM–3:30 PM New Religious Movements in Canada and East Asia (A32) Crossing Borders: The Scholarship of Teaching A new consultation, The Cultural History Cultural History of the Study of Saturday, 1:00 PM–3:30 PM and Learning in Canada (A200) of the Study of Religion, is sponsoring a Religion Consultation Monday, 1:00 PM–3:30 PM session entitled Toward a Cultural History of Toward a Cultural History of the Study of the Study of Religion, as well as co-sponsor- Religion Migration and Interreligious Faith ing the session, The Study of Religion and Saturday, November 23, Communities of African Descent in Canada: Issues in Religious Liberty (Canada, South the Study of Emotion with the North 4:00 PM–6:30 PM Historical and Contemporary Voices (A91) Africa, United Kingdom) (A210) American Religions Section. Robert A. Sunday, 9:00 AM–11:30 AM Monday, 1:00 PM–3:30 PM Orsi, Harvard University, and Leigh E. The Study of Religion and the Study of Schmidt are the chairs of this new unit. Emotion The Multi-faceted Judaism of Toronto (A111) Drawing Outside the Lines: Extending the Another consultation, Religions, Social (co-sponsored by the North American Sunday, 1:00 PM–3:30 PM Boundaries of Asian North American Conflict, and Peace, chaired by Cynthia Religions Section) Religions (A235) Stewart and Susan Windley-Daoust, is Monday, November 25, Monday, 4:00 PM–6:30 PM sponsoring the session, Religious Responses to 4:00 PM–6:30 PM Religion and the Legal Status of First Nations a Post-September 11 World. Peoples in Canada (A116) Religions, Social Conflict, and Peace Sunday, 1:00 PM–3:30 PM Canadian Scholarship on Women and For more information on how to propose Religious Responses to a Post-September 11 Religion (A261) a new program unit, please visit the AAR World Tuesday, 9:00 AM–11:30 AM web site at www.aarweb.org/programunit/ Sunday, November 24, 4:00 PM–6:30 PM newunit.asp. ❧

Employment Information Services Center 2002 Member Staff Readies for 2002 Activities Calendar Dates are subject to change. Check Emily Noonan, American Academy of Religion www.aarweb.org for the latest Knew Then What I Know Now: Lessons 1-404-727-4707 or [email protected]. EIS information. ELD THIS YEAR at the Sheraton from the First Year on the Job, an EIS Center hours of operation are listed below. ❧ Toronto Centre, the Employment November Special Topics Forum featuring depart- Information Services Center at the H ment chairs and the professors they hired Hours of Service: November 1. Research grant awards 2002 Annual Meetings of the American through the 2001 EIS Center. The EIS announced. Academy of Religion and the Society of Friday Orientation staff is also planning the annual Biblical Literature provides employers and 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM November 22. Chairs Workshop at the Orientation session, held Friday, candidates registered for the Annual Annual Meeting, Toronto. Free for depart- November 22, 7:00 PM-9:00 PM. Though Saturday and Meeting with interview facilities, a mes- ments enrolled in the Academic Relations not mandatory, candidates and employer Sunday: 8:00 AM – 6:30 PM sage service, job listings, and candidate Program. For more information, see representatives are encouraged to attend. (Interview Hall opens credentials for review. www.aarweb.org/department/acadrel.asp at 9:00 AM on Pre-registration is open for both candi- Saturday) November 23-26. Annual Meeting, Toronto. In his first year as AAR’s Academic dates and employers. Please see Held concurrently with the Society of Biblical Relations Director, Carey J. Gifford is Monday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM www.aarweb.org/eis for complete informa- Literature each November, comprising some excited about joining the EIS Center staff. tion. EIS staff can be of assistance at Tuesday: 8:00 AM –10:00 AM 8,000 registrants, 200 publishers, and 100 hir- Gifford has coordinated this year’s If I ing departments. November 24. Annual Business Meeting and breakfast. See the Annual Meeting If I Knew Then What I Know Now Program Book for exact time and place. Lessons from the First Year on the Job (A17=S23-70) December Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Saturday, November 23 1:00 PM–3:30 PM December 2002 issue. Sponsored by the Employment Information Service (EIS) Advisory Committee December 5. New program unit proposals due. Edward R. Gray, Atlanta, GA, Presiding December 13–14. Program Committee meeting, Atlanta. Junior faculty members will reflect on new students, completing a disserta- Michael Penn, Mount Holyoke College; and offer advice about the first year on tion, balancing career and family life, Glenn Holland, Allegheny College; Eric December 15. Submissions for the March the job during this special topics and learning the local cultures of their Boynton, Allegheny College; Christopher 2003 issue of Religious Studies News due. forum. Panelists will speak to their wis- new department, institution, and local- D. Stanley, St. Bonaventure University; For more information, see dom and missteps as they contended ity. Panelists include: Jane F. and Peter Trudinger, St. Bonaventure www.aarweb.org/publications/rsn/default.asp with developing new courses, teaching Crosthwaite, Mount Holyoke College; University. ❧ December 31. Membership renewal for 2003 due. Renew online at www.aarweb.org/renewal/page01.asp

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Religious Studies News, AAR Edition

Future AAR Annual Meeting Dates and Sights Faculty Recruitment Workshop Registration

RE YOU CHALLENGED by and scholarship, and how to develop a nationally and at national and regional the task of recruiting good facul- pool of candidates for your department. conferences. A ty? Would you benefit from ______2003 practical advice about a successful search? We invite you to spend a day with your Hiring good colleagues has never been November 22-25 Do you want to increase your odds of hir- colleagues in religion and theology, work- more important. Recruitment requires the ing the right person? ing with two nationally recognized scholars diligence of a coal miner, however, and Atlanta, GA who have published and spoken on hiring the patience of a saint. This workshop The Faculty Recruitment Workshop, faculty, teaching, and faculty development. focuses on how to recruit faculty who will ______2004 Friday, November 22, 2002, at the Baron Perlman and Lee McCann, both of be a good fit for your department and AAR/SBL Annual Meetings in Toronto, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, have institution, and have the potential to be November 20-23 will focus on faculty recruitment. Learn presented workshops on faculty recruiting, good teachers. Emphasis will be on San Antonio, TX about the educational context for recruit- teaching portfolio development, and the practical information, with exercises for ing, the difference between good teaching psychology curricula, at various campuses participants. ❧ ______2005 November 19-22 Philadelphia, PA Running a Successful Faculty Search in the ______2006 November 18-21 Religious Studies Department Washington, D.C. An Annual Meeting Faculty Recruitment Workshop ______2007 November 17-20 Friday, November 22, 2002, Toronto, Ontario, 8AM-4PM San Diego, CA Part of the AAR’s Strengthening College and University Religion & Theology Programs Please renew your membership now, and initiative supported by a grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. consider making an additional contribu- tion to the AAR’s Annual Fund. Membership dues cover only 30% of the cost of services provided. PRELIMINARY PROGRAM Renew online: www.aarweb.org/renewal. 8:00 AM Check-in 11:30 PM Lunch (included with registration) Or contact us at TEL: 1-404-727-3049 8:15 AM Opening remarks and introductions 1:00 PM Workshop E-MAIL: [email protected]. 8:30 AM Presentation 2:30 PM Refreshment Break Please see the Membership page, 10:00 AM Refreshment Break 2:45 PM Wrap-up and evaluation www.aarweb.org/membership. 10:15 AM Presentation

TO REGISTER Complete the information below, arrange payment, and send via fax or surface mail.

Name

Department

Institution Serving as Chair since Number of faculty in department

DEPARTMENT ENROLLMENT Please provide the following information if you are not a current AAR member. (You may check your membership information on the AAR home page www.aarweb.org)

Fax E-mail

Surface Mailing Address Registration is limited to the first 75 participants. Send your registration form and payment of $74.00 *** before October 15, 2002. ($99.00 on site).

PAYMENT INFORMATION ❒ Check: (payable to “AAR Annual ❒ Credit Card (Check one): Meeting Faculty Recruitment ❒ Visa ❒ Mastercard ❒ American Express ❒ Discover Workshop”) Credit Card Number Expiration Date

Purchase Order Number Cardholder Signature

Name on Card (Please Print) Register by Fax: 1-404-727-7959 For more information, contact Carey J. Gifford, Director of Academic Register by surface mail: Relations, at [email protected], or by phone at 1-404-727-2270. Faculty Recruitment Workshop American Academy of Religion *** Chairs from departments enrolled in the Academic Relations Program 825 Houston Mill Road NE receive a complimentary registration. For information on enrolling your Suite 300 department, see www.aarweb.org/department. Atlanta, GA 30329-4246 Subscribe to [email protected], the listserv for leaders in the field, for updates to the workshop program and other news for chairs. For the most up-to-date information on the Workshop, see

www.aarweb.org/department/workshops. ✃

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ANNUAL MEETING NEWS Getting Around in Toronto: Annual Meeting Faculty PATH Recruitment Workshop

ALKING ON THE be entering. Street names are identified STREETS of Toronto can be as you walk beneath them. Look for the Running a Successful Faculty Search W a chilly prospect in late disability access symbol indicating an November. It is a great time to take alternate route for people with disabili- advantage of the Public Access Terminal ties. Be forewarned that certain areas of System or the PATH. Toronto’s "under- the PATH run directly through depart- ground city," the PATH is 6 miles of ment stores and will be inaccessible out- pathways linking 5 major downtown side of store hours. Also, there are many hotels and lined with more than 1,200 flights of stairs and inaccessible door- retail stores and services. The Metro ways without obvious alternative routes who have the potential to be good teach- HE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF Toronto Convention Centre, Fairmont that might make travel difficult for peo- ers. Emphasis will be placed on practical RELIGION, the Academic Royal York Hotel, and Sheraton Centre ple with disabilities. information, with exercises for partici- Relations Task Force, and the Toronto Hotel are all accessible by the T pants. Academic Relations Program will be con- PATH, so you don’t have to brave the A free shuttle service will be running for ducting a workshop, Running a Successful elements when attending the sessions of people who don’t want to brave the The workshop will begin by looking Faculty Search during AAR’s Annual the Annual Meeting. labyrinth of the PATH. The shuttle will inward to assess each department’s needs. Meeting in Toronto (Friday, November service the Convention Centre and all After an introduction to planning, tech- 22, 2002 from 8 AM to 4 PM at the Entrances to the subterranean walkway Annual Meetings hotels in a continuous niques will be provided for gathering the Fairmont Royal York hotel). Chairs or are indicated with PATH signage. PATH loop. This includes area hotels such as information necessary to hire and retain members of search committees, faculty Marker Signs range from free standing the Toronto Colony Hotel and the Delta good colleagues and teachers. being developed to assume leadership outdoor pylons to door decals identify- Chelsea that are not connected to the responsibilities, and Deans will be inter- ing the entrances to the walkway. In PATH system. Shuttles will run every At lunch, workshop participants will ested in attending this Workshop. Chairs many elevators, there is a small PATH 15 minutes between 6:00 AM and 10:00 break into groups by institutional type might consider bringing a team of faculty logo mounted by the button for the AM, and between 6:00 PM and 12:00 AM. and discuss issues unique to religion or send a designated faculty person to the floor leading to the walkway. PATH Between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM shuttles departments. workshop. directional signs tell you which building will run every 20-25 minutes. ❧ you’re in and the next building you will After lunch, the workshop focus will turn The day will be spent with colleagues in outward, to the search process and issues religion and theology working with two specific to successful recruitment. nationally recognized scholars who have Participants will leave the workshop with published and spoken widely on hiring fac- both a draft job advertisement and a ulty, teaching, and faculty development. complete job description. Baron Perlman and Lee McCann, both of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, have The workshop will address: presented workshops on faculty recruiting and teaching portfolio development at vari- • The educational context for recruiting: ous campuses nationally, as well as at recruiting in higher education national and regional conferences. • Ethical guidelines in recruiting • Planning: taking stock and looking Hiring good colleagues has never been ahead more important. Recruitment requires the • Good teaching and scholarship: the diligence of a coal miner, however, and the unique nature of your position patience of a saint. This workshop focuses • Recognizing good teaching on the recruiting faculty who are a good fit • The teaching portfolio with a department and institution, and See FACULTY p.16

Annual Meeting Special Topics Forum Religious Scholars Play Role in Bioethics Debates Dena S. Davis, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Cloning! Embryo research! Stem cells! In all these endeavors, scholars of reli- How does the public make sense out of gion have played an important role. the myriad scientific, ethical, and politi- That is not surprising, when one consid- cal questions these topics arouse? And ers that the big questions in the stem cell how do governments make policy debate include, e.g., the moral status of around such potentially divisive issues? the human embryo; the moral obligation Part of the answer is: we make working to relive human suffering; the proper role groups, we write policy papers, we create of religious beliefs in a democratic, plu- commissions, we hold congressional ralist society; issues of moral complicity; hearings. President Clinton reacted to what it means to say that human beings the announcement of the birth of Dolly are made in God’s image. by creating the National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC). NBAC At the 2002 Annual Meeting, in a Special was replaced by President Bush with the Topics Forum organized by the President’s Bioethics Commission (PBC), Committee on the Public Understanding headed by University of Chicago of Religion (CPUR), AAR members who philosopher Leon Kass. In July 2002, have participated in various aspects of the the PBC published its first report, urging stem cell debate will reflect on their expe- a moratorium on therapeutic and repro- riences. Panelists include Jim Childress, a ductive cloning. Outside the govern- member of NBAC; Ronald M. Green, a ment, religious groups, patient advocacy member of both AAAS working groups groups, and others have struggled to fig- and chair of the ethics committee of ure out how our society should respond Advanced Cell Technology, who also to the challenges raised by these exciting served on the Human Embryo Research but troubling scientific advances. The Panel; Moira McQueen, a member of the American Association for the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute; Advancement of Science (AAAS) formed Laurie Zoloth, chair of the Geron ethics a working group to look at stem cell committee and leader of the "Jewish dis- research. AAAS also funds a group of course" group. Dena Davis, chair of the scholars focusing on "Jewish discourse" CPUR, and a member of both AAAS on genetic ethics. working groups, will moderate. ❧

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Religious Studies News, AAR Edition REEL Eat, Drink, and Think in Toronto RELIGION Here is a listing of a few more places to eat, drink, and Please see the Annual think in Toronto. Meeting Program Book or the Program Highlights page at www.aarweb.org for Ginger Wasabe C’est What? more information. ORONTO OFFERS something 1392 Yonge Street 67 Front Street for everyone, from world-famous Built on a reputation for delicious food Since 1988, this cozy, funky hangout has attractions and world-renowned Crouching Tiger, Hidden T and low prices, Ginger Wasabe offers showcased the vibrant and diverse city of theatre, to world-class shopping. Toronto tempting and artfully prepared dishes of Toronto, offering a great menu of multi- Dragon (A6) is home to a vast diversity of cultures and sushi, sashimi and teriyaki, in a comfort- cultural food and 29 craft brewed beers on Friday, 7:00 PM–9:30 PM ethnicities: a true “melting pot.” Toronto able dining atmosphere. $$$ tap. also has the status of third largest theatre An epic set against the breath- center in the English-speaking world, taking landscapes of ancient after London and New York. You will Mosquito Moe's North Country China, the story is about the Grill DM E find there is plenty to see and do outside ADMITA love of an honorable man and 130 Eglinton Avenue East ONEON of the Annual Meeting. woman, the retrieval of a THINKING ADMITADMI If you're looking for some good ol' T stolen sword, and the differ- Canadian home cooking, Mosquito Moe's ONE Price Guide in Canadian Dollars ences between young brazen North Country Grill is the place to be! A George R. Gardiner Museum of "tigers" and wise "dragons." great selection of your favourite grub, Ceramic Art $ (under $10) $$ ($10-20) $$$ (21-35) 111 Queen's Park Circle including Campfire Stir-Fry, Maple Mill Special exhibits complement the perma- In the Light of Reverence Chicken, Baby Backwoods Ribs, as well as nent collections of contemporary pieces, (A72) great appetizers like Coconut Shrimp and European ceramics from 1400-1800, pre- North Country Chicken Wings. $$ Saturday, 8:30 PM–10:00 PM Columbian ceramics from Mexico and EATING South America, and Chinese porcelain. The film explores American Penelope Restaurant culture’s relationship to nature Bb33 225 King Street Ontario Science Centre in three places considered 33 Gerrard Street West From the flaming Kefalotiri cheese to the 770 Don Mills Road Located in the heart of downtown succulent roast lamb, lightly seasoned and sacred by native peoples: Mt. Hands-on exploration of science and tech- Toronto, Bb33 serves Canadian cuisine spiced, Penelope Restaurant recaptures the Shasta in California, the nology, including topics such as the envi- created with fresh seasonal ingredients culinary style of authentic Greek cooking. ronment, the human body, chemistry and Colorado Plateau in the from across Canada. With two distinct The result is a wonderful myriad of tastes psychology. Attached to the Science Southwest, and Devil’s Tower concepts – a Bistro and a Brasserie inter- and textures. $$-$$$ Centre is the OMNIMAX theatre, which in Wyoming. twined into one unique restaurant – Bb33 screens IMAX and other large-format offers both an elegant dining room and a films. Jesus Christ Vampire relaxed but upscale café. $$-$$$ Hunter (A73) DRINKING The Elephant & Castle York Quay Gallery Saturday, 8:30 PM–11:00 PM Harbourfront Centre 212 King Street Panorama 235 Queen's Quay West Heart-warming comfort foods from 55 Bloor Street A comedy/action film about An exhibition space for works in a broad Britain are featured at the Elephant & Winner of the Toronto Sun award for the second coming of Jesus. range of media. Displays often comple- Castle, as well as imported beers, ales, and "Best Cocktails & Best View" and NOW ment Harbourfront Centre's festivals and Jesus has returned to earth, but a variety of single malt scotches. The Magazine's selection for "Best Spot for a events. Fine arts, craft, and design, as well before he can judge the living menu features traditional English items Romantic Date," Panorama combines as various multicultural and community- and the dead, he has to con- such as Bangers and Mash, Fish 'n' Chips, exceptional cuisine with a breathtaking interest exhibits are all displayed within tend with an army of vampires Shepherd's Pie, and Roast Beef and view to create an evening to remember. the year's schedule. ❧ that can walk in the daylight. Yorkshire Pudding, as well as favorite Panorama is open daily from 5 PM–2 AM. American fare such as grilled fish, chicken, Harry Potter and the pasta, and a wide variety of sandwiches. Sorceror’s Stone (A163) Sunday, 8:30 PM–11:00 PM

This adaptation of the first of Documents Needed to Cross Border J.K. Rowling’s popular chil- dren’s novels is about Harry Remember travel documents for easy passage to Canada Potter, a boy who learns on his eleventh birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful • Passports are the most convenient docu- also need a visitor visa. Visas are not avail- Traveling with children ments for clearing customs, but they are able at the border: they must be obtained wizards and possesses unique Canada has laws and regulations to protect not required for US citizens (see below) at a Canadian embassy, consulate, or mis- magical powers of his own. children and to reduce abduction by par- sion outside of Canada. ents or others. If you are traveling with a • Airlines will not usually board persons child, you should carry identification for When Night is Falling without proper documentation If you are a foreign student, temporary them similar to that mentioned above. If (A164) worker in the US, or a visitor in the US you are not the parent or legal guardian of • Returning from Toronto by air is espe- who wants to return to the US after visit- Sunday, 8:30 PM–10:30 PM the child accompanying you, please see the cially easy since one clears US customs ing Canada, you may encounter difficul- Canadian government’s web site to learn The story of a theologian who before departing ties if you do not have a passport or more. must choose between her con- Canadian visitor visa. Check with an servative fiancé and career Canada has an open border with the office of the US Immigration and and her desire for a provoca- tive female circus performer. United States. This means that citizens Naturalization Service before leaving the Speakers and and legal permanent residents of the US US to make sure you have all the neces- do not require passports or visas to visit sary papers to return to the US. exhibitors Memento (A249) Canada. They can usually cross the It is not necessary to flag yourself as a vis- Monday, 8:30 PM–10:30 PM Canada border without difficulty or delay, Citizens from some countries require a vis- iting worker if you are attending the meet- but the process is easier if using a passport. itor visa to enter Canada. There are many ing as a speaker or exhibitor. Neither guest This is a story told backwards If not using a US passport, native-born countries to which this restriction does not speakers nor exhibitors require work per- of a man suffering from severe US citizens require a birth certificate and apply, however. Visa information is avail- mits to attend the meeting. Claiming short-term memory loss who is photo ID; naturalized citizens require cer- able online. The Canadian government’s "conference attendance" as the reason for trying to track down his wife’s tificate of naturalization and photo ID; official web site is www.canadainternation- visiting Canada is acceptable. murderer. permanent residents (who are not citizens) al.gc.ca, and the page for visa requirements require a Resident Alien Card. is www.canadainternational.gc.ca/view- If for some reason you need to verify con- e.asp?Grp=000100B1&act=1&tbID=1. ference attendance, the pre-registration material should suffice. If you would like Non-US Citizens Please check with the Canadian govern- additional registration verification from Temporary residents of the US who carry ment embassy or consulate in your area the AAR, please contact our office in a Temporary Resident Card or regarding specific questions. Atlanta, TEL: 404-727-3049. ❧ Employment Authorization Card require a passport for travel to Canada. They may 6 • October 2002 AAR RSN AAR-FALL02-PDF.qxp 10/7/02 1:28 PM Page 7

NEWS Call for Nominations AAR Election The Nominations Committee will continue its practice of consultations during the How to Vote Annual Meeting in Toronto to begin the A Message From The AAR Nominations Committee process for selecting nominees for Vice All members of the Academy are entitled to President to take office in November 2003. vote for all officers. The elected candidates The committee takes seriously all will take office at the end of the 2002 The Nominations Committee is pleased to be able to place such excellent recommendations by AAR members. Annual Meeting. candidates on the ballot, and we are grateful to them for their willingness to serve the Academy. This year, members will elect a vice president. The following characteristics regularly surface in Please visit the AAR Web site at www.aar- discussions of candidates for Vice President: web.org (or, if you do not have e-mail, Once again, AAR members will be able to vote by electronic ballot. A paper return your paper ballot) by October 31, ballot will be mailed to members without e-mail addresses on file. We hope that (a) Scholarship: “represents the mind of the 2002, to exercise this important member- this convenience will again result in a larger percentage of members participating Academy,” “international reputation,” “breadth ship right. in the election. of knowledge of the field,” “widely known.” (b) Service to the Academy: “serves the Online voting will be conducted via the “Members Only” page of the AAR’s Academy broadly conceived,” “gives Vice President Web site. Go to the site at www.aarweb.org, and click on the prominent link for papers regularly,” “leads sections,” “chairs The vice president serves on the Executive “AAR Election.” From there, you will be asked for your member ID number committees,” “supports regional work.” and Program Committees, as well as on the Board of Directors. S/he will be in line to and your last name. After you are logged in, simply follow the prompts to cast (c) General: “electable,” “one the average be confirmed president-elect in 2003 and member of the Academy will look upon your ballot. Your vote is completely confidential. president in 2004. During her or his with respect,” “one whose scholarship and tenure, the vice president will have the manner is inclusive rather than narrow, Sincerely yours, opportunity to affect AAR policy in sectarian, and/or exclusive.” Raymond B. Williams, Chair powerful ways; in particular, during the presidential year, the incumbent makes all Nominations Committee Please send your recommendations of persons appointments of members to openings on the committee should consider to the AAR committees. Executive Office marked “Recommendations for Nominations Committee.”

Hans Hillerbrand Candidates for Vice President Hans has been Professor of Religion at Duke Journal of the History of Ideas. He is cur- University since 1988, where he served as rently co-editor of the journal Church W. Clark Gilpin department chair from 1988-96. His Ph.D. is History. He has published several books on W. Clark Gilpin is the Margaret E. Burton between religion and education in American from the University of Erlangen, Germany. He the Protestant Reformation, most recently the Professor of the History of Christianity at the culture. His current research projects explore taught at City University of New York, where four-volume Oxford Encyclopedia of Divinity School, the University of Chicago. various aspects of the relationship between he was Dean of Graduate Studies and Provost Reformation (1996). His extensive service to From 1990 to 2000, Mr. Gilpin served as theology and literature in the modem era. and at Southern Methodist University, where the AAR has included Chair of the Long dean of the Divinity School, and previously One is a study of the letter from prison as a he was Provost and Vice President for Range Planning Committee and Chair of the he taught at the Graduate Seminary of genre of Christian literature. It focuses on let- Academic Affairs. He has served the profession Association of Department Chairs, as well as Phillips University and at Kenyon College. At ters by English prisoners in the sixteenth and in a variety of capacities, such as president of membership on the Finance and the Teaching the University of Chicago, he is also a mem- seventeenth centuries, but places these in a the Society for Reformation Research and the and Learning Committees. He presently serves ber of the College faculty. During his tenure larger tradition of prison writing from Paul American Society of Church History. on the AAR Executive Committee and is the as dean, the Divinity School faculty created and Boethius to Dorothy Day, Dietrich AAR delegate to the American Council of an undergraduate major in religious studies Bonhoeffer, and Martin Luther King. A sec- Hillerbrand’s field is the history of Learned Societies, where he is also a member to complement its long-standing graduate pro- ond project, entitled Experiments in Christianity. He has been on the editorial of the Executive Committee. grams. In 2000, Gilpin was appointed direc- Solitude, examines the ways in which the board of such journals as the Journal for tor of the Martin Marty Center, the Divinity Christian tradition of writing as a religious Medieval and Renaissance Studies and the School’s institute for advanced research in all discipline — journals, autobiographies, and fields of the academic study of religion. letters — shaped the careers of major American Statement on the AAR intellectuals of the eighteenth and nineteenth Mr. Gilpin is an historian of Christianity in y first annual AAR meeting was in relationships, to maintain our professional America, and his research and writing have centuries, including Jonathan Edwards, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Emily Dickinson. Atlanta, back in the early 1970s, identity, to engage in discussion across fields, as focused on Puritanism and on the relation Mand my guess is that at most 500 of well as to have professional relationships with us were in attendance – all staying in one colleagues at other institutions. We must Statement on the AAR hotel! Compare that with our meeting last fall explore ways to strengthen these and other OR MOST OF US, the immediate image extraordinary international contacts of the AAR in Denver. What a dramatic change in the role aspects of our professional lives. and the enduring benefit of the American will make it possible to set North American of the AAR, in size, complexity, and diversity! FAcademy of Religion are both derived institutional trends in a potentially very instruc- It reflects the changes that have occurred in the Conversation about new ways to enlarge our from its regional and annual professional meet- tive wider frame of reference. academic study of religion during the past AAR community and how we can make sure ings, at which we engage the amazingly varied three decades. What has not changed, howev- that all the voices in the academic study of reli- scholars of the field and test the quality of our Second, the AAR is distinctively equipped to er, is the role of the AAR in the professional gion are heard. Many of our colleagues own research. Deepening and extending critical engage the critical development of interdisciplinary lives of its members and the need for a vigor- presently are not members of the AAR. We and imaginative scholarship in all aspects of the approaches to the academic study of religion. As an ous professional society whose voice is heard in must engage in an energetic effort to convince study of religion are, I take it, the core purposes "umbrella" professional society, the AAR can the academy and the pubic square. them that the AAR gives a sense of communi- of the academy, and its other projects and ini- and should seek to enhance the scholarship we ty by connecting us with others in our field. A tiatives derive their energy and significance from pursue through specialized fields by promoting The members of the AAR are a diverse lot as specific case in point is the fact that student this core. The work of our elected and adminis- creative intellectual exchange among those are the institutional forms of the study of reli- members now comprise roughly one-third of trative officers, year in and year out, begins with fields. At one level, this task is, of course, a gion – we are traditionalists and innovators, the AAR membership. We must engage in enhancing the academy’s support for scholar- research agenda: one that capitalizes on the rich "Westerners" and "Easterners," believers and focused conversation about how we can meet ship, broadly conceived as the complex inter- array of methods of study, religions of the nonbelievers, graduate students and senior the needs and participation of our graduate play of teaching, learning, and research. world, and textual, ritual, and ethnographic professors. Some of us teach in public universi- student members better than we do at present. materials with which we do our work. At ties, others at church related colleges. In that To enhance the academic study of religion, the another level, it is an inquiry into teaching and diverse setting, here are what I see as priorities Conversation about how to enhance the pub- academy’s leadership must regularly ask itself curriculum design that seeks to move beyond that demand attention and for which I solicit lic understanding of the academic study of what tasks the AAR is distinctively positioned such limited and misleading distinctions as your support. religion, while remaining true to our core mis- to accomplish. One of these tasks is the inter- those between "Eastern" and "Western" reli- sion of teaching and research. Our field often pretation of the wider institutional context of high- gions or between religious studies and theologi- Conversation about new ways of strengthen- continues to be misunderstood: the so-called er education that powerfully, but often indirect- cal studies. At a third level, interdisciplinarity ing the institutional basis of our teaching and "experts" who inform public opinion are not ly, influences the more immediate settings in raises crucial questions about the teaching and scholarship. As a former university administra- experts at all but spin-doctors. which individual members work. An important publication standards for faculty appointment tor, I am convinced that we will only thrive as recent example is the AAR census of under- and promotion, questions that are of especially individual scholars if departments are strong, Conversation, finally, about the long-term role graduate programs in religion. great importance for younger scholars. At all supported by their administrations, and of the AAR five, ten years hence. After all, we three of these levels, I think that the AAR is respected on our campuses. Exciting AAR ini- all must make sure that the AAR never looses Another important project of this type would able to make significant and imaginative contri- tiatives are underway in this regard, and have is vision, regionally and nationally, of helping be a diagnosis of the relationship of graduate to butions, which go beyond what individual been reported in Religious Studies News. We us to sustain the commitment and enthusiasm undergraduate education in religion, both with institutions or more specialized professional can do more. that prompted us to make the academic study respect to the preparation of undergraduate societies could reasonably be expected to of religion our vocation. teachers and with respect to reciprocal curricu- accomplish. Conversation about new ways members can lar influences. Yet another focus would be an benefit from membership in the AAR. Here I A big agenda? Our common commitment exploration of the widespread interest and In these and other ways, I think that the AAR am not talking of "tangible" benefits– such as to our profession will make the AAR an research in religion among other academic dis- is poised for leadership among North American the course syllabus project, the Spotlight on even stronger reflection of who we are in ciplines and the significance of this interest for academic societies in terms of creative contribu- Teaching in RSN, etc. I am talking of the fact the days to come. ❧ scholarship in departments and schools of reli- tions to its discipline, and I would enjoy work that we joined the AAR to build professional gion and theology. One might add that the as one of the academy’s elected officers. ❧ October 2002 AAR RSN • 7 AAR-FALL02-PDF.qxp 10/7/02 1:28 PM Page 8

Religious Studies News, AAR Edition Journalists Honored for Best Excellence in Teaching Award In-Depth Reporting on Religion ILLIAM PLACHER will be about the role of teaching theology in the awarded the Excellence in context of a non-denominational, liberal arts WTeaching Award at the 2002 college. He has written and spoken about HE AAR has selected three journalists to ment, and Pentecostalism in conservative poli- Annual Meeting of the American Academy of the scholarship of teaching in his area of the- receive its 2002 Awards for Best In- tics. The award jurors praised Caldwell’s work Religion. Placher, a professor of religion at ology. Raymond Williams, the founding TDepth Reporting on Religion. Beth for “making readers engage their own beliefs Wabash College in Indiana, is widely recog- director of the Wabash Center for Teaching McMurtrie (Chronicle of Higher Education) and assumptions about religion and morality nized as an exceptional teacher who engages and Learning in Theology and Religion, stat- won the contest for journalists at news outlets in the United States.” his students provocatively and interactively. ed that he could not have established this under 100,000 circulation, Peter Smith Colleagues report that his classes allow stu- center without the support of Prof. Placher, (Louisville-Courier) won the contest for jour- In the over 100,000 circulation contest, dents to explore their own questions and ideas who led the first consultation it sponsored, nalists at news outlets over 100,000 circula- Michael Paulson (Boston Globe) placed sec- in a serious, but non-threatening atmosphere. chaired the committee looking for Prof. tion, and Deborah Caldwell (Beliefnet) won ond, and David Gibson (Star-Ledger One colleague wrote "He asks questions, Williams successor, and currently serves on the contest for opinion writing. Each partici- [Newark]) placed third. In the under 100,000 engages students in dialogue, responds to their its advisory board. Placher has written arti- pant submitted five articles published in circulation contest, John Dart (Christian queries, and leads them to address their own cles in Teaching Theology and Religion. North America during 2001. Century) placed second, and Jane Lampman questions, always aware of the learning of each (Christian Science Monitor) placed third. For student, even in a large class." He personally Professor Placher is an excellent example of McMurtrie submitted articles on intelligent- the opinion writing contest, the jurors decided engages students in his scholarship and has the exceptional teaching that is occurring in design theory, Muslim students’ encounter to identify only a first-place finisher. encouraged his colleagues to do likewise. the field of religious studies and theology. He with secular campus culture, the mandatum not only is an exceptional teacher but has and academic freedom at Catholic colleges, This year’s awards will be presented immedi- Professor Placher is not only an exceptional done significant reflection about the scholar- the Campus Crusade for Christ, and a priest’s ately before the AAR presidential address on teacher but has promoted excellence in ship of teaching and learning. The candidates rating of “authentically Catholic” colleges. The Saturday, November 23, 2002, at the AAR teaching among colleagues at his college and for the AAR Excellence in Teaching Award in award jurors praised McMurtrie’s work for Annual Meeting in Toronto. Each first-place elsewhere. As chair of his department, he the last three years have been truly exception- “challenging her highly educated readers to prize is $500. has successfully encouraged excellent teach- al. This last year the Committee on Teaching think about religion in new ways.” ing among his colleagues. Although Wabash and Learning had a particularly difficult time The award for reporting on religion is over- College has no religious affiliation and no in making the final selection because of the Smith submitted articles on Islam in seen by the AAR’s Public Understanding of general education requirement in religion many truly fine candidates. Kentucky, soldiers learning the ethics of war- Religion Committee. The AAR thanks Dena and philosophy, it has the largest enrollment fare, religious organizations making apologies S. Davis, chair of the committee, the other of any department there. Even more Thomas V. Peterson, Chair of the for historical wrongs, the bicentennial of the members of the committee, and especially the impressive, nearly twelve percent of Wabash Committee on Teaching and Learning, Cane Ridge revival, and the opening of a cre- jurors for their contributions to the awards undergraduates major in religion or philoso- encourages chairs and colleagues to send let- ationist museum. The award jurors praised program. This year’s jurors were David phy and an equal number minor in those ters of nomination for this prestigious award Smith for “beautifully written and researched Crumm, a University of Michigan Journalism disciplines. These figures have doubled dur- to Carey J. Gifford, Director of Academic work.” Fellow on sabbatical from his position as reli- ing Placher’s time as department chair. Relations at the American Academy of gion reporter for the Detroit Free Press; Ed Religion. The guidelines for this award are Caldwell submitted opinion writing on Lambeth, a professor of journalism at the As a theologian, he has written critical essays listed on the AAR Webpage. ❧ Christian missionaries in Muslim areas abroad, University of Missouri at Columbia and a for- a progressive movement within Islam in the mer journalist; and Laura R. Olson, AAR US, the rumor among some Muslims impli- Public Understanding of Committee member cating Israel in the September 11 attacks, con- and a professor of political science at Clemson Eck Wins 2002 Marty Award servative Christian views on capital punish- University. ❧ IANE ECK has won the 2002 Martin Previous recipients of the annual award are E. Marty Award for the Public David M. Knipe, Eileen Barker, Cornell DUnderstanding of Religion. Eck is West, Walter Capps, Harvey Cox, and Director of the Pluralism Project and Professor Martin E. Marty. of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University. The award will be presented immediately before the presidential address on Saturday, The Pluralism Project documents the growing November 23, at the AAR Annual Meeting in presence of the Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Toronto. The prize for the award is $500. Sikh, Jain, and Zoroastrian communities in the US. Its CD-ROM, On Common Ground: The AAR Committee on the Public World Religions in America, provides a multime- Understanding of Religion, chaired by Dena dia introduction to the world's religions in the S. Davis, selects the award recipient. Send American context. Eck’s book A New Religious nominations for next year’s award to Marty America addresses the challenges of this new Award Nominations, AAR, 825 Houston Mill religious diversity for the United States. Road, Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30329. ❧ Awards for Excellence HE AMERICAN ACADEMY of Constructive-Reflective Religion offers Awards for Studies T Excellence in order to recognize new Ariel Glucklich, scholarly publications that make signifi- Georgetown University cant contributions to the study of religion. Sacred Pain: Hurting the Body These awards honor works of distinctive for the Sake of the Soul originality, intelligence, creativity, and Oxford University Press, importance; books that have a decisive 2001 effect on how religion is examined, under- stood, and interpreted. Historical Studies Grant Wacker, Duke Awards for Excellence are given in three University categories (Analytical-Descriptive, Heaven Below: Early Constructive-Reflective Studies, and Pentecostals and American Historical Studies). Not all awards are Culture given every year. In addition, there is a Harvard University Press, separate competition and prize for the 2001 Best First Book in the History of Religions. For eligibility requirements, Best First Book in the awards processes, and a list of current History of Religions jurors, please see the Book Awards - Rules Mary Keller, University of web page www.aarweb. Stirling org/awards/bookrules.asp. The Hammer and the Flute: Women, Power, and Spirit The AAR is pleased to announce this Possession year's recipients of the Awards for The Johns Hopkins Excellence in Religion and the Best First University Press, 2001 Book in the History of Religions: Awards will be presented prior to the Presidential Address at the Annual Meeting in Toronto on Saturday, November 23, 2002. Please see your Annual Meeting Program Book for location. 8 • October 2002 AAR RSN AAR-FALL02-PDF.qxp 10/7/02 1:28 PM Page 9

NEWS Awards for Best In-Depth Reporting on Religion Winner of the opinion writing contest Winner of the contest for journalists at news outlets over Editor’s Note: 100,000 circulation The Rumor One of five articles submitted. Amir Hussain and Michael Editor’s Note: Sells, mentioned below, are current or recent AAR members. Cane Ridge One of five articles submitted. Richard A Surprising Number of Muslims Are Asking Harrison, Bill Leonard, and the late Meeting House Anthony Dunnavant, mentioned below, Whether Israel Was behind the Attacks are current or recent AAR members. Deborah Caldwell 1801 Revival Reverberates Today: © 2001 Beliefnet. Reprinted with permission Seminal Event’s Bicentennial Celebrated October 29, 2001 Peter Smith © 2001 The Courier-Journal. Reprinted with permission ITHIN HOURS of the terrorist by the thousands on web message boards. attacks last month, the word was Thousands of message board posts have July 30, 2001 out: Israel was responsible for appeared on all sorts of sites, from the most They don’t expect as big or wild an event as W ARIS, Ky. — Hundreds lay on the crashing airplanes into the World Trade moderate to the most strictly Muslim. Some in 1801. But they fully expect that what ground in religious ecstasy; some Center and the Pentagon. The reason? Its writers seem angry, but most explain their they present will resonate. motionless as corpses, others shouting intelligence agency, Mossad, wanted to dis- views in calm terms, as if they are simply P in joy or anguish. credit Arab Muslims. The "evidence": 4,000 stating a fact that others have somehow, "We were not interested [in] a re-enactment Israeli employees in the World Trade Center unfortunately, missed. where everybody wears old clothes and I Hundreds more laughed uncontrollably, were said to be absent the day of the attacks pretend to be the preacher and you pretend sang, or twitched and jerked. because they had been tipped off. On Iviews, an American Islamic news site, a to fall down and be saved, because we member named AB writes: "I now strongly thought it would be hokey," said the Rev. Rich and poor, slaves and free people, skep- This notion at first seemed to be the believe that the Jews knew about the attack Robert Steffer, co-curator of the Cane Ridge tics and believers, some 20,000 people gath- province of a small number of bin Laden and its plans, and most probably helped a Preservation Project, which is run by trustees ered ‘round the log Cane Ridge Meeting allies. For instance, Muhammad Atta’s father great deal in the ‘penetration’ of the US intel- of the Christian Church (Disciples of House in rural Bourbon County 200 years blamed the Israelis for the attacks during a ligence, and caused for the suicide attack to Christ). "We thought it would be better to ago this August for what would become the press conference last month and called the occur successfully." have something that was for Christians of seminal religious event of its day: an epochal United States the "root of terrorism." But in today that looked back while also looking happening whose influence is still playing the month since the attacks, the rumor has A post on the Islamic Circle of North forward." out today. spread, starting in Pakistan and the Mideast, America’s web site is also typical: "Zionists moving throughout the World Wide Web want to see that Muslims and Arabs are Several denominations and movements trace The Cane Ridge revival planted religious and ending up in educated Muslim commu- attacked and their properties burned down their roots to Cane Ridge and related idealism and was the first great social gather- nities in the United States. Last week it was so that the environment of the Spanish revivals. Louisville’s massive Southeast ing in a new state emerging from the fearful revealed that Salam Al-Marayati, a respected Inquisition days are recreated in the 21st Christian Church is a direct descendant. isolation of its violent frontier days. American Muslim leader prominent in century United States, so that Muslims either Revivalist Baptists and Methodists, who national efforts to promote interfaith dia- leave Islam for their own security or are mur- were fringe sects in the 1700s, rode the It also was the biggest, wildest, and most logue, said in an interview on a Los Angeles dered or exiled." revival wave to rapid growth in the 1800s. widely publicized event in a broader move- radio talk show that Israel should be on the And later generations of camp meetings, ment known as the Western Revival, which "suspect list" of those who carried out the Beliefnet member Jihaad wrote something exuberant Pentecostal revivals, and Billy transformed American religious culture. attacks. A few days later, another scandal similar, though he toned down the rhetoric: Graham-style mass evangelism bear the emerged: Imam Mohammed Gemeaha of "I believe. . . that Israel is indirectly connect- marks of Cane Ridge. Starting Saturday, caretakers of the log New York’s prominent Islamic Cultural ed to our recent tragic events. Sure, Jews will Cane Ridge Meeting House will cele- Center had fled to Cairo, where he gave an attack me for this, but I believe that Israel’s News of the revival also drew the Shakers to brate the bicentennial of the revival with interview in Arabic stating that "Jews Mossad possibly had evidence that this attack Kentucky like bees to nectar. nine days of worship services and lec- planned those terrorist attacks." would happen." tures, culminating in a large communion See CANE RIDGE p.24 service August 12, 2001. These comments by reputable religious lead- See RUMOR p.21 ers were milder versions of what is appearing

Winner of the contest for journalists at news outlets under 100,000 circulation Editor’s Note: Three Theologians Face a Dilemma for Themselves, One of five articles submitted. Gaile Pohlhaus, John R. Connolly, and Their Colleges, and The Church Dennis M. Doyle, mentioned below, are current or recent AAR members. Does Seeking Bishops’ Approval Strengthen Catholicism or Weaken Academic Freedom? Beth McMurtrie © 2001 The Chronicle of Higher Education. Reprinted with permission If Ms. Pohlhaus does not feel like an In 1990, when Pope John Paul II called Arthurian heroine, it’s because she is not for theologians to obtain a mandatum, July 20, 2001 quite sure where her obligations lie. many scholars saw it as an intolerable Should she listen to her conscience, limitation on their academic freedom. than a thousand other Roman Catholic which says the church is wrong to When they protested that the credibility AILE POHLHAUS is small and theologians teaching at Catholic colleges demand that she seek her bishop’s of their discipline would be irreparably round, with a cap of fluffy gray in the United States. Ms. Pohlhaus has approval for what goes on inside her damaged, momentum seemed to move hair. Sunk into a couch in the G been ordered to seek approval of her classroom? Or should she be thinking of in the direction of mass resistance. vast lobby of a Milwaukee hotel during teachings from her bishop. She is thinking the ramifications this might have for her the annual conference of the Catholic of refusing to seek this approval — called students and other Catholics, who may But today, with the deadline for seeking Theological Society of America, this for- a mandatum — as a matter of principle. interpret her defiance as proof that the a mandatum just 10 months away, these mer nun is the picture of grandmotherly church is just one more monolithic insti- same theologians have found that it’s not sweetness. It is easy to imagine her in the When she was her students’ age, she says, tution to be treated with mistrust? so simple to just say no. The price of classroom at Villanova University, tackling the idea of a theologian’s defying the signing up may be the loss of academic such personal topics as the sacrament of church would have seemed incredibly "I worry that students will think that it’s credibility and a binding obligation to marriage with the thoughtfulness of some- romantic. "I would have thought they not important to listen to the church if I the church. But the cost of refusing one who loves to teach. were Lancelot or Guinevere: ‘Isn’t that decide not to do it. I mean, they already could be high as well: open fissures with exciting? Aren’t they strong for saying think it’s not important to listen to the the church, public retribution from "Every so often I think about retiring," that?’ Now that I’m older — and I don’t church, at least on sexual matters," she angry alumni who consider them disloyal she says. "But what else could I do that I know how much wiser — I know it’s not says, then stops. She is quiet for a long Catholics, and classroom challenges from would enjoy so much?" a matter of strength. It’s a matter of hav- time. "I just think the whole thing is a perplexed students. ing your heart torn out, that’s what it is." mess, and there doesn’t seem to be a But it is her role as a professor that lies at solution for it." See THREE THEOLOGIANS p.23 the center of a dilemma faced by more

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Religious Studies News, AAR Edition Editor’s Note: This is the second of two conversations with AAR President Vasudha Narayanan. The first interview focused on her earlier life, with special attention to what drew her to the study of religion. In this issue, the interview continues with a conversation about Presidential Views Narayanan’s doctoral work and the early stages of her scholarly career.

classroom or in study group sessions. It took nations — and I guess my friends were trying certainly do not have to remind anyone about a while to get used to the informality and the to understand where I was coming from. I par- the difficulties of the adjunct/part time posi- absence of explicit hierarchical relationships ticularly remember the time I got engaged. It tions — the uncertainties, the financial issues between students and faculty here. It seemed was soon after the American bicentennial. My and lack of benefits, and so on. My col- initially that the hierarchy was more pro- parents had matched my horoscope (in some leagues, however, were supportive. Sometimes nounced in India. Many of us who lived in families, these are cast in great detail by the I think the best conversations happen around the Center would regularly have potluck din- family astrologer soon after birth) with that of the department coffee pot! ners and sometimes one of our professors a young man studying in Chicago. Our fami- would join us. I was awe struck looking lies met in India, and then told us about each Over the years, I have focused on the Hindu George MacRae and Wilfred Cantwell Smith other. After several conversations on the phone, traditions both in India and in various immi- sitting on one of the shabby futons or thick he came to Boston to meet me and we got grant contexts. I have been trying to under- cushions on the floor eating an odd assort- engaged. It was a conventional "arranged" stand continuities in the Hindu traditions, Vasudha Narayanan ment of pakoras, pasta, and sushi. It took me marriage. Obviously if we did not like each adaptations in America, what is transformed, a while to figure out there were other hierar- other, we could have opted out. Other family and what is jettisoned. More recently, I have University of Florida chies, other power structures in this culture! members have met and married people of focused on earlier Hindu migrations and am RSN: Describe the period of your doctoral European descent or from other parts of India. working with the temples and cultures in 9- study. What was it like and how did you feel RSN: What were your areas of greatest We chose to meet the traditional way, although 12th century Cambodia. I am particularly to leave India and study at Harvard? interest and with whom did you study? it was in Cambridge. This was something we interested in the integral connections between felt comfortable with, but it was a cultural the performing arts and religion– especially Narayanan: The study of religion as an Narayanan: Registering for courses at experience for my friends and they seemed to when people and religions migrate. academic discipline was not known in India Harvard was like a kid entering a huge be quite intrigued with the process! and one of the most exciting differences toyshop. In India, once we choose a general Gender is a very integral part of my work now between my work there and at Harvard was to area of study, you are pretty much on a track- It was in spring break 1976 that I met Harry — I focus on how many women have experi- actually take courses in this field. The Hindu ing system for the kinds of courses you can and Esther Buck in Chambersburg, enced "religion" in the Hindu traditions. I traditions in India are diverse, multi layered, take. At Harvard, I was able to take courses Pennsylvania, and enjoyed their hospitality. work quite a bit on the recitation and singing of complex, with fuzzy boundaries. In India, across the board and audited several others. I They had been in India and David, one of vernacular poems (rather than Sanskrit) com- one ordinarily studies just the philosophical took courses with many professors including their sons, knew Tamil and played a classical posed by women, performing arts, rituals, cate- trajectories of some of these traditions. If one Wilfred Cantwell Smith, John Carman, instrument called the "vina." (Several gories and spaces they created, rather than use wanted to study temple culture, for instance, Gordon Kaufmann, Anne Marie Schimmel, months–or perhaps a year — later, I found either a western template or those inherited one would have to do it from other disci- and Jane Smith. I was able to work in depth out that there was a remarkable coinci- from other gendered hierarchies. plines–say, history, art history, archeology, or with some of the Vaishnava traditions of India dence–David and my husband had attended economics. The focus on secular education in with John Carman of Harvard and Dennis Loyola College in Madras and knew each I am also very much interested in the use of India and the lingering effects of colonial cul- Hudson who would drive down from Smith other!) Harry had been the Executive "religion" resources in dealing with environ- ture meant that several areas have been during the summers. We read a lot of Tamil Director of AAR and this may have been the mental issues and have participated in the work neglected for generations, or else studied poetry and commentarial literature. Working first time that I heard about this organization. done by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim. through certain limited perspectives. It is a on these texts and with these scholars, I began It was an educational few days–learning about We have a new colleague, Bron Taylor, in our matter of genuine regret to me that I did not to realize how much I did not know about so the AAR, how to make a good salad, hex department who works in this field. Our brand have the opportunity to study various facets of many different fields. That is a feeling which signs on barns, and other things that enquir- new PhD program at the University of Florida religious cultures in India and that this is still has not gone away after all these years. ing minds want to know. will include tracks in Religions of Asia, Religion missing to a large extent in Indian academia. in the Americas, as well as Religion and Nature. Some of the courses which helped me most Like many of our members in the AAR, I We are very excited about this initiative. I was genuinely confused by what the "study were those that I took on the New Testament, continue to be in touch with and work with of religion" meant. Like various stages of especially those with George MacRae. I had some friends from graduate school. RSN: Can you tell us a bit about your acad- enlightenment described in some Hindu and never encountered the critical study of texts as emic life in a hemisphere dominated by west- Buddhist traditions, this confusion about presented in these courses and the methods RSN: What compelled you to research and ern religion? "religion" has waxed and waned over the last opened up several new ways of looking at the publish your early work, especially your work few decades. In India, when we "lived" reli- literature I was studying. To know that one on monasticism? Narayanan: It is, obviously, a challenge gion, it had to do with the right foods on the could scrutinize and analyze the texts with a to teach religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, right days of the lunar calendar, fasting and wide array of tools and not think of them as Narayanan: My first jobs in Chicago and Islam in this country. There are multiple feasting, the auspicious times to enter a new threatening to one’s identity or faith was a where I moved after I got married–were all traditions within each one of these, our time house or start a new job, using right hands very liberating feeling. adjunct positions. I did get a "real" job at is limited, and interests may vary. In many and left hands, singing or dancing narratives DePaul University where I had the privilege of institutions, we now have second-generation from the epics, and joyful celebrations of fes- Other courses helped me become aware of being a colleague of John Collins (currently students from these faith traditions in our tivals. On the other hand, when we spoke inter-disciplinary methods of studying reli- the president of SBL) and Dominic Crossan. classes. It is important not just to portray sev- about religion in the abstract, it was almost gion. I had studied texts, but when I went Then, and in my early years in Florida, I con- eral millennia of received traditions (usually always about the philosophical manifestations back to India after a few years, I really began tinued to work on the devotional literature recorded by males), but nuance it with and book oriented traditions; after all, no to "hear" them and see them in a ritual con- from a particular tradition (the Sri Vaishnava) women’s perceptions and experiences in vari- textbook on Hinduism told us that astrology text. I am still excited by how the other disci- in Hinduism. There was a small network of ous spheres, and be aware of the limited use- or performing arts could be considered "reli- plines contribute and interface with my work us in that general area and some of my work fulness of western templates of "religion." gion." Western templates of what "religion" and I continue to learn from those who study became collaborative. I worked with John One is bearing witness to thousands of years is supposed to mean still pervade introducto- inscriptions, architecture, rituals, and the per- Carman the Tiruvaymoli on a Tamil poem of history and to millions of believers as well ry books and inform Hindus on what parts of forming arts. from the ninth century CE–which is about as to the academic category of "religion." We their worldviews can come under that rubric. 1102 verses long — and its eleventh century end up wrestling with issues of integrity in RSN: Reflect on your time in Cambridge. commentary. I continue to work on this various spheres. Finding the right books for I had registered for my doctoral work at the extraordinarily beautiful poem. Francis our courses is sometimes very difficult. And University of Bombay in the Department of Narayanan: My time in Cambridge Clooney and I are working on a complete then, there are issues common to all of us: Philosophy, but moved to Madras to study was filled with learning: from the nuts and translation. A.K. Ramanujan, who was at the there is some really strange information that Tamil and Sanskrit texts with some very bolts of New Testament 101, to hearing and University of Chicago for several years, was a students find on the web. These are easy learned, traditional scholars. The selfless and loving Bach, to learning that one does not good friend and part of this team until he enough to ignore — more difficult are those rigorous study and teaching done by these pronounce the first "d" in "Wednesday." passed away. which seem to be credible but which may be traditional scholars–many of whom are not Charles Kimball, now chair at Wake Forest, based on questionable scholarship. connected with academics — was as impor- taught me how to pronounce "H" when we While working with many of my friends, I tant as the courses I later took at Harvard. I were studying for a course. Nancy, his wife, became intrigued with comparative themes. I Teaching a religion which is the majority tra- do want to work towards drawing many of introduced me to the first suburban shopping had worked as an adjunct at Illinois dition in many countries and which is the these scholars into conversation on issues con- mall I had ever seen. The resources in the Benedictine College and it was then that I faith of a minority population in this country cerning the study of religion. university were tremendous. I still remember became interested in issues of renunciation is also a challenge. The multi-layered way of how my jaw dropped when I saw Widener and monastic life. When I came to Florida in experiencing the tradition in one’s home While working on my doctoral degree, I got a library. In fact, I still think that libraries and 1982, I continued to discuss these issues with country is absent here and it is sometimes dif- scholarship to come to Harvard. The transi- the whole structure of inter library loans in colleagues here. Austin Creel and I received ficult to convey those complexities. tion from India to Cambridge seemed relative- this country are some of the real riches that an NEH grant to explore some themes in a Sometimes these may not be congruent with ly seamless at the time. John Carman, the we scholars have here in this country. conference on Christian and Hindu notions the ways in which Hindu or Muslim students director for the Center for the Study of World of monastic life. have constructed second-generation identities. Religions, and Ineke Carman welcomed for- But perhaps one of the most important aspects These are the internal challenges; there are eign students and helped them in so many of my time there was meeting so many stu- RSN: Describe your arrival in Gainesville others as well. ways–I have learned so much from them. dents from various cultures, or who were and what academic interests you pursued? studying various cultures. It was a crash course There is also the feeling of marginalization There were, however, some minor cultural in ethnography. I was observing American cul- Narayanan: I had a job in Chicago and that one experiences–both in the town square transitions to be made. Like many other for- tures–the deep pain of native Americans and my husband was at the University of Florida. as well as in academic disciplines. In many of eign students, I thought it was impolite to African Americans, school desegregation, hear- I eventually moved to Gainesville and had an the national activities in the terrible months raise questions or initiate discussions in the ing music, the ethos of various church denomi- adjunct position here for a couple of years. I See PRESIDENTIAL VIEWS p.19

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NEWS Memorial Statement for Charles E. Winquist James B. Wiggins Remington Professor of Religion, Emeritus, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York This is an amended presentation of remarks made at a memorial service in Syracuse on May 4, 2002.

HAD THE GREAT PRIVILEGE of no longer exists, to the regret of many of us search for someone to assume a position as Charlie was a thinker. He lived the life of the knowing Charles Winquist for 25 years. who devoted much energy and time to devel- "theologian" on our faculty. That quest mind in a wondrous way. He was an accom- IWe first met at an Annual Meeting of the oping it, it would not have had the last 20 brought Professor Winquist to Syracuse, first plished philosopher and theologian, prolific American Academy of Religion. In the years years of its existence nor have made the as a Visiting Professor in Spring 1985, and in his publications. He authored eight books since then, our careers overlapped and inter- impact on the scholarly development of the then permanently in Fall 1986. He was and co-edited two very important reference twined in many ways. He became the fourth field and the larger arena of the humanities appointed the Thomas J. Watson Professor of works. He published significant articles in Executive Director of the AAR in 1979 and that it did without the energy, commitment, Religion, the chaired position in which he major journals and chapters in many books. led it through some of its most precarious years and hard work that Charlie expended in remained until his death on April 4, 2002. He served on the editorial boards of both until 1982. Few people knew how near the assuring its survival in the period between journals and presses and evaluated manu- AAR came to bankruptcy in 1980; but I 1980 and 1982. And the field of the acade- Charlie’s accomplishments as a professor were scripts for many publishers. He co-founded became aware of it later, because I was selected mic study of religion would have been much so numerous as to demand that I choose but an electronic journal in 1999. He was no less to follow Charlie as Executive Director of the the poorer if it had not survived. Kudos to a very few to mention. First, he was a rigor- diligent in his preparation for teaching and AAR beginning in 1983. Necessarily, he and I Charlie for that. ous, demanding, incredibly successful teacher, lecturing, which he did nationally and inter- became much better acquainted during the both at the undergraduate and graduate lev- nationally. Further, he was one of the most time of the transition between his term and the The American Academy of Religion not only els. He was devoted to the students and they voracious readers with whom I have ever been beginning of mine. We could not have survived its challenges, but flourished in the 20 reciprocated. Beyond the classroom he was acquainted, and he was one of the most guessed that we would work much more close- years since Charlie’s term as its Executive also a dedicated mentor to his students, par- informed citizens. He kept abreast of nation- ly in the Department of Religion at Syracuse Director concluded. For the period that I ticularly those entering academic careers, as al and international affairs more assiduously University beginning only two years later. served as Executive Director from 1983 he tirelessly worked in assisting them in find- than most people I have known. I deeply through 1992, I had the great good fortune of ing teaching positions. Further, he promoted admired those behaviors and I learned much Chico, California remained Charlie’s home virtually constant access to Charlie to confer Syracuse students with publishers, assisting from him. after the transition between his AAR service with and reflect on AAR matters. He was a many of them in finding publication outlets and mine. Numerous trips there were valuable sounding board and an unfailing sup- for articles and books. He was actively Finally, Charlie was a cherished friend. Many required of me between 1982 and 1985. porter of my work during those years. While involved with a number of publishing firms of us here today knew that of him. Through Scholars Press had moved from the University I was in office I tried never to miss an opportu- as an evaluator of manuscripts and with a many life struggles that we respectively experi- of Montana to Chico in 1980 only a year nity publicly to acknowledge how crucial a role number of journals as a member of editorial enced, he was there for me and I tried to be after Charlie became the Executive Director he played in the history of the AAR. And I boards. Second, Charlie was an invaluable there for him. There was a gentleness to him of the AAR. Shortly thereafter, he also certainly shall not miss this opportunity on the colleague. He fully and actively participated and a caring that I profoundly admired. I became chair of the Board of Directors of SP. occasion of this memorial moment. in the life of the department. He served as never spent time with him but that the con- Little did he know how seriously troubled Director of Graduate Students from 1988 nection between us was not mutually reaf- were the affairs of the press. But, Charlie had Professor Gabriel Vahanian accepted a posi- until 1992 and he also served on the firmed, even as it was in the acute care unit of the necessary skills to save it by working with tion at the University of Strassbourg in 1983. Graduate Committee for much of the time Crouse Hospital, a few days before he left many people involved in and committed to He had firmly established an understanding he was on this faculty. At a personal level, Syracuse for the last time and was moved to the vision of that publishing venture. At one within our department that, contrary to the since I was Department Chair when he Pittsburgh. I never was able to speak to him time, he was concurrently the acting Director prevailing wisdom in many other graduate joined the faculty and remained so through again. His loss saddens me deeply; I cherish all of Scholars Press, while continuing as programs in religion, it is essential to include 2000, I experienced Charlie to be an invalu- that he did for and gave to me. I miss him. Executive Director of the AAR. He often the study of theology as one of the major able resource and ally. I remain grateful to told me of some of the struggles he handled dimensions of the academic study of religion. him for that. Farewell professor, teacher, colleague and in those trying years. Although Scholars Press Vahanian’s departure, therefore, necessitated a friend. ❧

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Religious Studies News, AAR Edition Graduate Survey of Religion and Theology Programs Carey J. Gifford, American Academy of Religion

HROUGHOUT THE FALL OF As we have long known and as reviews of are divided, laid out, and approached. Our • Student recruitment and admission; 2000, over 1000 department chairs the web sites of the major graduate pro- graduate institutions structure their pro- their course of study: curricula, T and other program heads received a grams in religion make even clearer, there grams and their graduates seek faculty posi- exams, dissertation, and teaching; survey of undergraduate departments and is little consensus about how the graduate tions in specific contexts (typically, depart- doctoral students as teachers; student programs in religious studies, theology, study of religion is understood or taxono- ments of religion or seminaries). These funding and financial support; com- Bible, and sacred texts. This Survey of mized, its boundaries and foci, or any- advertised positions tend to be identified in pletion and attrition patterns; place- Religion and Theology Programs sought thing approaching a standard or typical certain traditional ways. In reviewing the ment and employment to map comprehensively the academic conception of the field. On the other web sites of over 100 departments that • Faculty study of religion (religious studies, theolo- hand, as we have prepared the survey it offer academic doctoral degrees, it became gy, Bible, and sacred texts) in the US and has become apparent that the results we apparent that the problem of taxonomy is The AAR has retained Dr. Richard Canada. It was the signature program of receive will only be as helpful as the data just as much a problem for departments as Rubinson, Professor of Sociology at Emory the Lilly Endowment funded Strengthening we request. We have prepared the survey it is for us in our survey. University (Ph.D., Stanford University, College and University Programs in Religion instrument in such a way that the results 1974) and a distinguished scholar of and Theology (SCURT) initiative. will be understandable and comparable So, how shall we survey the graduate American education to gather and analyze across institutions. study of religion? We think we need to do the survey data. He is the author of "The This fall, in the next phase of the AAR’s it in a way that is both ordered and capa- Sociology of Educational Expansion," initiative, we will conduct a Graduate To assist us in the creation of the survey cious. While we know at the outset that Sociology of Education (1999); "Education Survey of all fully accredited colleges, uni- instrument, a Council on Graduate Studies whatever we do will not work well for and the Economy" (co-author) in The versities, and seminaries in the United in Religion advisory group, chaired by Steve some programs, we also know that sub- Handbook of Economic Sociology (1995); States and Canada that offer academic Tipton of Emory University and composed fields or areas of concentration must be The Political Construction of Education, doctoral degrees in religion or theology, of Elizabeth A. Clark (Duke University), delineated in such a way as to will mini- (editor, Praeger 1991); and "Class such as the Ph.D., Th. D., and S.T.D. Richard A. Rosengarten (University of mize problems and maximize useful infor- Formation, Political Organization, and The intent of the survey is to poll those Chicago Divinity School), John Clayton mation gathering. There is some comfort Institutions," American Journal of Sociology, institutions preparing candidates for the (Boston University), and Alan Segal in realizing that we are providing a taxon- (1986). terminal degree necessary for their profes- (Barnard College), and five consultants, omy, not writing a constitution. In other sional careers as scholars and academics. Mark Chaves (University of Arizona), Shelia words, we are asking for the respondents In the fall of 2002, approximately 100 For this reason, we will only survey the Mann (American Political Science to self-select which category on the survey departments in the United States and academic doctoral programs, rather than Association), Randi Warne (University of best describes the program that their insti- Canada will receive a packet containing professional doctoral programs such as the Alberta), Mark N. Wilhelm (Auburn tution delivers. The categorization of the the survey itself. We had a very D.Min. We may survey Masters level pro- Theological Seminary), and Charles Willard field that you will see in the survey instru- encouraging response rate on the under- grams in the future. (Association of Theological Schools in the ment is not, then, a proposal for how the graduate survey and are expecting the US and Canada) have worked during the field should be classified. It is, rather, our same level of participation for the gradu- Taken together, the undergraduate and grad- winter and spring on the instrument itself, attempt to describe what we have found ate survey. We urge all recipients of the uate surveys will provide data for all those in order to garner as much helpful informa- on over 100 institutional web sites. graduate survey to take the time to fill out interested in the future development of the tion as possible. They have compared sur- the information and return it. By partici- profession. With the support of the Lilly veys from the American Historical The Survey has as many forced responses pating, you will help your department as Endowment and the endorsement of major Association, the American Philosophical as possible, minimizing the need for writ- well as the field. Your responses, of course, societies in the study of religion, we can Association, and the Modern Language ing in comments and thereby maximizing will be strictly confidential. The more address effectively the need for accurate, reli- Association in an attempt to see how other the ability to compare responses statistical- information that can be gathered about able, and useful information. We intend to constituent members of the American ly. We have grouped the questions into the graduate study of religion in the US collect data from every identified academic Council of Learned Societies have surveyed categories: and Canada, the better able we will be to unit in which the study of religion is a cen- their members. provide discipline-wide information that tral focus. Once this data is gathered, we will • General information about the will help promote and advance the share it with you and your colleagues for The group has spent considerable time instructional program and the academic study of religion. ❧ your strategic decisions. with the issue of how the field’s disciplines department

nations? What will happen to the perform- challenge they face is how to reintegrate From the Student Desk ing arts in the academy? Will they be mar- arts into the academy. This is the chal- ginalized, only existing as part of the lenge I propose to the fellowship of the Mere Mime entertainment, or limited to classifications AAR. To what sphere do we relegate the Todd Farley, Fuller Theological Seminary of low and high culture? This was my performing arts? Are they isolated to question at my first AAR Annual Meeting. only one world, requiring a choice It is a question I am still asking. between entertainment, academia, and Todd Farley is a doctoral candidate at Fuller lent one; however, I was still a mere mime, ministry? Is God hidden in the art, only Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California voiceless. A mime getting a Ph.D. seemed Many people reflect on movies, many speaking from the shadows? Will the and can be reached at [email protected]. out of place. Their minds leaked through admire the dancer’s skill, but do they voice of God ever again be as clear and their gestures and I easily read their ques- expect the dancer to be an academic, loud as when mimed by the prophet? tion: "Is a mime with a brain an oxy- theologian, or the actor-prophet? No, Will the philosopher artist once again Y SKIN had traces of a mime’s moron?" They saw art as being for expres- not normally, because most dancers are roam our university halls? Could we dare "white face," my lips were sive, emotional, and radically creative not theologians or academics. The reason to believe in a time when watching a stained with red, and my black M minds, minds that reject academic pursuits seems to be understandable enough; performer will strip us of our defenses, costume was moist from the exertion of a and ministerial sobriety. dancers must spend too much time in reduce us to tears and, in conversation, dance. I was a simple mime surrounded by training to have time for theology and boggle the greatest minds? a table full of pastors, scholars, and authors As a mime, I have encountered these looks academics. However, this is a cultural talking about their achievements—one and comments time and time again, on stereotype, a marginalizing standard As I started my journey into the Ph.D. could say even boasting. Amongst their various levels. Pastors send mimes to the many have projected onto the perform- program at Fuller Theological Seminary, banter, they politely complimented my children’s church, and theologians find ing artist. Neither theologian nor scholar I pondered these questions, as perhaps show and then relegated me to the realm of ministry in Hollywood’s films. Broadway is can deny the artistic skill of Plato, nor did my professors. I held my breath wait- mere "entertainment." As a mime, it was sought out for leadership in performance, can any pastor deny the ministry of ing for my first grades, and let out a sigh typical to be marginalized. while the Church’s artists are often driven Ezekiel or the artistic talents displayed by when they affirmed that I belonged in away. David. However, many Christians have the program. I have been encouraged to Laughter echoed in the room as they talked failed the Christian performing artists of attend AAR-sponsored activities by many about this and that paper, books published I fear performing arts, theology, and acade- our own generation: have failed to call people in the Ph.D. program at Fuller. I and their scholarly achievements. With mia have been estranged in many people’s them to a higher expectation. Intellectual was encouraged when I saw film and fine mirth, one looked at me and asked what I minds. Art has become a thing of "entertain- excellence – to ministry and even to the arts addressed at AAR conferences, yet was doing these days (I could feel an invisi- ment," an escape, rather than a source for highest standards of skill – is absent in the dramatic and performing arts seem ble hand patting my head). I answered, deep reflection and theology. The performing the arts of religion in our age. only to speak from the shadows. "Studying for my Ph.D." The table talk arts today are enmeshed in the greater cul- stopped as their minds processed the ture of our society, yet they are alienated Now universities and seminaries are Now, I am asked to come to the tables thought: "mime and a Ph.D." They looked from the sub-culture of the church. What awakening to these questions and are of the AAR, to sit with another group at me with an expression of bewilderment, has happened to the artist-philosopher and beginning to include the arts in their of scholars, and I hold my breath. Will as their thoughts failed to make the con- teacher who, like Plato, teaches in story? curriculum. Places like St. Andrews, they marginalize artists and look at us as nection, wrestling with the phantom What has happened to the artist-prophet and Princeton, and Fuller Theological mere entertainment, or will they help us incongruity. They accepted me as a minister like Ezekiel, John, and Jesus, whose Seminary have begun new programs for become more than just mere mimes? ❧ Marceau trained mime artist, even an excel- symbols and gestures still speak to the aspects of arts in the Christian faith. The

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FEATURES Department Meeting Tim Renick Awarded University System of Georgia Board of Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award Tim Renick is a summa cum laude, Phi Beta National Honor Society, and was named been the recipient of the Board of cess of our young Program in Religious Kappa graduate of Dartmouth College Distinguished Honors Professor (all at Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award. The Studies at Georgia State. In only a few (1982), where he double majored in Religion Georgia State University). He is very active in award is the highest recognition given to years, we’ve gone from having no organized and Government. He received his M.A. university government, serving on the teachers within the state system. It is given program in religious studies to offering over (1984) and Ph.D. (1986) from Princeton University Senate, as Chair of the university’s annually to the outstanding teacher 40 graduate and undergraduate courses, a University, Department of Religion, with a Graduate Council, as a member of the among almost 30,000 professors and B.A. degree with 50 current majors, and an concentration in ethics. In the fall of 1986, College Executive Committee, and as instructors. Candidates are nominated by M.A. track. Last year alone, our credit Georgia State University hired him as Associate Chair within the Department of their home institution, and a statewide hours increased by over 80% from the pre- Assistant Professor of Philosophy, with the spe- Philosophy. He is also the author of twenty panel of chairs, faculty members, and vious year. And our majors have gone on to cific assignment of building a religious studies articles. His book, Aquinas for Armchair administrators determines winners. There study religion at some of the top graduate program. Students greeted the religious studies Theologians, was published by Westminster curriculum with great enthusiasm, and by John Knox Press in January 2002. are separate awards given annually to the programs in the country – Brown, Harvard, 1991 there were twenty courses on the books, outstanding teacher in research institu- Yale, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Chicago, and a B.A. degree approved by the Georgia Board tions (e.g., UGA, Georgia Tech, GSU, Emory. We’ve even had students study at of Regents, and graduates going off to study Georgia Southern) and non-research insti- Oxford and Cambridge. When a program is religion at Chicago, Virginia, and Yale. RSN: Dr. Renick, we understand that tutions (e.g., Georgia Perimeter College, under ten years old and can cite successes Today, the program (for which Renick serves the University System of Georgia Board of DeKalb College). like this, I guess it is bound to get the atten- as Director) has four tenure-track and one Regents recently awarded you with its tion of others. non-tenure-track faculty, over 40 courses, and Teaching Excellence Award. Would you RSN: What do you think distinguished over 50 current majors. He has been the tell us about the award? Is there more than you to be the recipient of this award? Of course, the personal demands in start- recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award one recipient in any given year? ing this program have been a little over- of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Renick: I’d like to think that this award whelming. In the early years, when I was Outstanding Teacher Award of the Blue Key Renick: I am very honored to have is, in part, an acknowledgement of the suc- See RENICK p.17 Beyond the Annual Meeting American Lectures in the History of Religions

The American Lectures in the History of Religions He served a three-year term as president of the ing long summers, there’s always the instant. And thanks to the right question was founded in 1891 to encourage path-breaking American Society for the Study of Religion, a demand to extend your control of your coming at the right time in my life, I’ve scholarship through a lecture and book series. It comparative-religion group. With his spouse, the field. I sometimes think the only time I never had a problem personally handling flourished for some 60 years under the auspices of late Julia Ching, he was co-president of the 1990 relax completely is when I’m in the bar- the symbolic dimensions of religion. the American Council of Learned Societies. At the International Congress of Asian and North ber’s chair or, believe it or not, the den- request of the ACLS, the American Academy of African Studies. tist’s chair, because just then I can’t possi- RSN: When did you decide you wanted Religion assumed administrative responsibility for Oxtoby is best known as editor of the two sub- bly be working on some project or obliga- to become a scholar of religion? the series in 1994. During the 2003 calendar stantial introductory texts, World Religions: tion. Indeed, I’ve fallen asleep in the den- year, Prof. Willard G. Oxtoby, University of Western Traditions, and World Religions: Toronto (emeritus) will deliver a lecture series tist’s chair. More than once. OXTOBY: Well, I’d like to be able to Eastern Traditions (both published in 1996, say it was when I was about five and Dad entitled "Islam in Historical Interaction." He will [second editions, 2002], Oxford University Press). address: RSN: What was your family like? had taught me to memorize the twenty- His editorial projects also include Sikh History third psalm in Hebrew. Then he’d have Lecture 1: Pagans and Monotheists: Seventh- and Religion in the Twentieth Century OXTOBY: There were plenty of acade- me appear in my pajamas for the evening Century Arabia (Toronto, 1988) and four volumes of essays from mics. Grandfather and one of his brothers advanced Hebrew class, which met in our the 1990 congress, Contacts Between Cultures Lecture 2: Permanence and Change: Ninth- both taught Bible, and my Uncle John home, and I’d recite it. He’d tell the class, Century Iraq (Lewiston, 1992). He is currently preparing Sources of Middle Eastern Tradition (two vol- was a mathematician. His son, in turn, is "See, even a kid can do Hebrew, so get on Lecture 3: Sufis and Hindus: Sixteenth-Century umes) for Columbia University Press. a mathematical chemist, textbook author, with it." But the real development came India and dean of science at the University of in high school, when I first knew I wanted Oxtoby’s other books include Some Inscriptions Lecture 4: Religion and Marxism: Twentieth- Chicago. My brother has taught German. to teach. I then next decided that the field of the Safaitic Bedouin (New Haven, 1968); Then there are my in-laws, too. My sister I wanted to teach in was religion. At sev- Century China Ancient Iran and Zoroastrianism in married a Th.D. in Old Testament. I’ve enteen, I spent a year between high school Lecture 5: Heritage and Diaspora: Twenty-first- Festschriflen (Waterloo and Shiraz, 1973); The been twice married and twice widowed, and college going along on Dad’s sabbati- Century North America. Meaning of Other Faiths (Philadelphia, 1983); Moral Enlightenment: Leibniz and Wolf on the first time to Layla Jurji, who was the cal to Europe and all over the Middle For a full abstract of the series, each of the indi- daughter of a Princeton Seminary profes- East, and I was hooked. The world of the vidual lectures, or information on how to bring China (co-author, 1992); Discovering China: European Interpretations in the Enlightenment sor and whose brother teaches anthropolo- Bible, both its archaeology and its current Dr. Oxtoby to your campus, please see our web gy, and the second time to Julia Ching, a events, came alive vividly. site: www.aarweb.org/about/alhr. (co-editor, 1992); Experiencing India: European Descriptions and Impressions, 1498-1898 Toronto colleague in Chinese philosophy Willard G. Oxtoby (b. 1933) is professor emeritus (Toronto, 1998); and an anthology of writings by and religion, the oldest of four siblings RSN: How did you move from biblical of comparative religion at the University of Wilfred Cantwell Smith, Religious Diversity who have all taught at the university level studies to what you’ve been doing for the Toronto, where he has taught since 1971. He is (New York, 1976). He is working on a semantic at one time or another. last 35 years, world religions? home in Toronto during the summer and fall, history of conceptual and categorical terminology, and now spends winters and springs in provisionally entitled The Vocabulary of Religion, RSN: In what kind of religious life, if OXTOBY: It was a continuing process Williamsburg, Virginia. for the University of Toronto Press. any, did you participate? When were you of putting things in wider contexts. The Prof. Oxtoby took his B.A. at Stanford in philoso- In addition, Dr. Oxtoby is the author of articles first exposed to the study of religion? standard way to study the ancient phy and humanities, and went on to the M.A. in the Encyclopedia Britannica, The Hebrews was to situate them in the world and Ph.D. at Princeton in Middle Eastern stud- Encyclopedia of Religion, Dictionary of the OXTOBY: Growing up in a theological of Israel’s naughty neighbors: Babylonians, ies. He studied both the ancient and Islamic History of Ideas, Encyclopedia Judaica, campus environment, I didn’t experience a Egyptians, and Canaanites. And during Middle East, and his doctoral thesis was on pre- Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, and clear separation between participation and doctoral work I had two years of field Islamic Arabian inscriptions. As part of his gradu- Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy. He has study. For me, it was always a matter of study in Jerusalem, one of which was ate study, Oxtoby spent two years in Jerusalem, studied between one and two dozen languages, using your head at the same time as you assisting in the Dead Sea Scrolls project. one of which was with the team working on the and has spent two years in the Middle East, one use your heart. Being loyal to tradition But I was lucky to be in a Ph.D. program Dead Sea Scrolls. year in South Asia, and one year in East Asia. and community while welcoming the lat- where one-third of the work was in Arabic While his first teaching position at McGill est scholarship, and how to encourage and Islamic studies, and my thesis was on RSN: Before we discuss the lecture University, Montreal, was in Hebrew scriptures, others to think likewise, was simply a pre-Islamic Arabic inscriptions. I’d only series, tell us more about your back- Oxtoby’s interest in the historical interaction of recurring topic of mealtime conversation. been teaching Hebrew scripture (and had ground. Where were you born? What did cultures and religions soon drew him into the field But I do recall one defining moment. launched McGill’s first course on Judaism) your parents do for a living? of comparative religion. He spent two post-doctor- While Dad didn’t ever have a regular pas- for two or three years when it became al years in world religions and Iranian studies at toral charge, he occasionally did guest clear that I needed to explore the influ- OXTOBY: I was born in Marin Harvard, and then taught for five years at Yale preaching visits. One time when I was ence of Iran on the religion of Israel after University. He was the founding director of the County, California, just across the Golden about fifteen I went along to keep him the Babylonian Exile. I went back to University of Toronto’s graduate program in the Gate Bridge from San Francisco. My company on one of these, and was sitting school for two post-doc years to study study of religion. father, and my grandfather before him, there listening to his sermon. He recount- Zoroastrianism as well as general problems taught Old Testament at the Presbyterian Prof. Oxtoby held a visiting professorship in reli- ed one of Jesus’ parables and then inter- of comparative religion. You could say I theological seminary there. I grew up gion in 1999-2000 at the College of William rupted his exposition to say, "Of course, was already addressing the interaction of familiar with academic life. People outside and Mary. He has also held visiting professorships that was just a story. Can a thing be true religions from ancient times right down to academia don’t always understand how, at the University of Michigan, the University of that never happened?" I can still recall the the present. while you have lots of flexible time includ- Tubingen (Germany), and Syracuse University. color of the paint on the wall at that See OXTOBY p.22

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Editor’s Note: Religious Studies News, AAR Edition The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life presented a discussion of this decision on Friday, June 28, 2002, featuring Constitutional litigators, scholars, religious leaders, and educators with differing In the Public Interest opinions. For a transcript of this discussion go to pewforum.org/events/index.php?EventID=30]

concluded that the effect of the program was wavered on vouchers, seeing them as occupy- primarily to aid religion. The majority, howev- ing a "gray area" with powerful arguments The Voucher Decision er, insisted that the inquiry should "consider either way. As a middle-class parent, I had Dena S. Davis all reasonable educational alternatives to reli- occasionally resorted to private schools when gious schools that are available to parents," living in areas where I found the public Cleveland-Marshall College of Law including existing public schools. options unacceptable. How could I deny the same freedom to poor parents? And if I sup- be given textbooks (but not maps), pub- HE RECENT SUPREME COURT Because only 16.5% of Cleveland schoolchild- ported vouchers for non-religious schools licly paid supplemental teachers (but only term brought a crucial decision about ren attended religious schools overall, the only, was that not an unconstitutional dis- for secular subjects), transportation, and so church-state relations. In Zelman v. majority concluded that the voucher program crimination against religion? Living in Israel, T on. A common strategy has been to limit Simmons-Harris, the Court, by a 5:4 vote, did not coerce parents into sending their chil- however, one is brought face-to-face with the aid to areas where the teaching was clearly upheld a Cleveland, Ohio plan that uses dren to religious schools. (Of course, this rea- potential for divisiveness, hysterical rhetoric, of secular subjects and where aid could not taxpayer money to help send children to soning ignores the principle that religious civil strife, and religious balkanization that be diverted to religious activities. A com- religious schools. The vouchers, otherwise coercion is not necessary for a program to run results from the lack of church-state separa- mon argument employed by the Court known as the Ohio Pilot Project afoul of the Establishment Clause; it is tion, especially in education. It is not a pretty when allowing aid to religious schools is Scholarship Program, are part of an experi- enough if the program has the primary effect sight. Thus, I was powerfully struck by the that the aid is given to parents, not to insti- mental project whereby low-income stu- of advancing or inhibiting religion.) Further, fact that all of the dissenting Justices expressed tutions, and reaches those institutions only dents in failing school districts receive the majority argued that the dearth of avail- fears for the effect of this decision on our through the medium of parental choice. tuition aid to enable them to move to able secular private schools willing to take democracy. This argument is especially strong when a schools of their parents’ choosing. School voucher students, and the decision of neigh- public choice (or quasi-choice) is made vouchers are controversial for many rea- boring districts not to open their public Justice Stevens wrote, "I have been influenced available alongside the private one. Thus, sons, including ambiguous data on schools to voucher students, was not an arti- by my understanding of the impact of reli- in an earlier case, a tax deduction that whether or not they improve student per- fact of the voucher program and thus should gious strife on the decisions of our forebears to allowed parents of children in private and formance. It is certain, however, that with not be held against it. migrate to this continent….Whenever we public schools to deduct the cost of tuition the threat of unconstitutionality removed, remove a brick from the wall that was passed constitutional muster (despite the voucher proponents will be pushing to To the majority, the voucher program aids designed to separate religion and government, fact that, as its detractors argued, the law expand programs that up to now have children "otherwise condemned to failing we increase the risk of religious strife and was a sham, as public schools cannot been minimal in scope. public schools" by giving their parents a range weaken the foundation of our democracy." charge tuition). of choices, including the choice of religious Justice Souter said, "As appropriations for reli- Court observers have long noted that schools. To the dissent, this is a program that gious subsidy rise, competition for the money In the Cleveland case, the majority church-state decisions can be among the "authorizes the use of public funds to pay for will tap sectarian religions’ capacity for dis- (Rehnquist, O’Connor, Scalia, Kennedy, hardest to predict, especially in the area of the indoctrination of thousands of grammar cord….Religious teaching at taxpayer expense Thomas) and the dissent (Stevens, Souter, aid to parochial schools. The Court has school children in particular religious faiths." simply cannot be cordoned from taxpayer pol- Ginsberg, Breyer) argued bitterly over how never explicitly overruled its 1947 decision itics, and every major religion currently to count the numbers. At both the district in Everson V. Ewing that "No tax in any State entanglement with religion is another espouses social positions that provoke intense and appellate levels, the program had been amount, large or small, can be levied to problem. In the Cleveland program, schools opposition." Justice Breyer "[wrote] separately deemed unconstitutional because 82% of support any religious activities or institu- eligible for vouchers must accept students to emphasize the risk that publicly financed the participating private schools were reli- tions, whatever they may be called, or regardless of race or religion, and must not voucher programs pose in terms of religiously gious (and no public schools participated), whatever form they may adopt to teach or "advocate or foster unlawful behavior or teach based social conflict," and reminded readers of and 96% of the students used the vouchers practice religion." Even so, the years since hatred of any person or group on the basis of the Court’s words in 1971 that "political divi- to attend religious schools. From those then have seen a famously complex body race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion." sion along religious lines was one of the prin- numbers, the lower courts and the dissent of law arise in which parochial schools may The State of Ohio must, presumably, appoint cipal evils against which the [First referees to ensure that the rules are followed. Amendment religious clauses were] intended How can an Orthodox Jewish school show to protect." that it evenhandedly accepts non-Jewish or Reform Jewish students? Must it merely have Of course, the fact that the Court has found a fair admissions process, or must it also take vouchers to be constitutional does not mean steps to ensure that these students are made to any municipality must adopt them. The action feel comfortable and accepted? Given credible now moves to the political process, and the claims on the part of some respected scholars immediate response to the Court’s opinion sug- of religion that parts of the New Testament gests that the Justices’ concerns about civil strife are inescapably anti-Semitic, would Christian are not misplaced. In a July 1 fundraising letter, religious teaching run afoul of this rule? In Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation today’s climate, I suspect that Muslim schools of Church and State wrote: will come under especially close scrutiny. The voucher zealots will move quickly to take President Bush, a proponent of vouchers, gave a advantage of the Supreme Court ruling by rousing speech in Cleveland in which he com- trying to force Congress and state legislatures pared this decision to 1954’s historic Brown v. to pass laws that generate a tidal wave of Board of Education, couching it entirely in terms voucher schemes from coast to coast... of poor parents’ right to choose schools just as Catholic bishops and long-time Religious rich parents can. Linda Greenhouse pointed out Right voucher crusaders saw dollar signs in the New York Times that this avoidance of the when they read the court’s ruling. Now church-state issue, and dressing the Court’s deci- they’re gearing up to pass laws that would sion in the robes of Brown, was carefully orches- have all of us subsidizing their religious trated by pro-voucher groups such as the liber- academies.... If they want taxpayer money, tarian Institute for Justice. But, says Greenhouse, let them be answerable to the taxpayer. not all African-Americans support vouchers, and For private schools that accept vouchers, the NAACP has denounced the pairing of these this means no more mandatory religion two decisions. classes. No more discriminatory entrance standards. No more hiring and firing of Speaking personally, I had an oddly close rela- staff on the basis of religion. tionship to this case from the beginning, as I live in the Cleveland area. (I should state that Perhaps this conflict can be avoided. I will I serve on the Board of the Cleveland chapter end on an optimistic note, quoting Justice of the Ohio Civil Liberties Union, which Souter yet again: opposes vouchers.) A unit on the voucher case has been part of my course on church and If the divisiveness permitted by today’s state at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. majority is to be avoided in the short term, By coincidence, I left Cleveland for a semes- it will be avoided only by action of the ter’s Fulbright Fellowship in Israel a week political branches at the state and national before the Court heard the oral arguments in levels. Legislatures not driven to despera- this case, and returned from Israel only a week tion by the problems of public education before the case was decided. Thus, my experi- may be able to see the threat in vouchers ence in Israel was the inevitable frame through negotiable in sectarian schools. Perhaps which I read this decision. even cities with problems like Cleveland’s will perceive the danger, now that they I have been an ardent supporter of church- know a federal court will not save them state separation all my life, but I had always from it. ❧

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FEATURES ST✭ News News of Scholarship and Teaching

lished Wendy Doniger and Sudhir Kakar’s AVE YOU PUBLISHED a new new translation of the Kamasutra. The new book or article? Been promoted or translation offers a new version of the sex received tenure? Appointed to a H manual…. new position or school? Received an award? Finished your degree? Religious Studies News ✭ ✭ ✭ AAR Edition is beginning a new feature that The Polis Center at Indiana University- will allow members to share their career Purdue University Indianapolis with is pro- highlights with fellow members. STAAR duction partner Creative Street will launch a News will be a column of short notices that series of 11 research-based education mod- will allow you to can catch up with news ules. The Project on Religion and Urban about your colleagues. In the near future, Culture is publishing a series of public we will expand this feature to the AAR web teaching videos entitled Faith & site so that this news can be posted online Community: The Public Role of Religion. For between the quarterly publications of RSN. further information email them at ✭ ✭ ✭ [email protected]…. Huston Smith’s Why Religion Matters ✭ ✭ ✭ (HarperSan Francisco) has received the Rebecca S. Chopp, former Dean of Yale Religion Communicators Council’s Wilbur Divinity School and former AAR President, Award for the best book on religion pub- has been named Colgate University’s 15th lished in 2001…. President…. ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ In response to an increased interest in The Centre for Reformation Studies within Islamic studies, UC Berkeley Extension Emanuel University of Oradea in Romania Online has launched a new online course would welcome prospective contributors to on "The History of Islam." The course cov- its theological journal Perichoresis. For fur- ers the geography, diversity, religious her- ther information contact Croneliu C. Simut itage, and politics of Islam. For further at [email protected]…. information visit their web site at www.unex.berkeley.edu…. ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ The University of Southern California Center for Religion and Civic Culture recently received a $2.4 million grant from Fortress Press has re-released Rosemary the Pew Charitable Trust to establish an Radford Ruether and Herman J. Ruether’s interdisciplinary research program on reli- The Wrath of Jonah: The Crisis of Religious gion and civic culture…. Nationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The book has been cited by the New York ✭ ✭ ✭ Times as a well-balanced and fair analysis of The Association of Theological Schools and the current situation in the Middle East…. Lilly Endowment Inc. recently announced ✭ ✭ ✭ the 25 recipients of the Lilly Theological Research Grants for 2002-2003. The recip- Oxford University Press has recently pub- ients can be viewed at www.ats.edu. ❧ From the Latest JAAR New Administrative Team at the AAR September 2002, Volume 70 Number 3 2001 PRESIDENTIAL Executive Office ADDRESS Beyond the Founding Fratricidal Conflict: A Tale of Three Cities on gender, sexuality and mass media. Myesha D. Hamm, Shelly Combs, Projects Rebecca S. Chopp Administrative Supervisor Assistant Noonan will remain in Atlanta and will join the AAR at the Annual Meeting in Toronto ARTICLES Myesha D. Hamm joined the AAR Shelly Combs joined the American to coordinate the Employment Information Assaulting the Border: Kabbalistic Traces in Executive Offices as the Administrative Academy of Religion in July 2002. Services Center. Noonan wishes to thank the Margins of Derrida Supervisor in May 2002. Hamm is replac- Combs attended Florida State University, the AAR Executive Office Staff, Board, and Elliot R. Wolfson ing Anne Kentch, former Office Manager, where she studied the religions, history, volunteers for their support and advice as who recently resigned to relocate to Long and politics of Eastern Europe. She also she makes this transition to graduate school. The Honesty of the Perplexed: Derrida and Island, New York to be closer to her fami- spent time in Dubrovnik, Croatia, attend- Ibn 'Arabi on "Bewilderment" ly. Hamm has worked in the non-profit ing the University of Zagreb’s conference Ian Almond social work field as a Night Manager, and on stability in the region, where she stud- Scott McDonald, Lead Advocate at two metro-Atlanta ied the role of religion and history in soci- Administrative Assistant The Liberation of Questioning in Augustine's domestic violence shelters. etal conflict. She graduated in 2002 with Scott McDonald joined the AAR as an Confessions a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs. Administrative Assistant in July 2002. Charles T. Mathewes Hamm brings enthusiasm and knowledge While in school, Combs also spent five McDonald received his Master of Business of the field of religion. Hamm is a 2001 years as Office Manager at a non-profit Administration in 1994 and Bachelor of More Lurid Than Lucid: The Spiritualist graduate of Princeton Theological youth theatre in Tallahassee, Florida. Science in Business Communications in Invention of the Word "Sexism" Seminary where she received her Master Combs joins the AAR staff as Projects 1992 from the University of Baltimore in John B. Buescher of Divinity with a concentration in Assistant. Combs is replacing Emily Maryland. McDonald offers broad knowl- Biblical Studies. While in graduate school, Noonan. edge in the administration of business she worked as a research and teaching REVIEW ESSAY functions in both private and nonprofit Sacred Space in North America assistant in both the Biblical Studies and organizations. McDonald's training Peter W. Williams Theology departments. Hamm is also a Emily Noonan includes the successful completion of con- 1998 graduate of Emory University, where Emily Noonan, after two years on the tractual work with major organizations she received a Bachelor of Arts in Religion AAR’s administrative staff, will be leaving RESPONSES AND including SunTrust Bank, PennCorp, and History. August 2 to pursue graduate study full- REJOINDERS Hewlett Packard, and BASF. Myth and Politics: A Response to Robert time. Noonan will begin in Georgia State Ellwood University’s program in Women’s Studies. Robert A. Segal She plans to focus her study and research Rejoinder to Robert Segal Robert Ellwood

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Religious Studies News, AAR Edition

Louisville Institute First Book Grant Program For Minority Scholars

The Louisville Institute is pleased to especially seeks to enrich the religious life tion of higher education (seminary, col- a. the intellectual quality of the research announce a grant program to assist junior of American Christians and to encourage lege, or university) in North America. project and its potential to contribute religion scholars of color to complete a the revitalization of their churches, by to scholarship in religion, and major research and book project. All too bringing together those who lead religious d. Be able to negotiate a full academic often such scholars are asked to assume a institutions with those who study them, year free form teaching and commit- b. the potential contribution of the heavy set of institutional responsibilities so that the work of each might inform tee responsibilities. applicant's research to the vitality of that can make it difficult to complete the and strengthen the work of the other. North American Christianity. ❧ scholarly work necessary to secure tenure. e. Be engaged in a scholarly research pro- As a response, this grant program seeks to ject leading to the publication of their enable scholars to spend an entire academ- Applicants must: first (or second) book, focusing on ic year devoted to research and free of some aspect of religion pertinent to the For further information and other professional responsibilities. Up to a. Be members of a racial/ethnic minor- role of Christianity in North America. application materials, contact: two grants of $45,000 each will be award- ity group. (The term "racial/ethnic ed for the 2003-2004 academic year. minority group" includes African Application material may be requested Dr. James W. Lewis Americans, Hispanics, Native from the Louisville Institute at the address Executive Director Found in 1990 as a center for research Americans, Asian Americans, and below or may be downloaded from the The Louisville Institute and leadership education on American Pacific Islanders). Institute website. Completed applications 1044 Alta Vista Road religion, the Louisville Institute seeks to must be postmarked by February 1, 2003. Louisville, KY 40205-1798 nurture inquire and conversation regard- b. Have earned doctoral degree (normal- Application materials should demonstrate TELEPHONE: (502) 895-3411, ext: 487 ing the character, problems, contributions, ly the Ph.D. or Th.D.). both the applicant's proficiency in the FAX: (502) 894-2286 and prospects of the historic institutions academy and commitment to his or her E-MAIL: [email protected] and commitments of Christianity in c. Be employed in a full-time, tenure-track faith community. The following criteria WEBSITE: www.louisville-institute.org North America. The Louisville Institute faculty position at an accredited institu- will be used to evaluate applications:

FACULTY, from p.5 Ph.D. in clinical psychology from (with Jim Gueths and Don Weber: Iowa State University. He is a Professor of Psychology and Michigan State University in Praeger, 1988); Organizational Edward Rudoy Endowed Professor at the University of • Evaluating scholarship 1974. He is a Rosebush and Entrepreneurship (with Jeffrey R. Wisconsin, Oshkosh, where he has served as Department Chair • The search: organizing the University Professor in the Cornwall: Irwin, 1990); and and Associate Vice Chancellor. Dr. McCann is a Fellow of the search committee and getting Department of Psychology at the Recruiting Good College Faculty: American Psychological Association and the Society for the started University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Practical Advice for a Successful Teaching of Psychology. He is a consulting editor for the journal, • Developing a pool of candidates a University Distinguished Search (with Lee McCann. Anker, Teaching of Psychology, and is a co-editor (with Baron Perlman • Screening candidates and select- Teacher, and a Fellow in the 1996). He is editor of the and Susan McFadden) of Lessons Learned: Practical Advice for the ing semi-finalists American Psychological Teaching Tips column in the APS Teaching of Psychology (American Psychological Society, 1999), • Identifying final candidates and Association's Society For the Observer. The columns appear in and the Teaching Tips column in the American Psychological selecting campus visitors Teaching of Psychology (Division Lessons Learned: Practical Advice for Society Observer. He is co-author (with Baron Perlman) of • The campus visit 2). He has a long-standing interest the Teaching of Psychology (Perlman, Recruiting Good College Faculty: Practical Advice for a Successful • Concluding the search: hiring, and involvement in faculty devel- McCann, & McFadden, eds. Search (Anker, 1996), and has served on numerous administra- reopening, or closing opment, chaired the university's American Psychological Society, tive and faculty search committees. • Retaining your new hire Faculty Development Board and 1999). was a Mentoring Committee All registrants will receive a complimentary copy of the speak- Baron Perlman received his B.A. member. He is co-author of three Lee I. McCann received his Ph.D. ers’ hard cover book, Recruiting Good College Faculty: Practical from Lawrence University and his books: The Academic Intrapreneur in experimental psychology from Advice for a Successful Search (Anker, 1996). Lunch and refresh- ments are included in the registration fee. For further informa- tion on this workshop, go to: www.aarweb.org/department/workshops/chairs.asp.

To register for this workshop, fill out and return the registra- tion form on page 4 or go to www.aarweb.org/department/ workshops/chairsreg.asp. ❧

Call For AAR Series Editor

The AAR seeks an editor for its Cultural Criticism series. The Cultural Criticism series addresses the relation between religious studies and cultural studies/theory. It brings new voices into the debates on the interdependence of cultural and religious phenomena. By emphasizing the religious dimensions of culture and the cultural dimensions of religion, the series promotes a widening and deepening of the study of popular culture and cultural theory. The Cultural Criticism series aims to (1) read cultural texts or lived experience closely; (2) critique existing representa- tions of cultural phenomena and practices; and (3) con- struct alternative and oppositional cultural practices. Series volumes include Brent Plate and David Jasper, Imag(in)ing Otherness: Filmic Visions of Living Together; Katharina von Kellenbach, Anti-Judaism in Feminist Religious Writings; Anne Pattel-Gray, The Great White Flood: Racism in Australia; and Robert Magliola, On Deconstructing Life- Worlds: Buddhism, Christianity, Culture. AAR series editors help set editorial policy, acquire manu- scripts, and work with Oxford University Press in seeing projects through to publication. The Cultural Criticism editorship will begin at the November 2002 Annual Meeting. Please send applications and nominations, including a letter describing interest, qualifications, and a current CV, to Professor Terry Godlove, Department of Philosophy and Religion, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549. Application deadline: November 1, 2002.

16 • October 2002 AAR RSN AAR-FALL02-PDF.qxp 10/7/02 1:28 PM Page 17

FEATURES

RENICK, from p.13 "4" (on a 5-point scale); every other stu- Thought, but comparative courses like Of course, it always helps to be lucky. A dent gave me a "5." World Religions, Religion and Ethics, and year ago, our brand new tenure-track fresh out of grad school, I was often the Women and Religion. Non-western courses Islamicist, John Iskander, arrived on cam- only faculty member teaching religion. As RSN: We understand that you have like Buddhism, and Zen and Shinto fill up. pus about three weeks before September student interest grew, I had to supplement been instrumental in the creation of a reli- 11. He was making appearances on CNN, the curriculum with heavy doses of directed gious studies program within the The fact of the matter is, especially in the just down the street from campus, before reading and independent study courses. In Department of Philosophy at Georgia aftermath of the Olympics, Atlanta has mid-terms. The timing made us awfully fact, over the years, I’ve offered something State University. Tell us about some of its become an increasingly international city. popular with our Dean. like 200 reading courses and directed over strengths. Georgia State is among the most diverse 50 Honors and Masters theses. I’m proud to state schools in the entire South. While I That raises another issue. Not only have say that many of the students who took Renick: From the beginning, we made was too naïve to realize it at the time, the we tried to make our program relevant to these courses went on to top graduate the decision to emphasize comparative direction we selected for our program was the students, we’ve tried to make it rele- schools like Brown, Harvard, Yale, and religion as the heart of our program. a fortuitous one. Our enrollments have at vant to the university community. We’ve Chicago. So, I think the award recognizes While some might think that, since we’re least doubled every couple of years for the been very active in contributing to other some of these personal efforts, as well. a program at a state school in the South, past decade. In part, this is because our university projects — the university’s new classes in Christianity would be our bread courses are seen as timely and relevant by Middle East Center, a proposal for Asian I also believe that I am an effective and butter. That’s not the case. Our sec- the students. We helped teach a special Studies, the African-American Studies teacher. In the year leading up to the ond tenure-track appointment was in September 11 course this past spring, and Department, the September 11 speakers award, I taught six classes with over 180 Chinese religions, our third in Judaism are adding the courses Religion, War, and series, study abroad initiatives. We’ve students in total. On the numerical stu- and Hinduism, and our most recent Peace, and Islamic Fundamentalism for the worked hard to show the administration dents evaluations for the year, one student appointment was in Islam. Our best- coming year. and our colleagues in other departments rated my overall teaching effectiveness a enrolled classes are not Bible and Christian that religious studies is not ancient and

esoteric. It’s crucial to the day-to-day pro- ✃ jects of the university MEMBERSHIP FORM RSN: What subjects do you teach? Renick: In the beginning, the easier 2003 Calendar Year question would be "What courses didn’t I You may also establish your membership online at www.aarweb.org/membership teach?" For three of my first five years, I AMERICAN ACADEMY OF RELIGION was the only Religious Studies faculty member at Georgia State, and I tried my best to teach the range of courses a good Name: ______ID Number (for renewals):______program should offer to its students. Many If your surname is not the last word in your name, please circle it (e.g., Kim Jong-sung, Juana González Nuñez ) were "stretches" for me. I still teach ten to Address: ______Office Phone: ______twelve different courses on a rotating basis. ______Home Phone: ______Religion and Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, Fax: ______Introduction to Religion, Church and State, City: ______State/Province:______E Mail: ______Contemporary Religious Thought, History of Postal Code: ______Country: ______Christian Thought, and the new course Religion, War, and Peace are among them. Check here if you want your home phone number excluded from the Membership Directory: ❐ Electronic ❐ Print & Electronic As an indication that Georgia State attracts unconventional students, my most popular course may be Augustine and Aquinas, ANNUAL FUND MEMBERSHP DUES SBL which fills up with 40-plus students every Please circle the appropriate dues category. See Member Discount Please consider a gift to the Academy’s Annual Fund. time it’s offered. below for information on applicable discounts. ➁➁& Membership dues cover only 30% of the annual budget. Who have been your role models Annual Income AAR AAR AAR AAR RSN: Amount: ❐ $100 ❐ $75 ❐ $50 ❐ $25 ❐ $_____ as a teacher? (in US Dollars) Standard Retired Standard Retired ❐ General Operations and Programs $90,000 or More $145 $116 $116 $93 ❐ Research Grants Renick: As a junior at Dartmouth, I $80,000 - $89,999 $135 $108 $108 $86 ❐ Teaching & Learning was pre-law and a Government major. $70,000 - $79,999 $125 $100 $100 $80 ❐ International Scholars Fund Then I took some courses from Ronald $60,000 - $69,999 $110 $088 $088 $70 Green and Robert Oden in the $50,000 - $59,999 $ 95 $076 $076 $61 Department of Religion. I still remember that Dartmouth recently had initiated an $42,000 - $49,999 $080 $064 $064 $51 PAYMENT DUE annual campus-wide teaching award. In $38,000 - $41,999 $070 $056 $056 $45 Circle the appropriate dues category in the chart to the left the first two years, Ron and Bob were the $34,000 - $37,999 $065 $052 $052 $42 and enter the amount owed in the space provided below. recipients. (You wonder how that went $30,000 - $33,999 $060 $048 $048 $38 Non US residents must include an additional $10 for over in the Biology Department!) I soon $26,000 - $29,999 $055 $044 $044 $35 postage. learned why they were selected. Both are $22,000 - $25,999 $050 $040 $040 $32 exemplars of what a teacher-scholar can be, and illustrate the impact that a teacher Under $22,000 $040 $032 $032 $26 Calendar Year 2003 ➀ can have on students. They changed my Student $025 n/a n/a n/a Membership Dues $______career course. I decided to add a major in Non-U.S. Postage (add $10) $______religion, and with Ron Green’s encourage- ment, applied for graduate school in reli- Discounts Available Annual Fund Contribution $______➀ Student: gious ethics. At Princeton, Jeff Stout and TOTAL DUE $______❐ I am including a copy of my current valid student ID. the late Paul Ramsey and Victor Preller were enormously influential. ➁ Retired: METHOD OF PAYMENT: Payment in full, drawn on a US bank or Canadian bank ❐ I am age 65 or older and I am retired from full-time (if on a U.S. dollar account) is required. RSN: What makes for excellent teaching employment. — especially in the field of religious studies? ❐ Check or Money Order SBL Member: ❐ Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express Renick: The answer to this question may ❐ I am also a current member of the Society of Biblical Credit Card Number:______be different for one who teaches at a private Literature. SBL dues are not included in this price, and must school, though I suspect not. I think the be paid separately to SBL. Expiration Date (mm/yy):______/______most important thing we can strive to be as teachers of religion is facilitators. Students Signature: ______Cardholder’s are always curious about my personal beliefs, Signature:______but my classes are successful, I think, because I make it clear that my views are not Please fill in the demographic information below (optional). This is for AAR internal use only. the point of the class. ❐ ❐ Gender: Male Female Current Institutional Affiliation:______I use "readers" for all of my courses — Citizenship: ❐ US ❐ Canada ❐ Other (specify): ______Year of Birth:______compilations of primary sources that I Ethnic Background: ❐ Asian or Pacific Islander ❐ Black, Not Hispanic ❐ Native American or Native Alaskan have put together. With the authors ❐ ❐ ❐ defending their own views for themselves, Hispanic White, Not Hispanic Other: ______my role can be that of facilitator: someone Return to: who steps in to help students understand AMERICAN ACADEMY OF RELIGION See RENICK p.19 825 HOUSTON MILL ROAD, SUITE 300 • ATLANTA, GA 30329-4246 TELEPHONE 404-727-3049 • FAX 404-727-7959 • E-MAIL [email protected] RSN174 www.aarweb.org October 2002 AAR RSN • 17 AAR-FALL02-PDF.qxp 10/7/02 1:28 PM Page 18

Religious Studies News, AAR Edition Summer 2003 Chairs Workshop at Georgetown University

AR MEMBERS will want to mark assessment), how the role of deans has lective wisdom of the group. The work- place of thoroughly contemporary comfort. June 19-21, 2003 as the date for evolved, developing the department, man- shop will focus on becoming an entrepre- The Conference Center is situated on the Aanother Chairs Workshop. This aging adjunct faculty and mentoring junior neurial chair, examining how religion fits 104 acres of the campus. Nearby are summer workshop is entitled The faculty, selling the department to other fac- into the general education curriculum, Georgetown Park, the Washington National Entrepreneurial Chair: Building & ulty, understanding university budgeting, and educating the Dean. Airport, the Smithsonian museums, and all Managing Your Department in an Era of and student retention. of the sights, sounds, entertainment, and Shrinking Resources and Increasing Demands. The venue for the workshop will be the monuments of the national’s capital. This two and a half day workshop will deal The workshop will use breakout sessions Conference Center at Georgetown with promoting the department to the col- made up of chairs from similar institu- University, in Washington, D.C. Nestled We look forward to seeing you there next lege, fundraising, the role of the chair, how tions, case studies, and both informal and amid imposing neo-gothic architecture and summer. ❧ to use assessment (rather than how to do formal opportunities for gathering the col- quaint cobblestone streets, the University is a

The AAR would like to thank the following donors for their contributions during fiscal year 2002

William Carpenter Regina Pfeiffer Gail Chin Mary Keller Robert G. Rogers * indicates current board member Dolores L. (Dee) Christie Robert L. Platzner David Clairmont Eliza Kent Kathryn Rosensteel-Brock indicates current committee member, JAAR editorial board, or juror Shannon Clarkson Russell Pregeant Kelton Cobb Bockja Kim° Celeste J. Rossmiller ° indicates current program unit chair or steering committee member David L. Coleman Martha J. Reineke Lynn H. Cohick Heerak Christian Kim Douglas Ruffle indicates student member Randal Cummings Alejandro Reyes Kate Cooper Minwoong Kim David W. Rutledge Maria T. Davila Cynthia Rigby° Walter Brian Costilow John Koyles Mohamed Saadoun Corinne Dempsey Elaine Robinson Austin B. Creel Kristen E. Kvam Abdullah Saeed Jayne Seminare Docherty Marian Ronan Donald A. Crosby° Emmanuel Lartey Andy F. Sanders Gifts of $100+ Raymond B. Williams* Francis Landy George F. Dole Nicole Roskos Wardene M. Crowley David R. Law David Sandmel Anonymous Preston N. Williams Bruce B. Lawrence Stephen N. Dunning Lori Rowlett Jason Curry Mary Lazarus Timothy Sandoval Ernest Z. Adelman Glenn E. Yocum* Charles L. Lloyd Riggins R. Earl Richard L. Rubenstein Paul Da Ponte Margaret Leask Timothy Schehr David L. Barr J. Rebecca Lyman Cynthia Eller Don E. Saliers Jean-Jacques D'Aoust Blake Leyerle Roger L. Schmidt Mary F. Bednarowski Gifts of $50-$99 William K. Mahony* Edward J. Enright John E. Sallstrom Susan E. Davies Clayton Libolt Miguel Segovia Judith A. Berling Catherine L. Albanese Lawrence Mamiya Eileen M. Fagan Emily Sampson Wade H. Dazey Maria Lichtmann Samuel Sheldon Irvin J. Borowsky Scott C. Alexander Vaughan McTernan Ina Ferrell Richard S. Sarason Jill Mulvay Derr Reid B. Locklin Phillis I. Sheppard Don S. Browning Peter J. Awn Katie Meier Aileen Fitzke Jill Schaeffer Claude P. d'Estree James Samuel Logan Elizabeth Shillington John E. Burkhart John S. Baird Greer Anne Wenh-In Ng Jim Fodor William Schweiker Damian L. Dietlein Loren Lybarger Marsha Snulligan-Haney William J. Cassidy* Alvord M. Beardslee Daniel C. Noel Steve Friesen° Alan F. Segal Martha J. Doherty Sally Noland Angella Son Rebecca S. Chopp* & Alfred Benney James Noel Jerome A. Frumento Margaret Shanahan Mosung Eam MacNichol Richard N. Stewart Fred Thibodeau Jon L. Berquist° Robert A. Orsi*° Alma Gardner F. Winston Shearin Andrew Mark Eason Mark Maddix Stephanie Stillman Allison P. Coudert Bonnie Birk Benjamin W. Owens Stephen Garfinkel John C. Shelley Ken Estey Patrick Mahaffey Dan R. Stiver Paul B. Courtright William L. Blizek Thomas V. Peterson* Jack Garland Sheila Shiki-y-Michaels° John P. Falcone Renu Sophat Malhotra Kirsi Irmeli Stjerna S. D. Crites Paul Bradley George W. Pickering Mary Garman Jaqui Stewart John Finnegan Aditya Malik Ken Stone Leslie Cunningham Rita Nakashima Brock° Richard Pilgrim Ariel Glucklich Bev Stratton Menachem Fisch Ruth Mantin Nelson T. Strobert Bruce T. Dahlberg Bernadette Brooten Judith Plaskow Rebecca Kneale Gould Johannes Strobel James Foster James L. Martin Laura S. Sugg Sheila Greeve Davaney Frank Burch Brown Bertrand Pryce Daniel Hardy David Suiter Nathan Frambach Thomas F. Martin° Diana Tackett Barbara DeConcini* & Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley° Jill Raitt John Hart Joanne M. Swenson Ernest S. Frerichs Carol Anne Mathner Richard N. Taliaferro Walter Lowe David W. Cain Charles H. Reynolds Roy Leslie Heller Britt-Mari Sykes Valentina Georgieva Patrick McCollum W. Barnes Tatum Roy C. Delamotte Leta Callahan Frank Reynolds Jason Hersch Ines M. Talamantez° Jill Gleichman Rachel Fell McDermott Phyllis J. Taylor Frederick M. Denny* John B. Cobb Letty M. Russell Mary E. Hess Samantha Tobey Naomi R. Goldenberg Alci McFarlane Curtis L. Thompson John Dillenberger Peter Cobb Kathleen M. Sands* Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton° Emilie M. Townes Robin Hawley Gorsline Doreen McFarlane Eve Tibbs° William G. Doty John Crossley Karen D. Scheib Sue Horner Evelyn Vigil C. Jarrett Gray Alexander C. McKay Michael Torley Chris Downing David R. Crownfield A. Gregory Schneider° Nancy Howell° C. Howard Wallace David Gray David Mellins Rhett Travis David Noel Freedman Dena S. Davis* Susan L. Schwartz Herbert B. Huffmon Trevor Watt Alan P. R. Gregory Angel Mendez Jeffery L. Tribble Warren G. Frisina Ray DeSouza Vanina G. Sechi Michael Humphreys Benjamin Weiner Mary Grey Jerry D. Meyer Charles C. Twombly Eugene V. Gallagher° John Doutre Hershel Shanks Daniel J. Johnson John H. Whittaker Maxine Grossman Robert Mickey Swami Tyagananda John Harrison Joseph D. Driskill Jan Shipps Stephen Kaplan Paul B. Whittemore Conrad R. Haglund James E. Miller° Fabian Eugene Udoh Peter C. Hodgson Bruce Duncan Horace H. Stoddard Chang Han Kim Tyanna Yonkers Day John Halton Merrill P. Miller Yoshimi Umeda Jerry A. Irish Kent A. Eaton G. Ralph Strohl Ursula King Beverly W. Harrison Alan Mittleman Kathryn L. Valdivia Robert A. Jonas Millicent C. Feske M. Thomas Thangaraj Kerri A. Kor Gifts under $25 Betty C. B. Harwick Ann Mongoven Hans D. Van H. B. Kim Emily Gamm Gregory Thomas Basit B. Koshul Anonymous Shaman Hatley Adam Morrisette Hoogstraten Adolphus Lacey Paul George Deanna A. Thompson Sarah Heaner Lancaster Valerie A. Abrahamsen Jakob K. Heckert Leslie A. Muray° Karla Van Zee Timothy Light E. Leigh Gibson Frank H. Thompson Linda Land-Closson Ridgeway Addison Phyllis Herman Mary Kaye Nealen John M. Vayhinger Lynne Faber Lorenzen* Edmund T. Gilday Gene R. Thursby° Franklin H. Littell E. Obiri Addo Harold Chad Hillier Scott Nesbitt Dace Veinberga Frank Madsen P. Roger Gillette Karen Jo Torjesen Christo Lombard Elizabeth N. Agnew John Russell Hinnells Brian O'Dea Christopher Vena Martin E. Marty Robert E. Goss° Sydney Walden Grace Cumming Long Sarah Alexander Takayuki Hirosawa BioDun J. Ogundayo Dirk Von der Horst E. Ann Matter David Grafton Manabu Watanabe Anne Sor Ching Low Maria Antonaccio Joseph Holden Dianne L. Oliver Kocku Von Stuckrad Jane Dammen McAuliffe* Ronald M. Green David J. Wellman Michael B. Lukens Vanessa Avery R. Ward Holder° Cyrus Olsen Graham B. Walker Mary McGee*° Paul E. Grosjean Yifa F. Stanley Lusby Alice Bach Harold Horell Douglas Osto Michael Walsh Michael M. Mendiola° Yasuko Morihara Grosjean Lois Malcolm Karen Baker-Fletcher Esther Hornung Douglas F. Ottati Charles D. Walters Margaret R. Miles Andrew Hass Gifts of $25-$49 Joan M. Martin Aleeze Banks Joseph Howard Parimal G. Patil Martin N. Walton Linda A. Moody* Hans J. Hillerbrand* Mehnaz Afridi Terence J. Martin Edward Bastian Karen Howard Jane Lancaster Patterson Phoebe Dent Weil Lewis S. Mudge Susan T. Hollis Rebecca T. Alpert* Jeffrey F. Meyer Virginia Bemis Krista Hughes Laurie L. Patton° Anne White F. Burton Nelson G. Victor Sogen Hori Ifi Amadiume Alan G. Meyers Deborah L. Book Massimo Introvigne Hans Pfeifer Robert Whitlock Gordon D. Newby° Amir Hussain° Carol S. Anderson*° Carol Miles Anne-Marie Bracket Kiyozumi Ishii Tina Pippin Gayraud Wilmore Russell W. Palmer Sheldon R. Isenberg Kathleen Billman Julie Miller Susan Power Bratton Cari Jackson Mark F. Plaushin Ariana Kateryna Peter J. Paris* Kosei Ishii Victor Blake Jean Molesky-Poz J. Scott Bridger Judith L. Janicki Albert Plotkin Wolynec-Werner Stacy L. Patty* Robert A. Johnson Kathlyn A. Breazeale Kenneth Morgan Ewing Brown E. H. Jarow G. Philip Points Alex Wright Kusumita P. Pedersen° Diane Jonte-Pace Laura E. Brock Eric Mount Pamela K. Brubaker° Dianne Jenett Andrew P. Porter Yuki Yamamoto Karl E. Peters Zayn Kassam° Gennifer Brooks Julie Neuffer David L. Burggraff Trig Johnson Marc Pugliese Sakena Young-Scaggs Bill Pitts Thomas P. Kasulis° Robert A. Bruttell Peter Ochs Christina Cabeen Charles B. Jones Jan Jaynes Quesada Katherine Zeiss Gaile M. Pohlhaus Nina Kelly Hugh Burtner Mary Jane O'Donnell Alana Cain Scott Linda G. Jones Stephen Rankin Ruth Zlotnick Steven C. Rockefeller Josephine Merrill José I. Cabezón Kang-nam Oh° James P. Campbell Sonya L. Jones Virginia Kaib Ratigan Jeremy Zwelling Martin Rumscheidt Kirkpatrick Carnegie Samuel Calian Kofi A. Opoku° Jeremy R. Carrette Will Joyner Jennifer M. Reece Fernando F. Segovia David E. Klemm Juan E. Campo William A. Patterson John Cha Michael Kagan Svein Rise Catherine Tinsley Tuell Maureen Kyer Susanna Bede Caroselli Samuel Paul Alejandro Chaoul Grace Kao Friedrich Roeschlaub

Please contribute to the Academy Fund, which makes our programs possible. Use the remittance envelope which accompanied this copy of RSN-AAR, see our website at www. aar- web.org/about/support.asp, or call 404-727-7928 and speak with Shannon Planck, the Director of Development.

18 • October 2002 AAR RSN AAR-FALL02-PDF.qxp 10/7/02 1:28 PM Page 19

FEATURES

RENICK, from p.17 to excel to a level where top graduate schools are interested in them. And, when the various positions, their strengths and things are really working well, their exam- weaknesses. While I’m enough of a stu- ple rubs off: the struggling students start dent of post-modernism to know (and to to improve as well. tell students) that I cannot be truly "objective" in some ultimate sense, RSN: In what ways is the vocation of appearances do matter in the classroom. teaching especially rewarding for you? By focusing my efforts on explaining Mary Daly or Stanley Hauerwas rather Renick: Teachers are always thrilled when than siding with or opposing them, I their students succeed in traditional ways. think I’m able to speak to a much wider I’m no different. I was excited when one of range of students. our students got into Harvard. It seemed to validate the work we had been doing. Just In our program, we’ve had some students last year, one of our grads now at Chicago go on to Baptist seminary and others go published an article in the JAAR. on to Ph.D. work at Chicago and Berkeley. How can a single class, say, But I’m always telling my students that Augustine and Aquinas, be useful to both? the point of Religious Studies is not pri- My answer has been consistent over the marily vocational. The pursuit should be years: keep the focus on the material and its own reward. A couple of months ago, I trust the students to determine for them- entered a local Atlanta bar (on a purely selves who’s right and wrong. research visit, needless to say) and ran in to a former student who worked there. He RSN: What is a teaching technique or sent over a round of drinks and came by learning experience that you have found to say that my courses "had changed [his] especially effective? life." The cynic in me was thinking, "Yeah, without that valuable B.A. in Renick: One of the largest challenges Religious Studies, you’d be bussing rather in teaching religious studies at a large state than waiting tables." But ultimately, I felt school like Georgia State is the incredible really good about the encounter. We’re range of student abilities. Some students very lucky to be teaching material that is would hold their own at Princeton, others genuinely important, even life changing, struggle with basic reading and writing to our students. Unlike our colleagues tasks. How do you address both groups teaching business, we have the luxury of simultaneously? Some people think that being able to measure our successes in you need to "dumb down" the reading, more nuanced ways than the income level using textbooks written to the level of the of our students. Still, I did feel compelled "average" college student (whatever that to leave a generous tip. means). But I’ve never had much luck which such texts. They bore the better RSN: What it has been like being a religion students. They bore me. And ironically, scholar within a philosophy department? the "middle of the road" students for whom they are supposedly written rarely Renick: There have been some chal- find them very exciting, either. In fact, I lenges over the years. Philosophy does not don’t use a textbook in any class I teach. I have as much in common methodologi- put together readers: selections of primary cally with modern religious studies as it sources. This way the students are actually did with the theology that once typified reading the views of the authors, not Religion departments. But the fact of the about the views. matter is that healthy enrollments are cru- cial to the survival and growth of academ- This has several benefits. It challenges the ic programs at places like Georgia State. better students; by the end of the semes- And "growing" our program amid a large, ter, their critical skills often have improved established philosophy department – with markedly. Second, it holds my attention. I required, core courses – has been hugely get to teach material I find challenging, beneficial to us. We’ve picked up many and am more exited about going into the majors who first sampled a lower-level classroom as a result. I try to keep the less philosophy course or took a cross-listed talented students from getting left behind offering like Philosophy of Religion or by keeping the readings short, and by Buddhism. Given that few universities are making sure we actually talk about the in the financial position to establish a readings in class. "Department of Religious Studies" all at once, the model we’ve used at Georgia This approach does put some additional State to develop our program strikes me as pressure on me as a teacher. In class, I a sensible one. have to present the material in such a way that it is outlined for the students who did RSN: What do you think has accounted not get the major points of the readings for the success you have enjoyed as a and yet not redundant for the students teacher? What word of advice would you who did. I have to stick to essay exams give to other teachers? and come up with questions that allow the talented students to show the depth of Renick: It’s an exciting time to be their knowledge and less talented students teaching religious studies. What we do is to show their grasp of the basics. Finally, I relevant. I genuinely believe this. The task, have to write extensive comments on stu- then, is to somehow convey this fact to dents’ work to speak to their particular others —to our students, to colleagues in abilities and needs. Come to think of it, other departments, to deans and adminis- I’m working way too hard… trators. If I’ve been successful as a teacher, I think it starts with the belief that what I think the costs are worth it, though. The I’m doing is not just important to me. It’s approach has allowed our better students valuable in a larger sense. ❧

PRESIDENTIAL VIEWS , from p.10 knowing who we are in the Americas.

after 9/11, for instance, Hindus felt excluded Thank you for giving me a chance to intro- from the national memorial services. On the duce myself to the AAR. I accepted your invi- academic front, one is constantly trying to tation to be interviewed with some hesitation. make the case or sell "India" or "Asia" to one’s Narratives, whether personal or professional, colleagues or the administration. can bridge some distances and create new Nevertheless, India and Asia are not out there ones. And this too, like all other narratives, is now; they are here in the United States and constructed and incomplete! ❧ Canada and studying "them" is now a part of October 2002 AAR RSN • 19 AAR-FALL02-PDF.qxp 10/7/02 1:28 PM Page 20

Religious Studies News, AAR Edition Sexual Harassment Policy

environment of rigorous learning, research, Having friendships with students is com- of an employee, colleague, or student T ITS NOVEMBER 1996 meeting and teaching in the field of religion. This mon for teachers. It is also possible that 6. insults, including lewd remarks or conduct the AAR Board of Directors adopt- environment must be free of sexual harass- teachers will experience attraction to stu- 7. visual displays of degrading sexual ed a policy condemning sexual A ment. Sexual harassment is a discriminatory dents and experience students' sexual attrac- images or pornography harassment in academic settings. Building practice which is unethical, unprofessional, tion to them. This cuts across gender and 8. pressure to accept unwelcome social upon the Equal Employment Opportunity and threatening to intellectual freedom. It sexual orientation. Because of the inherent invitations Commission's definition of sexual harass- usually involves persons of unequal power, power differential between teacher and stu- ment, the statement is designed to elevate authority, or influence but can occur dent, it is imperative that members of the Sexual harassment occurs from these member's awareness of the range of behav- between person of the same status. Academy maintain the integrity of an envi- behaviors and other verbal or physical iors that can be described as sexual harass- ronment which is not coercive, intimidat- conduct of a sexual nature when any or all ment, and to articulate the AAR's own com- Sexual harassment is illegal under Title ing, hostile, or offensive. of the following conditions apply: mitment to ensuring that its own activities VII of the 1980 Civil Rights Act and Title and operations are free from the pernicious IX of the 1972 Educational Amendments. The work of the Academy is best carried out 1. Submission to or rejection of such con- effects of such behavior. Sexual harassment is a gross violation of in an atmosphere that fosters collegiality and duct by an individual is used, implicitly professional ethics comparable to plagia- mentoring. Sexual harassment can destroy or or explicitly, as a basis for employment The AAR's Status of Women in the rism or falsification of research. It should undermine this relationship. The impact of decisions or academic decisions affect- Profession Committee drafted the state- be regarded and treated as such by mem- this on the life and future of the Academy ing such individuals; or ment which also draws from statements by bers of the Academy. The policy of the cannot be belittled or ignored. When our a number of other learned societies that American Academy of Religion is to con- actions are in violation of the dignity and 2. Such conduct has the purpose or effect of have established similar policies. When demn sexual harassment. Members of the integrity of another person, these actions are unreasonably interfering with an individ- asked why it was important for the AAR Academy are encouraged to file com- a profound violation of professional and ual's work or academic performance or to put forward such a statement, Emilie plaints about sexual harassment with the human relationships. These are violations creating an intimidating, hostile, or offen- Townes, a former chair of the AAR's appropriate administrative office of the because they are exploitative and abusive. sive working or academic environment. Committee on the Status of Women in institution where the harasser is employed the Profession, said "...it is important to or where he or she is enrolled, or with Descriptions Such an atmosphere cannot and does not fos- match the high standards the American appropriate law enforcement authorities. ter intellectual rigor or valuable, trusting Academy of Religion has for scholarship Sexual harassment includes all behavior human relationships. Both are necessary ingre- and research with a policy that calls forth Background that prevents or impairs an individual's dients for good scholarship and professional the best of each of us professionally and full enjoyment of educational or work- excellence. The impact on the victim of sexual interpersonally. It is important for AAR to The Equal Employment Opportunity place rights, benefits, environments, or harassment can be profound. Studies on the make a clear and unambiguous statement Commission (EEOC) of the United States opportunities. These behaviors include effect of sexual harassment reveal disturbing against sexual harassment and provide all Government defines sexual harassment in but are not limited to: consequences, such as loss of self-confidence, of the membership of the Academy the workplace or in the academic setting as: decline in academic performance, and inhibit- resources for understanding and combat- 1. sexist remarks, jokes, or behavior ed forms of professional interaction. Sexual ing such dehumanizing behavior." "The use of one's authority or power, either 2. unwelcome sexual advances, including harassment has no place in the American explicitly or implicitly, to coerce another unwanted touching Academy of Religion at any organizational Sexual Harassment Policy for the into unwanted sexual relations or to punish 3. request for sexual favors level — formal or informal. It is behavior that American Academy of Religion another for his or her refusal; or the cre- 4. sexual assault, including attempted or we must seek to identify and eradicate. ation of an intimidating, hostile or offensive completed physical sexual assault Introduction working environment through verbal or 5. the use of professional authority to For information on AAR’s Grievance and physical conduct of a sexual nature." inappropriately draw attention to the Compliant Procedure, please go to The American Academy of Religion is gender, sexuality, or sexual orientation www.aarweb.org/about/board/resolutions/shg.asp ❧ committed to fostering and maintaining an

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NEWS

RUMOR, from p.9 What’s more, he said, "there are a lot of Jews around America who say a lot of weird It can be dangerous to extrapolate from web things that just don’t get made public." message board posts to broad generaliza- tions. But experts believe a significant num- Ironically, some Muslim leaders argue a ber of American Muslims do harbor anti- mirror-image of Kula’s position: that Israel views because of the Middle East con- Muslims need to behave better. flict and that those views sometimes slip into anti-Semitic feeling. "Whenever you talk about Israel, it’s not a neutral issue for Jews or Muslims," says Michael Sells, an expert on Islam at Amir Hussain, a scholar of American Islam Haverford College, says anti-Jewish rhetoric who teaches at California State University in the "classic European sense with the at Northridge. "Muslim Americans have to myth of Jews as Christ-killers" was import- be very careful when they criticize the poli- ed into the Middle East and is now moving cies of the United States with regard to into American Muslim circles. "People in Israel that they know what they’re talking the Middle East know that the Israeli lobby about, and they do it in an appropriate in the US is one of the most powerful," manner. They may say things in an emo- Sells says. "So it’s not hard to understand tional way that may not hold up on an why they would slip into the conspiracy intellectual level." view that Jews control the world. But it’s unacceptable in a religious leader, or anyone That is what appears to have happened to who’s educated, and certainly anyone in the Salam Al-Marayati. In the hours after the United States." attacks on Sept. 11, Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs On the Islamic Circle of North America Council in Los Angeles, was asked who he web site, a vigorous discussion about the thought was responsible. According to a subject is going on under the heading transcript provided by Jewish groups, this is Israelis the devil. At another place on the what he said: "If we’re going to look at sus- site, a user named Mujahid Suleiman pects, we should look at the groups that Solano writes: benefit the most from these kinds of inci- dents, and I think we should put the state "If the USA can keep the Zionists down, I of Israel on the suspect list because I think am sure we ‘peaceful Muslims’ will be able this diverts attention from what’s happening to keep the dogs back." in the Palestinian territories so that they can go on with their aggression and occupation Where did this rumor come from? and apartheid policies." He quickly apolo- Apparently, shortly after the attacks, a gized, saying the remark "gave regrettable prominent Taliban cleric named Israr and unintended offense to Jewish Ahmed started flooding mosques and Americans." Islamic centers in the United States with faxes that read: "The secret Israeli service On Monday, Al-Marayati said the com- Musad [sic] orchestrated these terrorist ment erupted in a heated moment during attacks. . . [which] are a vital link in the an angry debate. "It was an unfortunate use chain of events that the Jews are undertak- of language," he said. At this point, "I prefer ing to fulfill their dream of world domina- to just let go of it." tion." The rumor then spread to Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass, who Al-Maraytati is worried the controversy will blamed the attacks on the Mossad. It spin out of control, particularly because became commonly accepted in Pakistan "the American public does not have the and the Middle East, and from there the patience for a Muslim-Jewish shouting rumor spread to the United States, often match. I think the complications have with the help of e-mail and the web. arisen since the beginning of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The distinction Some American Jews have reacted angrily, needs to be made between the notion of including Abraham Foxman, executive anti-Israeli sentiment versus anti-Jewish sen- director of the Anti-Defamation League. timent. Obviously, there are going to be a "It’s a big lie, set out there maliciously to handful of extremists among Muslims who deflect what many in the Arab world saw will not make that distinction, and that’s and realized would be an anger directed at wrong." the Arab world," he said Monday. "It has taken on a life of its own. People talk about The scenario was different for Imam it as if it is a fact, and that’s very, very dan- Gemeaha, a normally mild-mannered gerous." speaker who delivered a sermon in English in mid-September calling for peace among But not all Jewish leaders think there’s people of all religions, and then in early much to worry about. October proceeded to blame Jews for the terrorist attacks on an Arabic-language web Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of the National site. Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a Jewish think-tank, says what’s going on in "Jews dominate the political decision-mak- the Islamic community is simply the same ing and they own the economic and media demon that Christians and Jews have also institutions," Gemeaha reportedly said in wrestled with. "Every community has its the later statement. dark side," he said. "It happens to be that this is a particularly bad strain going on in Sells said both remarks set off warning the Islamic community and we’re caught in bells – Gemeaha’s more blatantly so, the middle." although because he isn’t an American it may ultimately be easier to overlook. Al- But Kula contends that the rhetoric isn’t Marayati’s statement, however, is trouble- necessarily anti-Semitic. He thinks it’s some, Sells says, because it occupies a mostly anti-Israel – which is not the same "middle ground" – not quite anti-Semitic, thing. "This isn’t about being Jewish," he but still unacceptable. said. "If Israel were a democratic Christian country, it would still be the outpost of the "Once people start making that leap from infidel. And a large number of the power being anti-Israel to assuming that anything centers of American Jewish life do not that distracts from the Palestinian cause is want to make a credible offer for peace. some kind of Israeli plot – and he’s getting Therefore, the vested interest right now is pretty close there – I think he’s in the mid- in ensuring the anti-Semitism, the worst dle ground," Sells says. "He’s moving parts of Islam, are out there." toward the conspiratorial view." See RUMOR p.25

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OXTOBY, from p.13 where I can’t be proved wrong—at least just yet—because I’ll be extrapolating some cur- RSN: But how did that involve you in rent trends into the future. In the next cen- India and China, which appear in the series tury Islam, which has of course seen plenty you’ll be giving? of development in the past, will be signifi-

I often say that if I could live my life over again and do absolutely anything for a living, I’d want to be right “ back in the comparative study of religions. cantly shaped by Muslims living as a minor- OXTOBY: Context again, or you might ity in the West. They’ll be less able than say looking to the next horizon. In Toronto people in traditional” Muslim countries to thirty years ago, I had a number of dismiss modernity as Western and intrusive. Zoroastrian students in class, because of I would love to be fifty years younger and migration of Parsis from India. I decided to watch how things unfold. investigate how Zoroastrians in Iran and India today understand their faith, and RSN: Aside from the ALHR Series, how while in India kept an eye on other groups are you spending your days now that you too. Then twenty years ago the graduate are retired from full-time teaching? program I was directing in Toronto had an exchange with the world-religions institute OXTOBY: Well, there are at least six of the Chinese Social Science Academy. We books in my head waiting to get out, and brought their director to teach in Toronto, I’ve signed contracts for four of them. That and I was sent for a season to Beijing. I means cutting down on distractions, so I’ve went to many places in China. gone off e-mail, unplugged the television, and de-subscribed the cell phone. I figure RSN: It sounds like you’ve taught or stud- I’m saving three hours a day without being ied abroad a great deal. a total hermit. People can still phone, write, or send a fax. OXTOBY: Quite. When you add it all up, I’ve had two years’ residence in West RSN: Would you describe one of your Asia, one year in South Asia, and one year current projects? in East Asia. That’s a rare opportunity; I don’t know of anyone else in the world-reli- OXTOBY: One of the projects is a one- gions business who’s had the same range. volume condensation of the two-volume World Religions text I edited, which is now RSN: What past experiences led you to in a second edition. I didn’t seek to do a accept the lectureship? textbook, by the way, but was recruited by the publisher. It’s a whole different experi- OXTOBY: I’d been familiar with the series ence from what I’d written before. from way back. Forty years ago, when I taught at McGill, I heard Morton Smith give a set. RSN: How so? Then fifteen years ago, I was on the ACLS his- tory of religions committee, which used to OXTOBY: When you bring out a manage the series. During that time, we sent research monograph, it sits on the shelf and A. L. Basham, who was retired from Australia, you go on to something else. Write a text- and Hew McLeod, who was visiting from book, and if it does at all well you have to New Zealand, on the road. So I was familiar keep revising it, like chewing your cud. The with the logistics. There are easier ways to earn satisfaction, though, is how many impres- a buck, but virtually no better chance to try sionable people are actually supposed to out your ideas and get feedback from such read what you’ve written. Normally, a Ph.D. interesting audiences. thesis is the last thing we ever write that absolutely has to be read by somebody. For RSN: Your lectures are about the historical most anything else, there’s no guarantee it development of Islam, which is a very time- won’t just be ignored. ly subject. Is there anything we could understand about Islam that would be help- RSN: What, for you, would be the ideal ful in the current political climate? assignment?

OXTOBY: Definitely. I often say that if I OXTOBY: In many ways, this lecture- could live my life over again and do absolutely ship is, because of the travel, which I enjoy, anything for a living, I’d want to be right back and because of the social interaction, which in the comparative study of religions. Not just means I can learn from others. Most writing for my enjoyment, but because I think that a requires a discipline of self-imposed loneli- more informed and more sympathetic attitude ness. Now I’ve begun another assignment toward various traditions is a key to peace, I’ve always yearned to do, too, and that’s which the world needs desperately. In the spe- putting together an anthology for Columbia cific case of Islam, we need to be aware of its University Press to go along with their clas- diversity. Lumping people of any group sic sourcebooks on Indian, Chinese, and together, as though they’re all alike, is one basic Japanese tradition. Sources of Middle strategy of prejudice. You blame an entire Eastern Tradition, will be half pre-Islamic group for the undesirable behavior of only sources, and half sources since Muhammad some of its members. but not restricted Islam. I’ll be including crosscurrents between the dominant Islam RSN: Which of the five lectures are you and the Jewish, Christian, and Zoroastrian most excited about giving? minorities, as well as responses to the mod- ern West. Being on the lecture circuit while OXTOBY: Probably the last, about the putting the anthology together will provide diaspora in the West today. I directed a dis- a chance to pick people’s brains for sugges- sertation on that recently, and am mindful tions. It’s a real privilege, and I’m grateful of how rich a topic it is. But it’s also one for the opportunity. ❧

Guide for Reviewing Programs in Religion and Theology Published by the Academic Relations Task Force Step-by-step advice on reviews and evaluations Available as a downloadable document from www.aarweb.org/departments/acadreldocs/guide.asp The Guide is one of a number of resources from the Academic Relations Program that help to make the case that every student deserves an education that includes the study of religion. 22 • October 2002 AAR RSN AAR-FALL02-PDF.qxp 10/7/02 1:28 PM Page 23

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THREE THEOLOGIANS, from p.9 threat to their jobs, because it is not, so For Mr. Connolly, those promises are not dom, which it has. He expected that it far, part of the university hiring process. worth much. For one, he says, no matter would make Catholic colleges the object The mandatum has put Catholic theolo- how pastoral the bishops claim to be, the of ridicule by some people at secular uni- gians at Catholic colleges in an unusual What bothers her, she says, is that the mandatum is, in fact, a church law that versities, which it may. and, for many, stressful quandary. church is saying she needs its permission could be used against those who commit Although professors in general frequently to teach. to it. Second, whatever bond of trust that Despite the turmoil, however, he believes struggle with the effect that their private existed was broken long ago. that the mandate will be like Y2K: lots of beliefs have on their professional deci- "I don’t know that I could stand up in precautionary activity before it hits, but sions, those decisions rarely become so front of my students and say that my "If the bishops had stood up to Rome like no real damage afterward. contentious and so public. Ms. Pohlhaus understanding of Christian theology is they should have, this whole thing would is one of those standing at the center of a that we are all called to be free as sons and be over," he says. The mandatum has put friends on oppo- debate in which strong feelings, and daughters of God, knowing that by taking site sides of the debate. Mr. Doyle notes sound reasons, pull from both sides. the mandatum I would not feel free." "I cannot accept when a bishop nowadays that many of his friends plan to refuse to says, ‘Trust me and trust the church,’ seek it. He’s had a few heated arguments Paradoxically, many theologians who have Ms. Pohlhaus calls the mandatum a "bad because they haven’t trusted us. . . They with others in his department, but says reached decisions — whichever way they law" because it defeats its own purpose. didn’t respect us. They didn’t even ask us they’ve agreed to not let the issue divide go — believe that they are being true both Rather than strengthen Catholic theology, what we thought of it. They just did it." them. He acknowledges, however, that no to their responsibilities as academics and as the church maintains, the mandatum one — including his colleagues at Dayton to their obligations as Catholics. will marginalize it, she argues. Although Ms. Pohlhaus would like the clarity of — knows how differing decisions about she does not expect the bishops to use it conscience that Mr. Connally displays. the mandatum will play out on college Ms. Pohlhaus has come to Milwaukee in as a weapon, she believes that those out- But just when she’s feeling confident in campuses. hopes of finding an answer to her dilem- side Catholic higher education will see it rejecting the mandatum, some new angle ma. She attends panels devoted to divin- as a muzzle on free thinking. pops up. Like last month, when a col- He respects conscientious objectors and ing the meaning of the mandatum, in league told her that she had to consider takes seriously their concerns, he says, but which professors offer competing defini- John R. Connolly, a professor of theologi- the effect her decision would have on oth- would oppose any form of organized resis- tions of ecclesiastical communion and cal studies at Loyola Marymount ers. tance. His concern is that conservative debate the wisdom of invoking "nonrecep- University in Los Angeles, harbors doubts watchdog groups will see such resistance tion" of a canon law. darker than those of Ms. Pohlhaus. He has Would Villanova’s president, himself a the- as proof that Catholic colleges are losing been suspicious of the mandatum since it ologian, be cornered by people who want their identity. Among theologians, much of the debate first appeared in church law, back in to know if her refusal means that the the- takes place on an esoteric plane well out- 1983. ology department is leading students Mr. Doyle says he also worries that side the boundaries of most academics’ astray? Would parishioners at her church Catholic colleges are becoming overly sec- areas of knowledge. The professors are His father, a seminary professor, inspired wonder why she is taking such a stand? ular. But he is more optimistic than peo- keenly aware of the political dynamics of Mr. Connolly to became a theologian. His Would her students understand? ple like the Rev. James T. Burtchaell, this church law, but the spiritual dimen- goal, he says, is to help his students devel- whose provocative 1998 book, The Dying sion of the mandatum has often been op "a more critical faith, a more intellec- Ms. Pohlhaus is already troubled by the of the Light: The Disengagement of Colleges underappreciated outside of the discipline. tual faith, and, in the long run, a more supermarket approach that so many and Universities From Their Christian Ms. Pohlhaus listens carefully but is not realistic and true type of faith." Catholics have toward their religion: pick- Churches (William B. Eerdmans) painted a particularly optimistic about finding the ing and choosing the beliefs most conve- bleak picture of the secularization of reli- answer here. She prays for guidance. The mandatum, he says, runs counter to nient to them. Birth control: No. gious institutions. that ideal: It is Rome’s attempt to ensure Premarital sex: Yes. Capital punishment: Unlike professors in religious studies pro- adherence to a narrow orthodoxy. "What Why not? If theologians treat the mandatum "as grams, who examine religion from a cul- they want is to have control down the though it were an evil in principle," Mr. tural and historical perspective, theolo- line, to get rid of people who are teaching While she respects anyone who rejects a Doyle says, it would reinforce the idea gians focus on interpreting practices and what they don’t want them to teach." church edict as a matter of conscience, she that Catholic colleges are anti-church, and beliefs of a particular religion — usually doesn’t see much reflection among her stu- "that the Burtchaells of the world were their own. "Faith seeking understanding" As proof, Mr. Connolly points to the Rev. dents. She fears that they will consider a right." is the quick definition of the field. Such a Roger Haight, of the Weston Jesuit School decision against the mandatum as further blending of subjective belief and objective of Theology, who was removed from his proof that one can do whatever one wants Weighing heavily on the minds of many analysis has led academics in other disci- teaching post last fall and asked to "clari- and still be Catholic. theologians is the moment of reckoning plines to view theologians somewhat skep- fy" views that the Vatican felt ran contrary with the local church official who has the tically, as if they were not true scholars. to church teachings. Father Haight has yet Dennis M. Doyle is a professor of reli- power to grant a mandatum. In to return to the classroom. gious studies at the University of Dayton, Philadelphia, that person is Cardinal "It is important for me to live my theolo- where he has taught since 1984. His con- Anthony Bevilacqua, a forceful and gy," says Ms. Pohlhaus. "That means pray- Mr. Connolly doesn’t buy the church’s science is as clear as Mr. Connally’s, respected church leader. ing about it, reflecting about it. You don’t argument that the mandatum simply although he sits on the opposite side of do that in history. You don’t do that in expresses an obligation that has always the fence. He intends to seek a mandatum, Along with 120 other theologians from English. That’s why theology is a suspect existed between bishops and theologians. he says, because it is part of his responsi- the region, Ms. Pohlhaus met with the academic discipline, I’m afraid." His authority to teach theology doesn’t bility as a theologian. cardinal this past April. Afterward, she come from the church hierarchy, he says. says, she felt more torn than ever. "He More than 30 years ago, Ms. Pohlhaus It comes from his baptism and his acade- "To me, theology is a form of ministry, wanted us to feel comfortable and reas- was a member of the Sisters of Charity of mic training. and it’s something I do within the context sured about the mandatum — that it was St. Elizabeth’s, in Convent Station, NJ. of the church," he says. Yes, it is an acade- not going to be used as a whip or any- She left the order in 1969 to marry, For him, the price of his decision not to mic discipline, and no, it’s not Sunday thing like that. But it didn’t seem to me as earned a doctorate at Temple University in seek a mandatum may come in the form school, he notes. But part of his job is if he understood that there were conscien- 1987, and has taught in Villanova’s theol- of unpleasant public attention. Some relaying the church’s point of view, and he tious objections to accepting or rejecting ogy department full-time since then, spe- Catholics consider the mandate a litmus is speaking as a part of that church. the mandatum." cializing in sacramental theology. Her test that measures one’s faithfulness; they Therefore, he believes, his bishop has a courses often focus on such hot-button hope universities will force out those who right to say whether he is doing so accu- Could she make the cardinal understand if topics as premarital sex, birth control, and fail that test. Mr. Connolly’s name has rately. she chose not to seek the mandate? Ms. homosexuality. already appeared on one web site run by Pohlhaus must wrestle with that uncom- Catholic conservatives. "The mandatum only says that ‘Doyle, fortable scenario, in addition to her own She has her disagreements with the church you’re not free to present something as conscience. — she would like to see women ordained Because of such attention, many Catholic Catholic teaching that is not Catholic as priests, for example, and does not theologians refuse to say where they stand teaching.’ That is all it says. And I’m She continues to look for answers. She believe homosexuality is a disorder — but on the issue. But Mr. Connolly says he happy to be restricted on that point." wants to study the final document on the she has no interest in either indoctrinating feels a moral obligation to speak out: mandatum, passed by the bishops in June. her students or convincing them of view- "Sometimes one has to stand up if they But Mr. Doyle is also a realist, and he She wants to talk to more colleagues. She points that oppose the church’s. Relaying believe the authority of the Catholic knew early on that the cost of requiring wants to think and pray. Catholic teachings accurately and fairly, church is wrong, particularly when this is the mandatum would be high. Two years she says, is just part of the job. not a matter of faith and morals." ago, he co-wrote an article in "I wouldn’t expect someone who has no Commonweal, a Catholic magazine, religious commitment to necessarily "To be a good professor, none of us would Mr. Connolly’s position has not wavered, unsuccessfully urging the bishops to spend understand what I’m struggling with run around claiming that it’s OK for a but some theologians have found their resis- more time on the matter. "If I were voting here," she says. "I would simply ask them Catholic to use artificial contraception," tance to the mandatum softening after on it, I would not have voted to pass it," to respect that it is a real struggle. It’s not she says. meeting with church officials. The bishops he says. something I can just leave at the office." as a whole have pledged to be as benign and Ms. Pohlhaus has no doubt that she and unobtrusive as possible, and many acade- He worried the mandate was going to It’s close to 11 PM, and Ms. Pohlhaus’s her colleagues at Villanova would each be mics believe that American bishops will be place a wedge between theologians and husband waits quietly in the background. granted a mandatum if they asked. She reluctant to enforce a ruling that was essen- bishops, which it did. He anticipated that does not think that the mandatum is a tially forced upon them by the Vatican. it would raise fears about a lack of free- See THREE THEOLOGIANS p.24

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THREE THEOLOGIANS, from p.23 CANE RIDGE, from p.9 and while some participants worshipped, others made regular trips with their horses to Just before departing, she considers her "It arguably remains the most important reli- nearby creeks. Meeting house shows its dilemma some more. "There are good, gious gathering in all of American history, age — in a good way logical arguments on both sides," she says. both for what it symbolized and the effects Preachers gave sermons from a wooden plat- "But it doesn’t get to that deep place that flowed from it," wrote Paul Conkin, form, but so many people had come that Caretakers for the Cane Ridge Meeting where the true answer comes from." author of Cane Ridge: America’s Pentecost. many began paying attention to impromptu House say it’s the largest one-room log sermons delivered by lay folk. Eyewitness building in North America, measuring 40 "Never before had such a diversity of seizures Finley counted seven people at one time by 60 feet. Understanding the or ‘physical exercises’ affected, or afflicted, so preaching from tree stumps and wagons. many people," wrote Conkin, a retired Mandatum Presbyterian pioneers built the church in Vanderbilt University historian. "The Cane Presbyterians, Methodists, and some Baptists 1791 shortly after they arrived in the region, Evolution of the requirement Ridge sacrament has become a legendary were present as host minister Stone sought to lured by explorer Daniel Boone’s description event, the clearest approximation to an make the event as nondenominational as pos- 1983 of a fertile land full of towering cane, co- American Pentecost, prelude to a Christian sible. The Vatican issues a church law, Canon curator Robert Steffer said. century." 812, requiring Roman Catholic theolo- Preachers terrified listeners with the threat of gians to have a mandate from the church. A second-story "slave gallery" was used in The 1801 gathering, built around a hell at their days’ end. People were "dropping The requirement is largely ignored in the the church’s early years, but it was taken Presbyterian communion service, lasted from down on every hand, shrieking, groaning, United States. down in 1829 after the church decided to a rainy Aug. 6 until Aug. 12, ending only crying for mercy… praying, agonizing, faint- integrate and to oppose slavery, Steffer said. when both humans and horses had used up ing, falling down in distress," said a letter 1990 Church members also covered the logs with all available food. attributed to the Rev. James Campbell, writ- Pope John Paul II releases Ex corde white clapboard on the outside and plaster ten just after the gathering. Ecclesiae, outlining his vision for Catholic on the inside. With wails and convulsions, thousands higher education. He reiterates the need lamented their sins. "Some singing, some shouting, clapping their for theology professors to seek a mandate. In 1804, the church left the Presbyterian hands, hugging and even kissing, laughing… denomination, becoming the mother church "The noise was like the roar of Niagara," and all this at once" made "terror thrill 1996 of the Christian Church (Disciples of wrote eyewitness James Finley in his biogra- through every power of the soul," he wrote. Bishops in the United States send to Rome Christ) denomination and related Christian phy. "At one time I saw at least five hundred their plans for applying Ex corde to Church and Church of Christ movements. swept down in a moment as if a battery of a As many as 1,000 people took communion Catholic colleges in the country. The man- After the dwindling Cane Ridge congrega- thousand guns had been opened upon them, on Sunday. Much larger crowds were in such date is relegated to a footnote, which states tion closed in the 1920s, Disciples officials and then immediately followed shrieks and tumult in the surrounding grounds that that it will be subject to further study. formed an independent board to maintain it shouts that rent the very heavens." some Presbyterian ministers thought things as a shrine. were getting out of hand, but Stone allowed 1997 To be sure, many at Cane Ridge had their events to flow. The Vatican rejects the American bishops’ Preservationists worked to restore its original minds on more than just heavenly things. interpretation and asks for a more binding rugged appearance, returning the loft (which After Cane Ridge, the Presbyterian ministers document. had been stored in a barn) and removing the The temporary city that grew up around had their hands full. Mired in doctrinal clapboard and plaster. But weather and Cane Ridge gave lonely Kentucky farmers a debates and disciplinary hearings, the 1999 woodpeckers began taking their toll on the chance to meet — and mate. A bumper Presbyterians suffered two major schisms. Bishops in the United States approve a exterior, so the Disciples surrounded the crop of babies resulted nine months later. new plan for carrying out Ex corde. In this building with a large stone structure in Logan County revivalists, suffering a back- version, the mandatum, as the mandate is 1957, making it a church within a church. That, along with the whiskey peddlers, horse lash from Presbyterian leaders, formed the now called, is required. Theologians and traders and gawkers at the fringes of such Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which is others in Catholic higher education Steffer said experts on historic architecture gatherings, gave ammunition to critics who still prominent in the Kentucky-Tennessee protest. The document is approved by the have marveled at the log building’s craftsman- said the revival was out of control. region. Vatican. ship. But others were happy with the growing reli- Its revivalist roots are still evident, said Stated 2001 "These are artistic things that were done by giosity and declining lawlessness that resulted. Clerk Robert Rush of the Memphis-based Bishops in the United States release guide- people with rather crude tools," Steffer said, denomination. "You would go into very few lines for how the mandatum should be pointing to the hexagonal chestnut pillars "It was a major step in turning the frontier Cumberland churches that wouldn’t give an requested and granted. Theologians are and subtle, ornamental grooves. "At the into a more settled society," said church histo- altar call." given until June 1, 2002, to obtain one. beginning, this was quite a stretch to build a rian Richard Harrison, former president of Bishops say there is no penalty if they do building like this." Lexington Theological Seminary. "People were Stone, meanwhile, was becoming increasing- not. getting more accustomed to being together as ly unhappy with Presbyterian government The Cane Ridge Preservation Project oper- a group rather than being isolated." and Calvinist theology, which he later called ates on a $50,000 annual budget and is host Changing Definitions a "dark mountain between heaven and to more than 100 group meetings each year, The remote Cane Ridge shrine, set amid the earth." Canon 812: "It is necessary that those from worship services to family reunions, rolling hills, towering corn stalks, and plump who teach theological disciplines in any Steffer said. hay rolls of Bourbon County, draws 6,000 He and his supporters started the Christian institute of higher studies have a mandate visitors annually. Church movement — trying to replace from the competent ecclesiastical authori- The burial ground at Cane Ridge holds the denominationalism with independent ty." (1983) grave of Barton Stone, host of a landmark Brad Paradis, a student at Southern Baptist churches. The movement became a de facto 1801 revival and a patriarch of the Christian Theological Seminary in Louisville, visited denomination itself and in the 20th century Ex corde Ecclesiae: "Catholic theologians, Church movement. The cemetery was the site with his brothers on a sweltering split into three movements. aware that they fulfill a mandate received closed to future burials more than 80 years afternoon last Monday, drawing inspiration from the Church, are to be faithful to the ago, but in the last 12 months was the scene for his future ministry. But many people today consider Stone virtu- Magisterium of the Church as the authen- of two significant memorial ceremonies. ally a patron saint of Christian unity, tic interpreter of Sacred Scripture and "There’s no significance, spiritually, to this Harrison said. Sacred Tradition." (1990) On August 12, descendants of a former slave building," he said. "It’s just that a bunch of and Cane Ridge member, Samuel Bonaparte people who trusted God got together here, And the anti-denominationalism of Stone Ex corde Ecclesiae: An Application to the "Bone" January, dedicated a memorial to and God did something big. To be able to and the revival he played host to also fed United States: "The mandatum is funda- honor him and other slaves believed buried see where it started, that’s pretty cool." a new American trend, Conkin said: the mentally an acknowledgment by Church in unmarked graves. Descendants of separation of church membership from authority that a Catholic professor of a January’s former owner, who still live in the In the years leading up to Cane Ridge, conversion. theological discipline teaches within the area, also attended. Methodist and Baptist churches were having full communion of the Catholic Church. small revivals, but the largest crowds were "People are converted and may take months The mandatum should not be construed as In February, caretakers found room in the gathering for Presbyterian communion ser- to decide which church today," Conkin said. an appointment, authorization, delegation nearly full cemetery to bury Disciples vices, which were part of a centuries-old tra- "That’s all the way down to Billy Graham or approbation of one’s teaching by church historian Anthony Dunnavant, the dition, imported by Scottish immigrants, today." Church authorities. Those who have dean of Lexington Theological Seminary, that combined intense religious services with received a mandatum teach in their own who died of cancer at 46. social gatherings. While mainstream Presbyterians lost ground name in virtue of their baptism and their to Baptists, Methodists, and their own splin- academic and professional competence, "He loved Cane Ridge so much and had Momentum built with Presbyterian commu- ter groups in the wake of the 1801 revival, not in the name of the Bishop or of the done so much important research on Cane nions in Western Kentucky’s Logan County. "one could also argue that the ‘losers’ were Church’s magisterium. The mandatum rec- Ridge," said former seminary President Presbyterian minister Barton Stone, inspired also winners by remaining critical of some of ognizes the professor’s commitment and Richard Harrison, now pastor of Seventh by his visit to Logan County, scheduled a the excesses unleashed by Cane Ridge," said responsibility to teach authentic Catholic Street Christian Church in Richmond, Va. communion at his own Cane Ridge church John Mulder, President of Louisville doctrine and to refrain from putting forth "It was seen as something particularly appro- for Aug. 8, 1801. Presbyterian Theological Seminary. "By stay- as Catholic teaching anything contrary to priate for this young, brilliant scholar who ing anchored to its core theology, it avoided the Church’s magisterium."(1999) ❧ was cut down in his prime." People began arriving two days earlier. Some being swept away by emotion," he said. 140 wagons were parked on the grounds,

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CALL FOR PAPERS

The Midwest AAR has also cre- Religion, Ecology and Culture The revival also tapped into the populist spirit the 1830s, these churches splintered in the 2003 ated an undergraduate section to Sarah McFarland Taylor of the new American republic, with user- 20th century into: encourage undergraduates to Northwestern University friendly hymns, plain-language sermons and a Regional participate and present papers at 1940 Sheridan Road theology that emphasized humans’ free will The Disciples of Christ (Christian Church), Midwest Regional AAR confer- Evanston, IL 60208 more than traditional Calvinism, which said Indianapolis-based mainline group, the only Call for ence. Proposals should be sub- E-MAIL: [email protected] only God decides who will be saved or fragment that recognizes itself as a denomina- mitted to the undergraduate sec- tion chair, Johannes Strobel (see Religion and Sacred Texts damned. tion; 834,000 members. Papers address below) as early as possi- David Blix ble, but before December 15, Department of Religion "If you can choose which party to vote for, Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, 2002. The best undergraduate Wabash College you have the free will to choose whether to go conservative, decentralized network includes Eastern paper will also receive an award. Crawfordsville, IN 47933 into the kingdom of God," said Baptist histo- Louisville’s Southeast Christian Church; 1.1 International To be eligible for this award in TEL: 317-361-6075 E-MAIL: [email protected] rian Bill Leonard, summing up the prevailing million members. Region – AAR 2003, undergraduate students must be members of the Religion and Science mood. Authority and Its Discontents Midwest Region of the AAR and Richard Busse Churches of Christ, conservative group distin- be on the program to present The Eastern International Region Seven Napoleon Street "Something truly American [took] place" at guished partly by its a cappella worship music their paper at the annual meet- of the AAR announces the 2003 Valparaiso, IN 46383 Cane Ridge, church historian Anthony (since the New Testament doesn’t call for ing in April, 2003. call for papers for the annual TEL: 219-531-1723 Undergraduate students who Dunnavant said in an interview last year. musical instruments); 1.5 million members. regional conference to be held at FAX: 219-464-0941 wish to be considered for this Mercyhurst College ,Erie, PA, E-MAIL: [email protected] award should submit the full In the New World, people believed they Presbyterians — Amid debates over whether March 21-22, 2003. In keeping text of their paper to the under- with the theme Authority and Its Religion and Social Science could find God "in a return to pure sources, the revival was healthy, they suffered two splits graduate section chair no later Discontents, we invite papers Tracy Memoree Thibodeau rather than participation in the Old World with the Christian Church (1804) and than February 1, 2003 with a examining the nature, structure, McNamara Center for the Social corrupt tradition," said Dunnavant, who was Cumberland Presbyterian (1810) movements request that their paper be con- and patterns of authority, includ- Study of Religion sidered for the award. dean of Lexington Theological Seminary until and lost ground to more revivalistic denomina- ing its consolidation, legitimation, Loyola University Chicago6525 N. Sheridan Rd. his death in February and is now buried at tions, but they stabilized and became an influ- and transmission in the world’s Section chairs are requested to Chicago, IL 60626 Cane Ridge’s cemetery. ential mainline church. Their descendants: religions. We also invite examina- submit proposed panels to the TEL: 773-508-3488 tion of resistances to authority by Program Chair, Selva J. Raj FAX: 773-508-8854 It was not the America that founding fathers Louisville-based Presbyterian Church (USA), reformers, iconoclasts, protesters, ([email protected]) by January 15, E-MAIL: [email protected] like Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine mainline denomination with 2.5 million and others on the margins of cul- 2003. For additional informa- tural religion. Papers need to be tion, please check our web site: Theology and Ethics envisioned, in which superstitious religion members. limited to the conference theme. www.albion.edu/midwest-aar/ Gary Dorrien would wither in an age of reason. The call for papers extends to all Department of Religion Cumberland Presbyterian Church, formed in disciplines, including history of Section Chairs Kalamazoo College Leonard, dean of the Wake Forest (NC) 1810 by leaders of a revival in Logan County, religions, anthropology of reli- 1200 Academy Street gion, sociology of religion, philos- Arts, Literature, and Religion University Divinity School, quoted an old Kentucky, that inspired the Cane Ridge gath- Kalamazoo, MI 49007 ophy, and theology, among oth- Eric Lorey Methodist hymn that captured the revival ering. It rejected Presbyterians’ strict TEL: 616-337-7362 ers. Proposals on other topics are Dept. of Religion & Philosophy mood: "The world, the Devil, and Tom Paine Calvinism and requirements that pastors have E-MAIL: [email protected] also welcome. Cranbrook-Kingswood have tried their worst but all in vain." a classical education (impractical on the fron- Upper School Women and Religion Mercyhurst is located in north- P.O. Box 801 tier). Though most churches reunited with Carol Anderson west Pennsylvania, about two Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303-0801 The revival also fed social consciousness, mainstream Presbyterians in 1907, Department of Religion hours from Buffalo, Pittsburgh, TEL: 248-645-3643 Harrison said. With black worshippers and at Cumberland Presbyterians still number Kalamazoo College and Cleveland. Please forward E-MAIL: [email protected] 1200 Academy Street least one black preacher participating, it fed 102,000 members, mostly in the Kentucky- abstracts by January 15, 2003 to Kalamazoo, MI 49008 antislavery sentiments, and the Cane Ridge Tennessee region. Tom Forsthoefel, Department of Asian Religions in America TEL: 616-337-7114 congregation itself later became abolitionist. Religious Studies, Mercyhurst Paul D. Numrich E-MAIL: [email protected] Methodists — This small denomination quick- College, Erie, PA 16546-0001. E- McNamara Center for the Social Study of Religion Roman Catholics, settling to the west around ly institutionalized the camp-meeting revival MAIL: [email protected]. Undergraduate Section Department of Sociology and Johannes Strobel Bardstown, denounced Cane Ridge’s "dying concept that arose spontaneously at Cane Anthropology University of Missouri-Columbia follies" as "one more sad commentary on the Ridge and Logan County. Their nimble system Midwest Region AAR Loyola University Chicago 303 Townsend Hall Protestant rule of faith," according to of circuit riders and lay preachers led to explo- 6525 N. Sheridan Road Theme: Religion and Columbia, Missouri 65211 Bellarmine University professor Clyde Crews’ sive growth on the frontier, reaching 2.6 mil- Chicago, IL 60626 Immigration FAX: 573-884-2917 TEL: 773-508-3488 local Catholic history, An American Holy lion members in 1830 and nearly 13 million in E-MAIL: [email protected] Land. their four main denominations today. Annual Regional Meeting, April FAX: 773-508-8854 5-6, 2003 E-MAIL: [email protected] DePaul Center, DePaul University Upper Midwest But Catholics and Protestants shared a vision Baptists — As with the Methodists, this One East Jackson Boulevard Cognitive Science of Religion of Kentucky as a Promised Land, Leonard group grew by embracing revival tactics, Chicago, Illinois D. Jason Slone Regional Meeting said. preaching to black slaves as well as whites, and Department of Religious Studies American Academy of Religion using a decentralized structure and lay preach- The theme Religion and The University of Findlay and the Society of Biblical "Catholics could find a home on the frontier ers, particularly effective on the frontier. They Immigration is intended to solicit Findlay, OH 45840 Literature papers exploring the role of reli- E-MAIL: [email protected] (including sessions sponsored by and be free to be Catholic, and Protestant counted 2.7 million members in 1830. The gion in the familial, social, and the American Schools of (sectarian groups) could find a place to not Southern Baptist Convention, at 16 million cultural experiences of immi- History of Religions Oriental Research) just do their thing but thrive," Leonard said. members, is the largest American Protestant grants to North America. Dr. Selva J. Raj "By the 1830s, Baptists and Methodists, who body today, in addition to millions in other Vasudha Narayanan, President of Department of Religious Studies Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, the American Academy of Albion College Minnesota are tiny little sects in the Revolutionary War, Baptist denominations. Albion, MI 49224 are the largest Protestant denominations." Religion, will be the keynote April 25-26, 2003 speaker at this conference. Papers TEL: 517-629-0400 Shakers — This celibate, apocalyptic sect sent and panels on other related top- E-MAIL: [email protected] The program committee invites missionaries west on news of Cane Ridge, ics are also invited and encour- members of the societies to sub- Denominations After Cane Ridge converting many revivalists, including two Latino/a Religion mit proposals for papers at the aged. The title of each proposed Arlene Sanchez Walsh These denominations and movements ministers. They also became a lightning rod paper and a synopsis of not more meeting. Please send title, Religious Studies abstract (150-200 words), and formed, spread, or sputtered after the Cane for conservative critics of the revival’s wildest than 250 words should be sent DePaul University to the appropriate Section Chair any audio-visual needs (one Ridge revival in 1801. excesses, giving the controversial Christian 2320 N. Kenmore Ave. paper to one convener, only), (listed below). Submissions Chicago, IL 60614 Church movement the status of respectable should be made as early as possi- along with your name and E-MAIL: [email protected] Christian Churches, Churches of Christ — moderates. The Shakers, extinct except for a ble, but before December 15, address (e-mail/snail mail), by November 15, 2002, to the Cane Ridge pastor Barton Stone and other tiny community in Maine, are now admired 2002. Younger scholars and New Religious Movements breakaway Presbyterians rejected denomina- for their minimalist architecture, woodwork, graduate students are especially appropriate conveners or use the Nikki Bado-Fralick web-based form at umw- tions and idealized the early Christian church. and music. Their two Kentucky communities encouraged to submit proposals Dept. of Philosophy and for papers and to participate in aarsbl.org/proposal.htm. [Form Joining with a similar movement led by are preserved as historic sites: Pleasant Hill in Religious Studies available after August 15.] Pennsylvania minister Alexander Campbell in Mercer County, and South Union in Logan the conference. Iowa State University Catt Hall Old Testament/Hebrew Bible In order to encourage greater Ames, IA 50011 participation by graduate stu- Rolf Jacobson TEL: 515-294-2495 dents, the Midwest AAR will Augsburg College E-MAIL: [email protected] give a special award for the best 2211 Riverside Avenue graduate student paper. To be Minneapolis, MN 55454 RUMOR Philosophy of Religion , from p.21 Sells sees some good coming from the stew eligible for this award in 2003, E-MAIL: [email protected] of anger, confusion, and prejudice welling up John Grimes graduate students must be mem- Religious Studies Department Sells chalked up Al-Marayati’s comments to in American Muslims, however. New Testament bers of the Midwest Region of 116 Morrill Hall Jeanine Brown a "bad habit of thinking" that he will be able the AAR and be on the program Michigan State University Bethel Seminary to overcome. But Sells says the controversy "A lot of Muslim leaders are saying, ‘Wait, to present their paper at the East Lansing, MI 48824 3949 Bethel Drive lays bare a larger problem in American Islam: this is inaccurate and it’s radicalizing ele- annual meeting in April, 2003. TEL: 517-353-0830 Saint Paul, MN its leadership. "For a long time, a certain ments of the community and hurting every- Graduate students who wish to E-MAIL: [email protected] 55122-6999 be considered for this award E-MAIL [email protected] kind of Muslim leadership has been made one,’" Sells says. "There’s a really strong rise should submit the full text of Religion and American Culture the only voice, and this kind of leader is against this in the last week." their paper to the Program Amy DeRogatis World Religions sometimes fallible. The current Muslim Chair, Dr. Selva J. Raj (see Religious Studies Department James Robinson American leadership represents "only a very And that, he says, means a more diverse, address below) no later than 116 Morrill Hall University of Northern Iowa thin strand of what Islam is," Sells says. more intellectual – and more tolerant – February 1, 2003, with a request Michigan State University Philosophy and Religion American Islam may finally be born. ❧ that their paper be considered East Lansing, MI 48824 for the award. E-MAIL: [email protected] (Continued on next page)

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Religious Studies News, AAR Edition

BAK 152, Cedar Falls, IA pedagogy in the religious stud- 5. Each Region may make Spokane, WA, 99258-0001 Please note that unless other- (AAR) Arts, Literature, and 50614-0501 ies/theology classroom? Do lib- only one nomination E-MAIL: [email protected] wise indicated, papers must be Religion (4 sessions) E-MAIL: [email protected] eratory pedagogies such as of such a length as can be pre- Themes: (1) Open call, with Paulo Friere or bell hooks Any eligible SBL member who Kathlyn A. Breazeale sented and discussed within 45 special interest in literature African-American Religion address the particularities of would like to apply for the Religion Department minutes. Needs for audio- and/of spirituality in the world's Anthony Pinn teaching religious studies/theol- regional scholar program whose Pacific Lutheran University visual equipment must be religions; poetics of space/place, Dept. of Religion ogy? Are there reasons to avoid paper is accepted for the Tacoma, WA 98447-0003 noted on the submission form. time, and memory and religion; Macalester College feminist pedagogy? We seek regional meeting must submit E-MAIL: [email protected] Because of the very high cost of and spirituality in the work of 1600 Grand Ave proposals from a variety of per- four copies of the paper to the renting digital video projection women artists. (2) Joint session History of Religions Saint Paul, MN 55105 spectives on issues in feminist SBL regional coordinator by equipment, presenters who with History of Religions on Nicholas F. Gier E-MAIL: [email protected] pedagogy including, but not March 1, 2003. wish to use such equipment "Buddhist and non-Buddhist Philosophy Department limited to, theoretical reflec- must provide it themselves. readings of The Sparrow." (3) Science and Religion Upper Midwest Regional University of Idaho tions on the meaning and sig- The copying of handouts is Joint session with American Greg Peterson Officers: Moscow, ID 83844-3016 nificance of feminism and fem- also the responsibility of the Biblical Hermeneutics on "The South Dakota State University SBL WEB: www.its.uidaho.edu/ngier inist pedagogy in the academy presenter. All program partici- Bible in Children's Literature Brookings, SD 57007 President: Glen Menzies, today, what it means to teach pants must be pre-registered and Entertainment." Please sub- E-MAIL: [email protected] North Central University, Religion and Society in a feminist way in the reli- for the meeting. mit proposals for joint session to Minneapolis, MN Gary Chamberlain Religion and Popular Culture gious studies classroom (i.e. is it Department of Theology & both chairs. Chair: Carolyn Suggestions for new program Bruce Forbes about teaching style, course Vice-President: Gary Long, Religious Studies Jones Medine, University of units or special speakers should Dept. of Religious Studies content or something else?), Bethel College, St. Paul, MN Seattle University Georgia, Department of be sent to SECSOR's Executive Morningside College reflections on classroom experi- 900 Broadway Religion, 206 Peabody Hall, Director or to the Vice Sioux City, IA 51106 ences from teacher and/or stu- Program Committee: Seattle, WA 98122 Athens, GA 30602-2625, President/Program Chair of the E-MAIL: dent perspectives. Elizabeth Burr, University of St. E-MAIL: [email protected] E-MAIL: [email protected] respective society (see list of [email protected] Presentations that explicitly Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105 use/engage feminist pedagogy Interreligious Dialogue with the regional officers below). (SBL) Hebrew Scriptures/Old Women and Religion are especially encouraged. Regional Coordinator: Mark Natural Sciences Testament (3 sessions) (AAR) Academic Study of Religion Susan Hill Schuler, Concordia University, In the increasingly global study Themes:(1) Invited panel dis- and Pedagogy (2 sessions) Department of Philosophy & Deanna Thompson 275 Syndicate Street North, of religion, it is impossible to cussion. (2) Open topics. Themes: (1) Open call for Religion, Baker 135 Hamline University Saint Paul, MN 55104 ignore the fact that so many Proposals addressing the theme papers/participatory presenta- The University of Northern Iowa 1536 Hewitt Avenue [email protected] cultures and religions face the "The Hebrew Scriptures and tions on the topic, "Teaching Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0501 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104 ubiquitous presence of the nat- Violence: The View After 9- AAR Religion and Culture" (to E-MAIL: [email protected] E-MAIL: [email protected] ural sciences as an "Esperanto" 11" are especially encouraged. President: Dennis Bielfeldt, include teaching film, litera- that directly or indirectly helps Please send proposals (or com- Susan Hill South Dakota State University, ture, social movements, art, Early Judaism and Judaic Studies to shape and define worldviews pleted papers if you have never Department of Philosophy & Brookings, SD etc.). (2) Call for panel presen- Michael Wise everywhere. Following on a presented) to Dwayne Howell, Religion, Baker 135 tations on "Teaching Biblical Northwestern College highly successful section at the UPO Box 1257, The University of Northern Iowa, Vice-President: Deanna Hermeneutics: Pedagogical and 3001 Snelling Ave North 2002 PNW AAR/SBL, we Campbellsville University, 1 Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0501 Thompson, Hamline Ethical Implications" (joint ses- Saint Paul, MN 55113 invite proposals for papers on University Drive, E-MAIL: [email protected] University, St. Paul, MN sion with Religion, Ethics, and E-MAIL: [email protected] interreligious dialogue with the Campbellsville, KY 42718 and Society). Please submit propos- Program Committee: Chris natural sciences. Papers may Nancy Declaisse-Walford, Archaeology and Excavation Other Topics als for joint session to both Johnson, Gustavus Adolphus focus on the relation between McAfee School of Theology, Reports chairs. Chair: Tina Pippin, Papers in other categories are College, St. Peter, MN one religion and particular 3001 Mercer University Drive, (sessions sponsored by ASOR) Agnes Scott College welcome. Proposals should be issues(s) in the natural sciences, Atlanta, GA 30341. Mark W. Chavalas E-MAIL: [email protected] sent by November 15, Regional Secretary: Lynne F. involve comparative religious Dept. of History (AAR) History of Christianity 2002 directly to Lorenzen, Augsburg College, understanding with regard to Univ. of Wisconsin-La Crosse (AAR) African American (2 sessions) Lynne Lorenzen Minneapolis, MN 55454, this/these issue(s), or some La Crosse, WI 54601 Religion (2 sessions) Themes: Papers on all topics will Dept. of Religion [email protected] other question or problem E-MAIL: [email protected] Themes: Papers on all topics be considered, but the following Augsburg College posed in relation to natural sci- related to African American themes are especially invited: (1) 2211 Riverside Dr. ences in interreligious context. Philosophy of Religion religion will be considered. Women, men, and gender in the Minneapolis, MN 55454 Pacific Northwest Successful topics have included Systematic Theology Chair: Sandy Dwayne Martin, history of Christianity. (2) The E-MAIL: [email protected] Region AAR the anthropic principle, quan- Tatha Wiley University of Georgia, Athens, body. (3) Christianity in the tum theory and design, 220 Princeton Ave. April 25-27, 2003 GA 30602 global context. Chair: D. Student Papers ecofeminism, ecological issues, Saint Paul, MN 55105 E-MAIL: [email protected] Jonathan Grieser, Department of University of Idaho, Moscow, ID Big Bang cosmology and reli- E-MAIL: [email protected] In addition to papers by facul- Religion, Furman University, gious cosmologies, the religious (AAR/SBL) American Biblical ty, other scholars, and graduate 3300 Poinsett Highway, Ethics Submit a 150 word abstract for implications of relativity theory, Hermeneutics (3 Sessions) students, the Upper Midwest Greenville, SC 29613 Lake Lambert each proposed paper by neuroscientific studies of medi- Themes: (1) Open call. (2) regional meeting also includes E-MAIL: [email protected] Wartburg College January 17, 2003 to the appro- tation and contemplative Joint session with Arts, undergraduate papers, reflect- 100 Wartburg Blvd. priate Chair listed below. prayer, and the implications of Literature, and Religion on the ing the preponderance of (AAR/SBL) History of Judaism P.O. Box 1003 Participants in the Pacific religious practice for physical topic "The Bible in Children's undergraduate institutions in (2 sessions) Waverly, Iowa 50677 Northwest AAR Regional and emotional health. Literature and Entertainment." the region. The papers may be Themes: (1) Open topics. E-MAIL: [email protected] Meeting may present only one (3) Joint session with integrated into topical sessions or (2)Second Temple. Chair: Gilya paper, and must be registered This section is co-chaired: Philosophy of Religion and grouped into sessions devoted to Gerda Schmidt, Department of Religion and Art for the meeting in order to par- Theology on the topic undergraduate presentations. Paul Ingram Religious Studies, University of Larry D. Harwood ticipate. Papers not fitting into "Theological and Philosophical Members are encouraged to Department of Religion Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 Philosophy any of the categories below Hermeneutics." (4) Tentative nominate outstanding papers Pacific Lutheran University E-MAIL: [email protected] Viterbo University should be sent directly to Mark panel discussion of Stephen (maximum of two) from each Tacoma, WA, 98447-0003 815 S. 9th Street Lloyd Taylor, School of Haynes’ Noah’s Curse. Please (AAR) History of Religions (2 sessions) institution. The program com- E-MAIL: [email protected] La Crosse, WI 54601 Theology and Ministry, Seattle submit proposals for joint ses- Themes: Papers on all topics mittee asks that faculty from E-MAIL: [email protected] University, 900 Broadway, sion to both chairs. Chair: will be considered, but the fol- each institution help with the Mark Unno Seattle, WA 98122-4340. Brian Britt, Virginia Tech lowing themes are especially Sexuality and Religion screening. Nominated under- Department of Religious Studies E-MAIL: [email protected] E-MAIL: [email protected] invited: (1) Buddhist and non- graduate proposals should be University of Oregon Linda Maloney Buddhist readings of The sent by November 15, 2002 to Theology and Philosophy of Eugene, OR 97403-1294 The Liturgical Press (SBL/ASOR) Archaeology and Sparrow (joint session with the appropriate topical convener. Religion E-MAIL: munno@darkwing. St. John’s Abbey the Ancient World (2 sessions Arts, Literature, and Religion). Norm Metzler uoregon.edu Collegeville, MN 56321-7500 and 1 joint session) (2) Appalachian sacred music E MAIL Notice Concordia University - : [email protected] Themes: (1) "Notes from the in comparative perspective 2811 NE Holman Field." Papers are solicited from (joint session with Religion in Religion in the Ancient World This year our region will again Portland, OR, 97211 Southeastern participate in the Regional participants in excavations at America). (3) Documentary Religion in the Medieval and E-MAIL: nmetzler@cu- Commission for various levels of responsibility, film/feature film and world reli- Modern World/Church History Scholar Program of the Society portland.edu of Biblical Literature. Criteria the Study of i.e., volunteer, square supervi- gions. In addition to formal Glen Menzies sor, field director, excavation for interested applicants are as History of Christianity and Religion proposals for papers, ideas for North Central University director, etc. Aside from report- follows: North American Religions AAR/SBL/ASOR/SE panels, roundtables, or discus- 910 Elliot Avenue So. ing on the results of recent Minneapolis, MN 55404 Although paper proposals are 2003 Regional Meeting sions addressing a theme, film, Criteria for Regional Scholar excavation, papers for this ses- E MAIL invited in any area of History March 14-16, 2003 or a book are also welcome. - : sion may also address various Nominations of Christianity and North Chattanooga Clarion Hotel Please submit proposals for [email protected] aspects of the excavations, American Religions, proposals joint session to both chairs. 1. Persons nominated must be including use of technology, Teaching and Learning: Bible & are especially solicited on the The 2003 Regional Meeting Chair: Brian K. Pennington, at least ABD and no more advances in data retrieval and Religion following themes: 1) local reli- will be held at the Chattanooga Maryville College, Maryville, than four years post-Ph.D. recording, etc. (2) "Women, Mary Solberg gious history; 2) archival and Clarion Hotel, March 14-16. TN 37804-5907 E-MAIL: the Bible and Archaeology." A Gustavus Adolphus College other resources for history of Registration information will brian.pennington@ 2. Under-represented eth- joint session with the Society of 800 West College Avenue Christianity and other religions be available on the SECSOR maryvillecollege.edu nic minorities and Biblical Literature will focus on St. Peter, MN 56082 in the Pacific Northwest; 3) website after January 1, 2003 women are particularly Carol L. Meyers’ Women In (SBL) New Testament (2 or 3 E-MAIL: [email protected] religion and public culture in (www.utc.edu/~secsor). encouraged to apply Scripture. Carol will make a open sessions and 1 or 2 joint ses- the American West; 4) Pacific The following sections and presentation and will be joined sions with ASOR and/or Hebrew Pedagogy Workshop: Feminist 3. All nominees must read a Rim religion. Pedagogy paper at the Regional program units invite members in a panel discussion with text Scriptures/Old Testament) meeting from which they Robert Hauck who wish to present a paper or scholars and archaeologists. Themes: Open call for up to Has feminism been so integrat- are nominated Religious Studies Department coordinate a session to submit Participation will be by invita- three sessions in New Testament ed into the content of what we Gonzaga University proposals (1-2 pages) or com- tion. (3) Open topics on and Christian origins. Send teach and how we teach that it 4. The nomination process Spokane, WA 99258-0001 pleted manuscripts to the archaeology in the Biblical abstracts (100-250 words) or is no longer necessary to high- within each Region will E-MAIL: [email protected] appropriate section chairs by world. Please send abstracts by complete papers (required of light feminist issues? What be refereed. The Regional the call deadline, October 1, e-mail or hard copy to Tom first-time presenters) to F. Scott does it mean to teach from a award committee must Women and Religion 2002. Each member is limited McCollough, Centre College, Spencer, Baptist Theological feminist perspective or use a submit a copy of the This section is co-chaired: to one proposal. Please use the Danville, KY 40422 Seminary at Richmond, 3400 feminist pedagogy? Are there paper “as presented” for Ardy Bass proposal submission form E-MAIL: mccollog @centre.edu Brook Road, Richmond, VA particular challenges in and/or consideration Religious Studies Department available on the SECSOR web 23227 E-MAIL: [email protected] rewards for using a feminist Gonzaga University site (www.utc.edu/~secsor).

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CALL FOR PAPERS

(AAR) Philosophy of Religion to the appropriate section chair Secretary-Treasurer please make your own arrange- tutional participation, and Region. The Grant may pro- and Theology (4 sessions) by January 15, 2003. John Laughlin, Averett College ment for a data projector). which promise to stimulate vide seed money for an initial Themes: (1) Open call. (2) Send proposals to: productive discussion, will be project or support for a project Issues in science and religion. (ASOR) The Joseph A. favored. Proposals for individ- pursued by a Junior Scholar (3) Possible invited symposium Callaway Prize for Biblical Southwest Jinfen Yan ual presentations will also be whose research agenda is on David Ray Griffin. (4) Joint Archaeology was not awarded Commission on Department of Religion, given serious consideration. already becoming established. session with the American in 2002. A cash prize of $250 Religious Studies Suite 61598 Proposals should be brief (not Biblical Hermeneutics on will be awarded to the student Austin College more than 2 pages), with the 1. One or two grants of "Theological and Philosophical member who submits the Official Call For Papers 900 N. Grand Avenue title of presentation and some $2,000 shall be available with Hermeneutics." Please submit paper judged best among those 2003 Meeting Sherman, TX 75090-4400 sense of the argument. Include funds provided by the proposals for joint session to accepted for the 2003 program. The Harvey Hotel-DFW FAX: 903-813-2368 a return address, contact num- Southwest Commission on both chairs. Chair: George W. Proposals for papers to be Airport E-MAIL: [email protected] ber, and, if possible, an e-mail Religious Studies. Shields, Kentucky State entered in the competition Highway 114 at Esters address. Please do not submit Ethics, Society and Cultural 2. Applicants for the Grant University E-MAIL:GSHIELDS@ should be sent to the Boulevard proposals as e-mail attach- Analysis must be members of one gwmail.kysu.edu SBL/ASOR section chair by 4545 John Carpenter Freeway ments; paste them into the the call deadline, October 1, Irving, Texas 75063 of the participating soci- Papers or panel discussion pro- body of the e-mail. Submit (AAR) Religion, Ethics, and 2002. Completed manuscripts TEL: 972-929-4500 eties and on the faculty or posals are invited on any topic proposals to: Society (2 sessions) of papers selected for presenta- FAX: 972-929-0733 staff of a Sponsoring in Christian ethics, social Themes: (1) Violence and tion (maximum 12 d.s. pages) Saturday-Sunday, March 15- Donna Bowman Institution of the ethics, biomedical ethics, the nonviolence. (2) Call for panel should be submitted to the 16, 2003 Honors College, University of Commission. history of ethics, ethical issues presentations on "Teaching SBL/ASOR section chair by Central Arkansas in church-state relations, the 3. An applicant for the Biblical Hermeneutics: January 15, 2003. The following is a listing of the UCA Box 5024 family, and the use of scripture Grant shall ordinarily Pedagogical and Ethical chairpersons of the various soci- Conway, AR 72035-5000 in ethics. Send proposals to: have completed the dis- Implications" (joint session Regional Officers and eties and a description of any TEL: 501-450-3631 (Office) sertation and have served with the Academic Study of Program Chairs program specifics. FAX: 501-450-3284 Tracy Mark Stout in a faculty or staff posi- Religion and Pedagogy). (3) 2002-2003 E-MAIL: [email protected] Submit proposals to the person des- Department of Religion tion no more than ten Open call. Submit two copies SECSOR ignated in each section. Indicate if Baylor University years. of proposal to Toddie Peters, Theta Alpha Kappa Chair the proposal is being submitted to P.O. Box 97284 Elon University, Campus Box W. Sibley Towner, more than one section. Waco, TX 76798-7284 Student members of Theta 4. Applicants should com- 2260, Elon, NC 27244 or Union Theological Seminary E-MAIL: [email protected] Alpha Kappa chapters in the plete the Junior Scholar email proposal to and Presbyterian School of Proposal Deadline: Southwest Region are invited Grant application form, [email protected] and History of Christianity Christian Education Chairpersons or section leaders to submit papers for presenta- with special attention to [email protected] (Laura must receive proposals no later the larger research project The History of Christianity tion at the regional meeting. Stivers, Pfeiffer University). Vice Chair than October 7, 2002. Please and how the Grant would section has an open call for Open to all topics. One ses- Carolyn Medine, University of note this earlier deadline. assist in completion of the (AAR) Religion in America papers. All submissions in the sion will be devoted to the best Georgia project. (3 sessions) AMERICAN ACADEMY OF field of History of Christianity papers submitted by TAK Secretary members. Along with your Themes: Open call with special RELIGION will be considered, but papers 5. In the year following the Richard B. Vinson, Averett paper in its entirety, please sub- interest in Catholicism in the in the following areas are of Grant, the Junior Scholar College mit to the coordinator both the South; the Bible in American Proposals must be sent directly special interest: Christian spiri- will provide the Board of name and address of your Religion; and including Treasurer to section chairpersons. Anyone tuality; John Wesley (300th Directors of the chapter advisor. Electronic American Protestantism within William K. Mahony, Davidson submitting proposals to more Anniversary); Jonathan Southwest Commission a submission preferred. Send a narrative of religious College than one section of the AAR or Edwards (300th Anniversary); written report on research submissions to: difference. One session will be Executive Director unit of the SWCRS should indi- Methodism; revivalism and completed. devoted exclusively to the best cate this on all of the proposals. awakenings; issues in 18th cen- Herbert Burhenn, Department Dr. Nadia Lahutsky papers received on any other No proposal will be ruled out tury Christianity; African- Both the John G. Gammie of Philosophy and Religion, Texas Christian University subject related to the study of because the presenter hopes to American Christianity; histori- Distinguished Scholar Award University of Tennessee, E-MAIL: [email protected] American religious history. Chattanooga, Chattanooga, do other papers, but the hope is cal methodology and historiog- and the Junior Scholar Grant Kathleen Flake, Vanderbilt TN 37403 that schedule conflicts can be raphy. Send proposals to: The Southwest Commission on are awarded at the discretion of Divinity School, Nashville, TN TEL: 423-425-4635 avoided. Religious Studies is pleased to the Southwest Commission on Carol Crawford Holcomb 37240-2701 FAX: 423-425-4279 announce two award programs Religious Studies. Both honors Arts, Literature, and Religion Department of Religion E-MAIL: kathleen.flake@ E-MAIL: Herbert- for faculty serving in Sponsoring will be announced at the recep- University of Mary-Hardin vanderbilt.edu [email protected] Institutions. We invite your par- tion during the annual meeting Proposals are invited for presen- Baylor ticipation either by way of nomi- of the Commission. (AAR) Women and Religion tations on the following UMHB Box 8422 AAR/SE nation or application. (3 sessions) themes: representations of biog- Belton, TX 76513 Send nominations for the raphy, autobiography, and/or Themes: (1) Ecology and the President TEL: 254-295-4569 (Office) 1. JOHN G. GAMMIE DIS- Gammie Award and applica- environment. (2) Lesbian stud- Herbert Burhenn, University of pilgrimages; Word-Image rela- E-MAIL: [email protected] tions for the Junior Grant by tions in literature and the arts; TINGUISHED SCHOLAR ies in religion, especially lesbian Tennessee, Chattanooga AWARD November 1, 2002, to open session on topics related Reflections on the Teaching of ethics. (3) Theaology, divine In order to honor noted scholars Professor W. H. Bellinger, Jr., Vice President/Program Chair to the arts, literature, and reli- Religion mother, goddess traditions. (4) in the field of religious studies in Secretary and Treasurer, Feminist/womanist/mujerista Kevin Schilbrack, Wesleyan gion. We are also seeking pro- Southwest Commisssion on This session will feature a panel the Southwest and to recognize method and content in reli- College, Macon, GA 31210-4462 posals for two joint sessions. Religious Studies, Religion comprised of scholars of reli- their work, the Commission gious studies. (5) Open topics. TEL: 478-757-5223 The first is with the Philosophy Department, Baylor University, gion who have had success in funds an annual John G. Please submit proposals in E-MAIL: kschilbrack@ of Religion and Theology P.O. Box 97284, Waco, TX integrating excellent teaching Gammie Distinguished Scholar plain text (no attachments) by wesleyancollege.edu Section on "How film enacts 76798-7284, TEL: 254-710- with productive research, writ- Award. The recipient will e-mail. Chair: Lorine M. Getz theological reflection." The 3742, or FAX: 254-710-3740. Vice President Elect ing, and publishing. Each pan- receive a $2,000 cash award. E-MAIL: [email protected] second is with the Comparative Corrie Norman elist will offer his or her reflec- and Asian Studies in Religion 1. Persons nominated for the Teaching Workshop Converse College tions and suggestions, followed Student Awards Section, and are seeking presen- John G. Gammie by discussion. Note: While the Developing Your Teaching tations on "The Arts in Asian Distinguished Scholar (AAR) The Student Award for Secretary/Treasurer and panel participants will be invit- Portfolio: A Workshop for Religions." Send proposals for Award shall ordinarily be 2002 was given to Janet Representative to AAR ed, they have not yet been deter- Teachers of Religion, Philosophy, joint sessions to the chairs of scholars recognized by their Rumfelt of Florida State National mined. If you would like to be Theology, and Bible in the each section. All presentations peers nationally or interna- University. A cash prize of William K. Mahony considered for the panel, kindly Southwest Region should be 25-30 minutes. tionally for the quality and $250 will again be awarded the Davidson College contact Cynthia Rigby at Please send multimedia importance of their work. student member of the [email protected]. Sponsored by the AAR and SBL SBL/SE requests in with your proposal. Academy who submits the best Send proposals to: 2. Nominees for the Gammie Philosophy of Religion and What: A teaching portfolio is paper accepted for presentation President Award must be members at the 2003 Regional Meeting. Brent Plate Theology a resource used to reflect on Jerry L. Sumney, Lexington of one of the participating and evaluate teaching. It is A separate prize of $100 will Theological Seminary Department of Religion societies and on the faculty be given for the best paper by Texas Christian University Proposals are invited in all areas comprised of CV, statement of in philosophy of religion or in or staff of a Sponsoring teaching philosophy, syllabi, an undergraduate student. Vice President/Program Chair Ft. Worth, TX 76129 theology. Possible topics Institution of the student course evaluations, Proposals for papers to be John Laughlin TEL: 817-257-7440 (Office) include (but are not limited to) Southwest Commission on evaluations by colleagues, etc. entered in either competition Averett College FAX: 817-257-7495 the following: epistemology Religious Studies. The portfolio can be used dur- must be submitted to the appro- 420 W. Main Street E-MAIL: [email protected] and religious experience, scrip- ing reviews, interviews, or fac- priate section chair by the call Danville, VA 24541 3. Letters of nomination tural hermeneutics for theology, ulty development sessions. deadline, October 1, 2002. TEL: 804-791-5707 Comparative and Asian must be accompanied by twenty-first century Notification of acceptance will E-MAIL: [email protected] Studies in Religion a current curriculum Christology, the "open theism" When: March 14-15 (Friday be mailed by November 1, vitae. Any nomination Proposals and papers are invit- debate, and theology or philos- afternoon and Saturday morning) 2002. Papers accepted for Vice President Elect received will be kept on ed for a panel on Islam after ophy of missions. For a joint presentation, and thus for the Joel B. Green, Asbury file for three years. Where: Harvey Hotel at DFW September 11. Individual session with the Arts, Literature competition, must be submitted Theological Seminary Airport, Dallas papers are also invited in rela- and Religion section, we invite 4. Gammie Award decisions in final form (maximum 12 d.s. tion to all aspects of Asian reli- pages) by January 15, 2003. Secretary submissions on "How film shall be based on the quali- Who: Open to any teacher of Richard B. Vinson gious practice and thought, enacts theological reflection." fications of nominees, with religion, philosophy, theology, (SBL) The Kenneth Willis Averett College both historical and contempo- Send proposals for this joint some attention given to or Bible in the southwest Clark Student Essay Award for rary. Papers are welcome which session to the chairs of both seeing that the Award will region. Graduate students ASOR/SE 2002 was won by David relate to religious art or which sections. Proposals involving go to a variety of schools. looking for teaching positions Casson of Emory University. employ audio-visual equip- multiple presentations or panel are also invited to reply. President ments. These papers will be discussions (no more than 3 2. JUNIOR SCHOLAR Another cash prize of $250 will Milton Moreland placed in one of the sessions on participants) focused upon a GRANT Application to: cribgy@austin- be awarded the student Huntingdon College member of the Society who Asian Religion or in a joint single topic, figure, or publica- seminary.edu . Deadline Friday, submits the paper judged best program with the Section of tion will be especially welcome The purpose of the Junior February 7, 2003. ❧ Vice President/Program Chair Scholar Grant is to encourage among those accepted for the Tom McCollough Arts, Literature and Religion. (either have each panelist pro- 2003 program. Completed (Overhead projectors and slide vide an abstract, which is pre- and support the scholarly work Centre College of newer scholars who are in manuscripts of papers selected Danville, KY 40422 projectors may be available if ferred, or supply credentials of for presentation (maximum 12 requested before March 1, panelists). Proposals featuring the field of Religious Studies TEL: 859-238-5247 and who live in the Southwest d.s. pages) should be submitted E-MAIL:[email protected] 2003. If using a PowerPoint inter-disciplinary or inter-insti-

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IN THIS ISSUE The Frontlines: October 2002 Published by the American Academy of Religion Vol. 17, No.3 Teaching Religious www.aarweb.org Studies and Theology in Community Colleges THE FRONT LINES

Teaching Weekend Religion Classes Part-time at Red Rocks Community College . . .ii Joy Lapp, Red Rocks Community College eaching Developing the Religious T Studies Program At Tulsa Community College ...... iii Cherie Hughes, Tulsa Community College Religious Studies Teaching Biblical Languages and Biblical Archaeology in the Community College . . .iv M. Douglas Nelson, Northwest College and Theology Comparative Religion from on Ground to Online: Design to Implementation ...... v Paula A. Drewek Macomb Community College in Community Colleges The Pragmatic Dimension of the Community College Kerry Edwards, and its Impact on Religious Studies ...... v Red Rocks Community College Peter D. Jauhiainen Kirkwood Community College Guest Editor Teaching Religion in Community Colleges . . . . .vi Mary Karen Solomon Colorado Northwestern Community College The movement that he began is general- HIS SPOTLIGHT continues the ly considered to be the most successful Weekend Warrior: journey through the American unique American contribution to higher Adventures in the education system that began in the T education. In 1900 there were 7 junior Teaching Trade ...... vii last issue with an account of the teach- colleges in the US. By 1937 that num- Jan Briel ing of religion in the public schools. ber had climbed to 528. This growth Red Rocks Community College The next step for many public school took place largely in the Midwest and students is into a community college. West when the bourgeoning population The AAR Committee on This segment of American higher educa- of new states had to deal with the lack Teaching and Learning tion is often neglected by the Academy. of educational institutions. This was (Thomas Peterson, Alfred If my own experience is a reliable indi- complicated by greater distances University, Chair), sponsors cator, there are very few graduate stu- between large urban areas and the need Spotlight on Teaching. It appears dents in religion who enter the profes- for educating more of the population as sion with the goal of becoming a com- twice each year in Religious the U.S. industrial economy expanded. munity college professor. I have not Studies News, AAR Edition As higher education made inroads into asked the other contributors to this focusing on teaching and lower socio-economic classes, the Spotlight about their pathway into com- learning around a expenses associated with higher educa- munity college instruction but I am particular theme, concern, Kerry Edwards holds a Master of tion became more of a factor in the willing to bet that most of them did not or setting. Religion from the University of design of new educational institutions. think about it as a career option until Toronto and earned his Ph.D. in Today there are over 1100 community well into their graduate work. There are Richard A. Freund Theology and Philosophy of colleges. 45% of all US undergraduates probably a lot of reasons that explain University of Hartford Religion from the University of attend community colleges. In this including the fact that many gradu- Editor, Denver/Iliff School of Theology. California there are over a million stu- ate students may have never attended a [email protected] He has taught at both public and dents attending community colleges. In community college themselves. There is Laurie L. Patton private universities and is Colorado, where I teach, 71% of all a fair amount of irony in this fact Emory University currently Associate Professor of lower division college students attend Philosophy and Co-Chair of because the father of the community Associate Editor community college. Humanities and Social Science at college movement in the US was one of Red Rocks Community College in our own: William Rainey Harper, Guest Editor The study of Religion at these unique Denver, Colorado where he com- Professor of Biblical Literature at Yale. Kerry Edwards American institutions has an uneven his- bines his academic interests with When he became president of the new Red Rocks Community College tory. In 1930 a study of the curriculum occasional forays into whitewater University of Chicago and began think- of community colleges revealed that canoeing instruction. ing about how students would matricu- 45% of the 279 colleges studied, offered late there, he concluded that one inex- Spotlight on Teaching courses in Bible and Religious pensive way for students to begin their is published by the Education. Similar studies in the 1970’s college education would be to create a American Academy of Religion and 80’s showed this number hovering number of two year colleges, spread in the mid 20% but in 1998, the per- 825 Houston Mill Road throughout the state of Illinois. These centage leaped upwards to 42 percent. Atlanta, GA 30329 rural students could begin their college While these classes comprise a limited Visit www.aarweb.org education while living at home and proportion of all the courses at commu- transfer to Chicago to complete their nity colleges, the number of students degrees. See EDWARDS, p.ii AAR SPOT OCT 02 9/13/02 2:25 PM Page ii

Religious Studies News, AAR Edition Teaching Weekend Religion Classes Part-time at Red Rocks Community College

Joy Lapp widely. Although a number of them are me on campus, nowhere to keep my things. bring cookies for the first Friday evening Red Rocks Community College fulfilling a religion requirement for a pro- I lug crates of books to each class. Nor do I meeting, and after that students generally gram into which they hope to transfer, have the chance to interact with colleagues. maintain a constant supply of snacks to other reasons range from "an answer to Because I teach on the weekend, and fur- share beside the teapot. prayer" to "I won three free credit hours thermore at an "extended campus" location, in a drawing" to "my advisor suddenly I have barely met any colleagues. If I am The pedagogical challenge is keeping stu- realized that I needed three more hours to mulling a question or problem, there is no dents actively engaged for eight hours a day. graduate in May!" from a student plan- one next door with whom to compare I limit lecture time, and intersperse it with a ning to graduate from a nearby university. notes. Since I have never taught at the main variety of learning activities. We begin the Some are taking advantage of an employee campus, I have never set foot in the first Friday evening with a time-line activity benefit, so their employer pays the tuition Philosophy Department. I don’t know how that students do in small groups, arranging if they do well enough. Others enroll in many faculty teach in the department. I a pack of cards listing events from the the class purely for personal enrichment. communicate with the department chair, monarchy of King David to the writing of 2 who fortunately is extremely helpful and Peter in chronological order. Then I write Almost invariably, the students I have supportive, by e-mail and phone. I miss the the time-line on the board, where it remains encountered at the community college are sense of being part of a community working as a reference throughout the course to help interested and curious and motivated. toward a common purpose and the chance students place all the material we cover in Adult learners bring a vast array of past to develop collegial relationships. To be fair, historical context. Students spend a good Joy Lapp is a Ph.D. candidate in experiences to the classroom and a level of the college does organize workshops and deal of class time comparing various texts New Testament Literature at the engagement with the material that often events specifically for part-time faculty, but — comparing parallels in the Synoptic University of Denver/Iliff School of surpasses what I find in more traditional my schedule has never allowed me to partic- Gospels, comparing the Christmas stories in Theology. She teaches part-time at college classes. Older students tend to be ipate in these events. For me, however, the Matthew and Luke, comparing the Red Rocks Community College and more articulate than younger students, rewards of teaching part-time at this point Synoptics with John, comparing the Gospel Metropolitan State College of Denver. more willing to express themselves, and in my career far out-weigh the difficulties. of Thomas with the Synoptics, comparing simply have more experience on which to Acts with Paul’s letters and so on. When we draw. They are interested in each other, Weekend Intensives. The "weekend inten- read Paul’s letter to the Romans, students and engage one another in discussion. sive" format presents its own set of create characters and we do a simulation of Y EXPERIENCE at a commu- Teaching at the community college easily dynamics. Students gain forty hours of a house church in Rome based on the book nity college has been as a part- ranks among the best teaching experiences classroom time, which translates into three Paul and the Roman House Churches: A M time faculty member, teaching that I have ever had. credit hours, in just three weekends. On Simulation by Reta Finger (Scottdale, PA: weekend- intensives. Each component of the first weekend, the class meets four Herald Press, 1993). the job — community college, part-time, Part-time. Teaching part-time has been a hours on Friday evening, and eight hours and weekend-intensive format — involves gift because it has allowed me to gain class- on Saturday; on the second weekend, we By Sunday afternoon of the second week- an interesting set of dynamics. The 100- room experience while working on my dis- meet eight hours on Saturday, and eight end, there is a tendency for students to feel level course I teach, Early Christian sertation. The weekend format appeals to hours on Sunday; on the final weekend, wrung out, so I bring popcorn and we watch Literature, has never failed to bring togeth- me for the same reason that many students we meet eight hours on Saturday and four movies. I use the book Saint Paul Returns to er a dynamic mix of students who have like it: it is compact and can fit into an hours Sunday morning. Spending forty the Movies: Triumph Over Shame (Robert made the weekends lively and stimulating. already busy schedule. I only have to drive hours together on three successive week- Jewett, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999) in to campus six times, rather than three times ends tends to create a sense of community which the author experiments with "bring- Community College. A community col- a week for a full semester. The pay is far and camaraderie among the students ing films and biblical texts into dialogue" (p. lege attracts a unique body of students. from glamorous, but has been sufficient to which engenders active participation and 4). The students divide up into various Nearly all the students in my classes are make the experience worthwhile. The chal- energetic classroom discussion. I try to rooms throughout the building to watch employed full-time and most are older lenge of being part-time, however, has been enhance the community aspect of the class than traditional college age. The reasons combating a feeling of dislocation and isola- by keeping a pot of hot water and tea bags See LAPP p.xii students offer for taking the class vary tion. I have no office, nowhere to ground and instant coffee in the classroom. I

EDWARDS, from p.i liberal arts college I attended during the these courses are all taught under the They are willing to try just about every- school year was populated almost exclu- Philosophy prefix or jointly listed with the thing. Paula Drewek provides an interest- and percentage of enrollment is roughly sively by 18-22 year olds. The communi- Psychology or Humanities departments. ing example of this. Community colleges equal to the students in Sociology. My ty college class had people of all ages with were some of the first schools to experi- own recent investigations indicate that very diverse outlooks on life which made Community colleges have a number of ment in online education. In fact, there are at least 150 community colleges the classes much more interesting. This distinct characteristics that influence the Colorado, has a completely online com- that offer distinct Religious Studies majors appreciation for the value of institutional teaching of religion. One is what Peter munity college. Paula provides a detailed (This number does not include depart- context was soon lost as I focused my Jauhiainen in his essay calls the ‘pragmatic account of how this attitude of experi- ments that might offer a joint emphasis in attention on graduate work. I forgot dimension’. They draw no sharp line ment can translate a traditional religion religion and philosophy). While this about community colleges until I was between academic and vocational educa- class into a successful online experience. number is substantial, it strikes me that working on my doctoral dissertation and tion. This results in an unusual mix of Joy’s account of her teaching will be for- community colleges are fertile ground for looking for places to hone my teaching students and faculty. Your colleague down eign to most since few of her classes last the expansion of the study of religion. skills. There were a number of communi- the hall is as likely to be able to give for less than 4 hours and an 8 hour class is Such an expansion would serve the inter- ty colleges in the Denver area and I was advice on plumbing the new addition to just a normal day for her. Her description ests of the Academy by providing employ- able to secure part time employment your house as she is on interpreting the of life as a community college adjunct ment for our members but it would also teaching philosophy and religion. Since economics of Taiwan. Another character- instructor is far from pretty but it is the serve as one of the most effective ways of my degree was in philosophy of religion istic is the emphasis on the lifelong learner reality for 75% of the teachers at my col- spreading the influence of the scholarly and theology, I was able to obtain full- and the local community. Community lege. I have contributed to it by offering study of religion throughout the commu- time employment as a philosophy instruc- colleges aim to provide educational oppor- courses for which I know my college will nity. (For those of you interested in pursu- tor at Red Rocks Community College and tunities for the lifetime of an individual. only hire part-time instructors (at least at ing this career option, see the article enti- took the opportunity to begin developing To us, the years between 18 and 24 are the moment). Mary Karen Solomon, like tled "The Community College Job and expanding our offerings in religion. not the sole or prime years for learning. Doug Nelson, writes from a rural college. Search" in the Chronicle of Higher When I arrived at Red Rocks in 1992, we Doug Nelson’s essay on how he developed A typical teaching day for her would not Education at: http:chronicle.com/jobs/2002/ had one Philosophy of Religion course the study of religion at Northwest College only include a course in religion but also 04/2002041901c.htm) and a Comparative Religion course in the explains the results of this. He tells a courses in Philosophy, Literature, English works. We have since added courses in delightful story of educating an elderly or Humanities. This requires a breadth of My own journey into community colleges Religion and American Culture, gentleman in Greek and how the interests knowledge and courage unknown to most began as an undergraduate when I took Psychology of Religion, Religion and of the adult learners in his community of us. These unusual characteristics of two summer courses at the local commu- Film, Early Christian Literature, and shaped the direction of his program. community colleges can provide both nity college. I thoroughly enjoyed those Literature of Ancient Israel. Because of These distinctive characteristics lead to a challenges and opportunities for the schol- courses, at least partly because of the the peculiar nature of course prefixes in kind of maverick or experimental attitude ar of religion who chooses this career path. diversity of the student population. The the Colorado community college system, amongst community college educators. For me it has been deeply rewarding. ❧

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SPOTLIGHT ON TEACHING Developing the Religious Studies Program At Tulsa Community College

Cherie Hughes Tulsa Community College finally made with four students. I called Testament and New Testament. Only one courses. In the summer semester the them "The Fab Four." Because the of these courses has had to be cancelled two Testament courses are offered, with course was designed to be experiential for low enrollment since the change of an enrollment of around 35 students. and discussion based, we suffered might- titles went into effect. Students know at Regular semester offerings are ily when a student or two was absent. a glance what course is being offered. Introduction to Religious Studies; Religions The students were well aware of the Faculty members are still free to include of the World: Eastern and Western dynamics and tried very hard not to miss non-canonical texts for study in these Traditions, alternating fall and spring; class. Despite of the small number of classes. By changing the names of two Old and New Testaments, alternating day students, or even perhaps because of it, courses, both faculty and students bene- and night, and fall and spring; Religion the class was a very successful learning fited. The faculty has two more courses in America; Christian Ethics and Social experience for both faculty and students. to teach regularly and students are com- Thought, fall; Religion in Film, spring. fortable signing up for courses where the Religion and Society and Philosophy of The department began an active market- titles describe to them at least the major- Religion are offered in the spring ing campaign. It sent letters to all stu- ity of the content. semester on alternating years. The lan- dents who had declared a Religious guage courses have small but steady Cherie Hughes directs the Religious Studies major to inform them of the The largest number of majors in the enrollments. In the fall of 2001 there Studies program at Tulsa program offerings. Oddly, the program program has yet to exceed sixteen. were 11 students in Advanced Biblical Community College where she has had majors before long before any one Usually there are between ten and fifteen Greek and 6 students in Biblical Hebrew. been a professor of Humanities and Religious Studies since 1986. enrolled in the first course. There were majors in any academic year. Most of She previously taught at the four majors in fall of 1990, three these students wish to complete the The experience at TCC has been that it University of Tulsa. She has semesters before the first class of the dis- Associate of Arts degree in Religious was not until there were several course Bachelor's and Master's degrees in cipline was taught. Faculty held open Studies at Tulsa Community College and offerings per semester that students History from Boston University meetings during the fall semester where then continue their studies in a senior began to perceive of Religious Studies as and a Master's degree in Theology students could meet the faculty and dis- institution. Many more have ministerial an option. Obviously, most of the stu- from the University of Dallas. cuss the Tulsa Community College aspirations than academic ones, but dents who take Religious Studies courses Cherie Hughes is currently com- Religious Studies program. The faculty there has been a noticeable shift towards are not majors, but simply fulfilling a pleting a dissertation on the life was on hand to counsel students and to academic goals in the last five years. general education distribution require- and spirituality of St. Katharine provide information about transfer to ment. Somehow, a meager course offer- Drexel under the direction Prof. senior institutions in and around As the one full-time member of the ing, such as the case in the early years of Ann Loades of Durham Oklahoma. The department provided Religious Studies faculty, I have done our program, did not encourage students University. She has been awarded refreshments, luring students with cook- community outreach through letters and to enroll. But once there was a larger numerous scholar and program ies and punch. The department held personal visits with local clergy. I regu- number of courses offered regularly and grants by the Oklahoma other meetings by invitation to targeted larly send notification of course offerings a certain critical mass of students who Humanities Council and the populations of students. to the Christian and Jewish congrega- had successfully completed them, the National Endowment for the tions that are proximate to our down- numbers of enrollments began to grow. Humanities, particularly for her On the level of individual effort, faculty town Tulsa location. A few pastors have After all, the best marketing consists in first person portrayal of the nine- members designed fliers for specific asked Tulsa Community College to pro- courses well-taught and satisfied stu- teenth century feminist Lucy Stone. courses to entice students. The college vide credit courses off-campus at their dents. Many students who take one [email protected] student newspaper was cooperative in churches. Their requests have been Religious Studies course will enroll in printing articles about the courses and accommodated every time. The chair- another Religious Studies course. the program. man of the Liberal Arts division and I take part in numerous local ecumenical The Tulsa Community College Religious The following year saw a jump to 29 and inter-collegiate scholarly groups. By Studies program has hit a growth plateau students in two courses. By the next doing so, TCC has been able to share over the last few years, so the present year, 69 students were enrolled in one of resources with other entities. The Tulsa challenge is to reinvigorate the program T HAS TAKEN more than ten years four courses and ten students had Jewish Federation has an Israeli scholar- and to stimulate its growth. The major to develop the Religious Studies pro- declared Religious Studies as their major. in-residence program and it shares its difficulty the program faces is that Tulsa I gram at Tulsa Community College. scholars with us. Our participation in Community College is the only public Some of the original difficulties were the Encouraged by the success of the first inter-collegiate groups has facilitated institution of higher education in the result of the inertia of the new, unfamil- classes to make in Religious Studies, we numerous articulation agreements state of Oklahoma that offers a Religious iar nomenclature, and the need to active- added two additional courses to the through which to ensure the seamless Studies degree. There is no public senior ly market the program to prospective schedule for the spring semester, one at transfer of our students to senior institu- institution to which its majors can trans- students. At all the steps along the way night and one during the day. We began tions. Additionally, these relationships fer and continue their Religious Studies the administration was unfailingly sup- to alternate day and night offerings of have aided the success of student study interests through to a Bachelor of Arts portive and flexible. Hebrew Scriptures and Christian abroad trips. Members of various faith degree. The state's major research insti- Scriptures during the fall and spring communities have joined Tulsa tutions no longer have Religious Studies Tulsa Community College is an urban, semesters. We offered Introduction to Community College students, becoming programs. There are some excellent multi-campus, two-year institution serv- Religious Studies, the one absolutely students themselves, for trips to Israel denominational universities in the state, ing 20,000 students. The Religious required course for the major, during the and Greece. but they tend to be out of the price Studies program is located on the Metro day in the fall and during the night in range of most community college gradu- Campus, which serves approximately the spring semester. The Religious Studies curriculum at ates. 6500 students in downtown Tulsa. The Tulsa Community College includes the program has one full-time faculty mem- After several semesters of low enroll- following courses: Introduction to It has been a pleasure and a challenge to ber and two crossover faculty members, ments in the scripture classes, we discov- Religious Studies; Religions of the World: develop the Religious Studies program at one from History and one from ered that many students did not know to The Eastern Traditions; Religions of the Tulsa Community College over the last Philosophy. It also employs a cadre of what the titles referred. Many expected World: The Western Traditions; Old ten years. The initial inertia has been adjuncts. that Hebrew Scriptures would be taught Testament; New Testament; Religion and overcome and there are interesting cours- in Hebrew, not English; they did not Society; Religion in America; Christian es and sufficient students to keep a mod- In 1989-90, the college developed a pat- recognize the title as referring to the Ethics and Social Thought; Religion in est program going. It is tempting to tern of courses for students who wished Hebrew Bible, or that the Hebrew Bible Film; Field Studies in Religion; and simply relax and enjoy the status quo. to major in Religious Studies and print- was the same as the Old Testament for Selected Topics in Religious Studies. The However, professional integrity demands ed it in the college catalogue. Semester Christians. Many students did not rec- International Language department that we push, prod, and pull an already after semester, we would put a course or ognize Christian Scriptures as referring offers Biblical Hebrew I and II, Biblical good program to even higher levels of two on the schedule, and semester after to the New Testament. Obviously the Greek I - IV, and Latin I - IV. The development. Perhaps that will be the semester, no students would enroll. It nomenclature, though academically cor- Philosophy Department offers story of the next ten years. ❧ took until the spring semester of 1991 rect, was getting in the way of student Philosophy of Religion. In a semester for my first Religious Studies course "to enrollment. The courses were entitled there are usually 100 to 125 students make." Introduction to Religious Studies with their more vernacular names: Old enrolled in six to seven Religious Studies

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Religious Studies News, AAR Edition Teaching Biblical Languages and Biblical Archaeology in the Community College

M. Douglas Nelson

Northwest College tion techniques in summer digs in Hebrew 1010, 1020 First Year Hebrew I, Biblical periods ("false advertising"). Walter Wyoming in our anthropology program. First Year Hebrew II (4 credits each) Rast’s book is perfect for this course. In the spring of 2002, I am going to experiment • Mansoor, Menahem, Biblical Hebrew, with teaching the textbook backwards, Biblical Greek Courses Step by Step, vol 1, with cassette and starting with the Islamic phases and back- In 1984-1985, first and second year Greek key. Baker, 1980. ing up into the stone ages, as if one were were added to the language department digging a site. This approach may also avert curriculum and housed in the Humanities • Mansoor, Menahem, Biblical Hebrew, the criticism of not enough time on the Division. Classical Greek was the period of Step by Step, vol 2, with cassette and Biblical periods. choice since it was not clear how Biblical key, chapters 1-6 . Baker, 1984. Greek would be accepted by the college and • Rast, Walter, Through the Ages in community. Part of the mission of the col- • Seow, C. Leong, A Grammar for Palestinian Archaeology. Trinity, 1992. lege is, of course, to serve the needs and Biblical Hebrew. Abingdon, revised edi- interests of the community. As it turned tion, 1995. • Currid, John, Doing Archaeology in the out, the interest was very strong in Biblical Land of the Bible. Baker, 1999. languages, and as a consequence, Classical Hebrew 2030 (4 credits) Greek was replaced by a two-year sequence Additional reading from: in Biblical Greek: This is a four-credit course for those who are using Hebrew for their twelve-credit • Mazar, Amihai, Archaeology of the Land Greek 1015, 1025 Elementary Biblical foreign language requirement for the of the Bible. Doubleday, 1992. Greek, I and II (4 credits each) B.A. degree when they transfer. We read Biblical texts from the Mansoor volume • McRay, John, Archaeology of the New I’ve used various textbooks and have had which has helpful notes and also from Testament. Baker, 1991. about the same success rate with each: the BHS so students can get some experi- ence with the critical apparatus and • Stern, Ephraim, Archaeology of the • Machen, J. Gresham, New Testament masora. Land of the Bible, II. Doubleday, 2001. Greek for Beginners. Macmillan, 1923. • Mansoor, Menahem, Biblical Anthropology 2310, Archaeology Field • Adam, A.K.M., A Grammar for New Hebrew, Step by Step, vol. 2, with Methods: Israel M. Douglas Nelson is Professor of Testament Greek. Abingdon, 1999. cassette and key, chapters 7-24. Anthropology, History, Ancient Baker, 1984. • Hester, Thomas, et. al., Field Methods Languages, and Literatures, at • Summers, Ray and T. Sawyer, Essentials in Archaeology. Mayfield, 1997. Northwest College, in Powell, of New Testament Greek. Broadman & • Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia Wyoming, where he has been since Holman, 1995. In the summer of 1990, while taking a 1983. Prior to that, he was an Hebrew 2150 Selected Readings in course at the Rothberg School of the Instructor in Anthropology & • Aland, Black, Martini, et.al., The Greek Hebrew (1 credit) Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Greek, at Mohave Community New Testament. United Bible Societies, Scopus campus, I met Jodi Magness who College, in Kingman, Arizona. current edition. This is a similar course to Hebrew 2030 had just completed a season of excavating He received his Ph.D in the but for one credit only. It is designed for at Caesarea. She encouraged me to bring Department of Near Eastern Greek 2035 Intermediate Biblical Greek those students who wish to continue students for excavation experience in Israel. Languages & Cultures, at UCLA. (4 credits) for those who need four more reading Hebrew as it fits their needs. I had worked on a few digs myself, in Israel credits to complete a college language and in the United States, but had not yet requirement, or Greek 2150 (1 credit) for • Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia taken students to Israel. With help from those who want to keep building reading Professor Magness I brought five students skills. • Greenspahn, Frederick, An for the 1995 excavations at Masada in the Introduction to Aramaic, Scholars Roman camps and on the siege ramp (see • Aland, Black, Martini, et.al., The Greek Press, 1999. Occasionally I have the my forthcoming report on the ramp exca- HERE ARE SOME advantages to New Testament, United Bible Societies, students read Ezra or Daniel for vation in the on-line journal from Laramie teaching in very remote places like current edition. experience in both Hebrew and County Community College in Cheyenne, rural Wyoming. One is that the peo- T Aramaic. Wyoming: http://www.bibleinterp.com). ple are willing to take on a new opportu- • Black, David, Linguistics for Students of nity whenever it presents itself — such as New Testament Greek. Baker, 1995. • Wurthwein, Ernst, The Text of the At Masada I met Haim Goldfus of the Ben looking into the course schedule of a Old Testament, Eerdman’s, 1979. Gurion University of the Negev Desert, small-town community college catalog and Biblical Greek Enrollments and Benny Arubas of the Israel Antiquities discovering that Biblical Greek, Biblical Biblical Hebrew Enrollments Authority. With their help and kindness to Hebrew, and Biblical Archaeology are Year Class Students Year Class Students my students, we have excavated at Halutza offered on a regular basis. I have found 1984-85 Classical Greek 9 students Elementary (1997 and 1998) and at Beth She’an that people in the so-called "remote areas 1985-86 Elementary 10 students 1986-87 Biblical Hebrew 12 students (1999). We are now planning a 2002 field distant from the centers of learning" make Biblical Greek Fall 1987 Advanced 7 students season. good students and have skills equal to any- Fall 1986 Advanced 5 students Fall 1988 Advanced 6 students one I have taught in other contexts. Fall 1987 Advanced 3 students Biblical Archaeology Enrollments 1989-90 Elementary 13 students 1991-92 Elementary 6 students Years Class Students Another advantage to teaching in the Fall 1990 Advanced 12 students Spring 1987 Biblical 33 students Fall 1992 Advanced 6 students remote areas is that these same rural peo- 1992-93 Elementary 13 students Archaeology ple have been waiting a long time for such 1994-95 Elementary 16 students Fall 1993 Advanced 8 students Spring 1989 Biblical 26 students courses to be available. In over fifteen Fall 1995 Advanced 1 student Archaeology 1996-97 Elementary 27 students years, these classes have never failed to fill 1998-99 Elementary 12 students Fall 1990 Biblical 25 students Fall 1997 Advanced 5 students with enthusiastic students. For example, in Fall 1999 Advanced 4 students Archaeology fall semester 2000 we had twenty-four stu- 2000-01 Elementary 24 students 2001-02 Elementary 19 students Archaeology of dents in Biblical Hebrew! Not all of them Fall 2001 Advanced 4 students Summer 1992 Dead 14 students survived, of course, but it was a very good Sea Scrolls beginning and eleven students completed Biblical Hebrew Fall 1993 Biblical 21students two semesters. Courses Archaeology The Hebrew and Greek classes meet once a Biblical Archaeology Spring 1995 Biblical 24 students The Biblical Archaeology course generally Archaeology week on Tuesday evenings for three hours has a larger attendance than the languages, Courses Spring 1997 Biblical 20 students and fifteen minutes (!). Thus, I must use though not much larger. Archaeology is Anthropology 2350, Biblical Archaeology Archaeology textbooks that are very user-friendly and usually taught in the day-time schedule Spring 1999 Biblical 27 students that have workbooks and cassettes. I make and thus draws a more traditional-aged This is a general survey of the archaeology Archaeology my own worksheets and cassettes if they are group of students while the Greek and of Palestine from the stone ages to Islamic Spring 2001 Biblical 15 students not available with the textbooks. I have Hebrew classes are taught in the evenings periods. I call the course "Biblical Archaeology found Mansoor’s books quite useful so long to accommodate commuters from other Archaeology" for advertising purposes. This as there are other available texts for nearby small towns. Archaeology also has seems to work well, though I sometimes get consultation by students, such as C. Leong the option of a summer field school expe- complaints when I spend too much time Seow’s grammar. rience in Israel or learning some excava- on the stone ages and not enough on See NELSON p.xii

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SPOTLIGHT ON TEACHING Comparative Religion from on Ground to Online: Design to Implementation Paula A. Drewek Macomb Community College

HIS PAPER will describe the various College Support details of starting and developing new stages in the process of converting a tra- online courses. A faculty committee of A six-week training course (online, natu- ditional Comparative Religion course to more seasoned online teachers was avail- T rally) was offered to interested faculty. an online offering. The preparation of the able for whatever needs and questions we There were about 12 of us at this stage. instructor for the concepts and format of had in the initial stages of development or The course, offered through the Convene online instruction, together with the institu- teaching online. An online "faculty learning platform in California, used a tional decisions which shape distance educa- lounge" was and is available to share con- textbook written by the Bedores (Gerry, tion programs will constitute the first, cerns and solutions. Support was further Marlene, and Gerry, Jr.) called Online preparatory phase. The next stage will focus buttressed by a full time technical person Education: The Future is Now. 1 The train- on the course organization, specific course to serve both faculty and students. As ing accomplished two things. First, it objectives and the learning activities designed online offerings have grown additional familiarized the learner with the mechani- to accomplish these. The implementation of technical support persons have been cal/technical operations of online instruc- the course with its attendant challenges, suc- added. 3 tion and interaction; secondly, it promoted cesses and failures will constitute the last a rethinking of one’s discipline to coincide stage. The reader presently teaching online or with a modular format using several kinds contemplating the development of an online Particularities of of instructional models.2 Hence, both course may chose to benefit from the experi- Paula Drewek is Professor of practical skills and theoretical frameworks Community College ences of this author. Humanities at Macomb were integrated into the weekly assign- Teaching Community College in Warren, ments. The course culminated with each Michigan where she has taught Two primary incentives encouraged the refit- The fact that two-year community colleges teacher developing a rudimentary syllabus courses in arts and ideas and com- ting of a successful Comparative Religion offer only the beginnings of study in any for an online course in his or her disci- parative religion for over 30 years. course to an online offering by this veteran discipline restricts possible course offerings pline and conducting one week of the Her Ph.D. in the Sociology of classroom teacher. Macomb Community to introductory-level courses which offer a course with associates as "the class." I felt Religion was a cross-cultural study College was eager to launch a series of online broad exposure to a wealth of material in ill-prepared at the close of the training for of two communities of Baha’is — courses in diverse disciplines, and, to that end, one or two semesters. In religious studies the actual management of an online in Canada and India — using the offered free training in the necessaries for we are teaching courses which are the stu- course. The old adage, "experience is the faith development model of James teaching online. Additionally, my 30+ years in dents’ first exposure to the content areas of best teacher" emerged gradually as the W. Fowler. the classroom had me begging for new chal- our discipline. One challenge this situation stages from conception to implementation She recently published the text and lenges in course delivery. I wanted to tighten poses ensuring the instructor’s enthusiasm, unfolded. My colleagues and I had many workbook for a 12 religion poster up and condense the essentials for teaching the engagement and flexibility throughout a reservations and questions which were series published by Teachers 7 religions I currently teach in Macomb career of teaching basically the same course. addressed in a series of seminars with the Discovery, and participates in a Community College’s 16-week semester. I also Professors do not have the opportunities Convene staff. The next stage was a weekly Interfaith dialogue TV series wanted to develop assignments and techniques available to our university counterparts to stipend of $1200 to support development taped locally and aired on PBS in to more thoroughly engage students in the pursue interests in the areas of our graduate of an online course which I tackled during Detroit. material to be learned. These challenges, and work. Yet another challenge is to continual- a summer without teaching responsibili- the availability of training, began my journey. ly increase student engagement in the learn- ties. It was ready by the beginning of Fall It has been sustained for the past four years by ing process so that objectives can be met term 1999. several benefits unanticipated during the initial more effectively. The first challenge relates phases of course development. I will share these to personal/professional growth, while the The college continued to offer support in in my evaluation of the course. myriad ways by appointing a full-time See DREWEK p.viii director of online learning to manage the

The Pragmatic Dimension of the Community College and its Impact on Religious Studies returning World War II veterans who took are typically no religion majors and profes- advantage of the GI Bill to gain access to sors are fortunate if they have some of the Peter D. Jauhiainen higher education. In 1947, the Truman same students for more than two courses. Commission advised that junior colleges This makes it difficult to develop the kind Kirkwood Community College think of themselves as "community col- of rapport with students that one might leges" and offer not simply the "first half have at four-year institutions, especially lib- of a four-year degree" but a wide variety of eral arts colleges. programs to meet the needs of local citi- zens of diverse ages and social back- At the community college, pragmatic con- grounds. Today the community college siderations serve another and perhaps more N THIS BRIEF ARTICLE I would like provides not only two-year transfer degrees foundational one — money. Since at my to explore several issues concerning the but vocational and technical training, pro- institution, at least, tuition dollars account Iteaching of religion in community col- grams for retraining of workers, develop- for around fifty per cent of the general leges. They all focus on some aspect of mental education, high school completion, operating budget due to current state bud- what I would call the "pragmatic dimen- and various community services. get restraints and a twenty-year pattern of sion" of the community college itself and neglect of the community colleges by the its impact on religious studies. By this I Because of this broad mission, religion state legislature, an overriding concern of mean that the mission of the community offerings are typically limited to survey the administration is to ensure that certain college is oriented toward the "useful" or courses that are easily transferable to four- arts and sciences courses maintain high stu- the "practical" in a manner that is some- year schools and that appeal to a wide dent enrollments. In effect, they have what different than four-year colleges range of students. Transferability and mar- become the "cash cows" of the college. and universities. ketability are essential factors of whether or Since students pay the same tuition rates not a course will succeed. Thus there is lit- no matter what courses they take, and since First, the community college is designed tle opportunity to teach specialized courses many courses like religion, philosophy, and Peter D. Jauhiainen is Assistant to be a comprehensive institution that in the area of one’s expertise. At Kirkwood history can be taught through the medium Professor of Religion and Humanities responds to the needs of the local commu- Community College, which has an enroll- of large lectures, they help to finance small- at Kirkwood Community College in nity. This has been part of its mission ment of over 11,000 students, I teach three er, more expensive courses in the vocational Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His area of spe- since the 1930s when the federal govern- introductory religion courses semester after and technical programs where high-tech ciality is American Religious History. ment allocated funds to establish emergen- semester—Judaism, Christianity and Islam, classrooms and laboratories give students He received his Ph.D. in 1997 from cy junior colleges in order to retrain peo- Introduction to Religions of the East, and much-needed hands on training. Of the University of Iowa, concentrating in ple who had lost their jobs during the Religion in the United States. In past sum- course, implied in this understanding is the the History of Religion and Religious Great Depression. The community col- mers I have also taught Introduction to Thought in the West. lege movement was further fueled by Religions of the World. Furthermore, there See JAUHIAINEN p. xi

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Religious Studies News, AAR Edition Teaching Religion in Community Colleges

approach (whose work I admire greatly) is rose-colored – often it is crude and bar- Mary Karen Solomon S. A. Nigosian, who writes of his World baric. Wisdom and charity are intermit- Colorado Northwestern Community College Religions: A Historical Approach, tent, and the net result is profoundly ambiguous. A balanced account of reli- "Historians of religion study religious gion would include witch-hunt and inqui- favoritism have no place in the classroom: behavior through the sequences of events sitions, pogroms and persecution, the the less familiar a religion is to the stu- or series of transformations that character- Christian Crusades and the Holy Wars of dents, the more important it is that it be ize the evolution of various religious tradi- Islam. The catalogue would have no end. taught with respect and equal handedness. tions into their current forms or up to the points at which they vanished. Why then do I only mention these Practically speaking, the above characteris- Historians consider religions as specific things?... This is a book about values. tics of the community college and its mis- traditions that encompass fundamental Probably as much bad art as good has sion mean that when teaching religion in a beliefs, important practices, and institu- been chiseled and painted, but no one community college, the instructor needs to tionalized systems, all of which have gone would expect it to appear in these pages.... be sensitive to the various needs and abili- through complex courses of development ties of class members, present the subject in and transformations....Because of the pro- Having targeted my subject as the endur- a way that will help all members to meet found impact of religion on the course of ing religions at their best, let me say what their various educational goals, and encour- human civilization, we use the historical I take that best to be. Their theological Mary Karen Solomon is Humanities/Social age students to keep their minds open and model in this text. (p.4) and metaphysical truths are, I am pre- Science Division Chair at Colorado endeavor to understand sympathetically pared to argue, inspired. Institutions – Northwestern Community College in that which may seem very alien to their In developing his account of the great religious institutions included – are anoth- Colorado’s beautiful and rural high plains, way of life. world religions, Nigosian analyses the ori- er story. Constituted as they are of teaching humanities, philosophy, literature, gin of religious tradition, the growth and uneven people (partly good, partly bad), and English composition. Her particular My most basic objective in my spread of the religion, its sacred texts or institutions are built of vices as well as interests are the religion, philosophy and Comparative Religion course is to help the literature; the central concepts and philo- virtues... This book skims the cream from literature of both Russia and China; she is a student of Zoroastrianism, Sufism, students gain understanding of the role sophical views, and the important prac- religion’s churning history by confining Confucianism, and Daoism, and is work- religion plays in thought and civilization; tices and ceremonies of each religion, itself to its theological claims. When we ing on an anthology of essays and poetry in this course we study world religions, or, pointing out that one of his main goals in limit ourselves to these, a cleaner side of concerning religion. as Huston Smith expresses it, the great wis- to help the reader understand the values the religions emerges. They begin to look dom traditions, which sum up a culture’s that individual religions transmit to their like the world’s wisdom traditions. unique insights, values and development. followers. How people in different times, (‘Where is the knowledge that is lost in Secondly, students must gain and express different cultures and under different cir- information? Where is the wisdom that is HE MISSION of a community col- knowledge of the various religions and cumstances thought, felt, and acted is lost in knowledge?’ – T. S. Eliot) .... lege is quite different from that of a their influences upon mankind; third, they inherent in these values. T four-year college or a university. need to better understand the forms and Religion alive confronts the individual According to President Joe May of the development of religions in both primitive My difficulty with the historical approach with the most momentous option life can Colorado Community College and and sophisticated civilizations. Of course, has two components: first of all, where present. It calls the soul to the highest Occupational Educational Services, "Our they do these mainly through reading, does one stop? Events and their effects, adventure it can undertake, a projected mission is to help our state realize its research, and writing, though both lecture religious figures and their influences, mul- journey across the jungles, peaks and human resource potential and enhance its and class discussion play an important part tiply endlessly until the student loses his deserts of the human spirit. The call is to robust economy. Our vision is to be the in understanding the various religions. way in a mire of historical data. confront reality, to master the self. Those leading provider of vibrant, high perfor- Particularly in a survey course, attempting who dare to hear and follow that secret mance learning, for anyone, anytime, any- There are various approaches to teaching to introduce the student to all the great call soon learn the dangers and difficulties where." (CCCOES, ) religion, but they seem to coalesce into two religions of history, this can be a problem, of its lonely journey...." (Prologue, The This cannot be accomplished without main camps: the historical approach and as there is so much to cover. Students get Illustrated World’s Religions, Huston Smith) opening wide the doors and services to the phenomenological approach. The his- culture shock: one religion’s complex his- the public, so community colleges have torical approach places each religion in its tory blurs into another’s. Secondly, it I like this understanding of religion as open enrollment, or policies very close to context, temporal and spatial, and traces its seems to me that the historical approach inner truth and cultural accumulations of it: all students (or almost all) students who development throughout cultural history. can defeat the course’s most important wisdom, as opposed to institutionalized apply are admitted. The object is to edu- The phenomenological approach treats objective, to help the student gain under- systems answerable for much evil . As cate all the people of the community, religion as a system of values, cultural phe- standing of the religion’s role in developing Joseph Campbell pointed out in The whether traditional-aged students or older nomena, in a sense: traditions of wisdom a culture’s thought and values. The stu- Power of Myth, paraphrasing Carl Jung, students with non-traditional needs, to arising from the depths of cultures. It dent can lose the forest for the trees; anx- religion is the great defense against truly meet their educational goals. Such a goal attempts to explain religion from within, to ious over memorizing the names and his- religious ideas. may be obtaining a four-year degree at a clarify for the student the particular wis- tories of various Hindu deities and their university, which means teaching the stu- dom, insights, and spiritual developments avatars and the dates of scriptures and Structure of the Course: The course cov- dent general education transfer courses, of these traditions. The first choice for the important events, she can lose sight of ers the great religions of the world, still in effective study habits, and the necessary community college religion teacher is to what Hinduism means. Studying eight to existence. This means we study academic rigor and methodology to be select which approach will work best in his ten of these traditions in such a manner Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, successful in the baccalaureate course. or her situation. can leave the student exhausted and con- Confucianism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Another common goal is to guide the stu- fused. Christianity and Islam, in that order. I dent into the correct vocation for his or Various texts have various approaches: begin the course with a unit on primitive her talents and abilities, and to train him Niels C. Nielsen, Jr. in Bedford’s Religions The approach that looks at religion as a religion, examining characteristics of early successfully in its skills, in the process giv- of the World describes his approach: system of thought and behavior, a wisdom religion such as the numinous experience, ing the student the best-rounded educa- tradition providing a culture’s most prayer, divination, use of magic, the role tion possible for his vocation. Another The study of the religions of the world is a innermost and particular inspirations and of shamans and fetishes, animism, taboos, frequent goal is to re-educate people: to subject of enormous scope and depth, cov- insights, seems to better accomplish what I and totems. We also study the several help those who through health challenges ering the full range of history and reaching want to do. An excellent example of this functions of ritual: ritual as fulfilment of or changing circumstances need to adapt from the most mundane aspects of people’s approach can be seen in Huston Smith’s expectation, ritual as expression of anxiety, their skills or even change careers to do so lives to their most sublime thoughts and The Illustrated World Religions (the text and ritual’s association with mythology. successfully, to offer guidance, support and aspirations. This volume...describes in that, after some trial and experimentation, We discuss the function of these character- the necessary skills and education. The clear terms the principal doctrines, issues, I have settled on using): istics in native religions in Africa and the community college also serves the needs of and motifs of each religion and shows how Americas. On the second day, after our its community in a broader manner. the traditions have responded to their Traditionally, when people wanted initial discussion, we watch "The Particularly in small, rural, and/or isolated social, cultural, and geographic contexts.... answers to life’s ultimate questions – Storytellers," from The Power of Myth, communities (such as mine), the commu- Where are we? Why are we here? What with Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers. nity college plays an important cultural We believe that even though the stories does it all mean? What, if anything, are They discuss in particular primitive and role. From guest speakers and multi cul- and concerns of the few–emperors and we supposed to do? – they looked to their early religion’s covenant between prey ani- tural film festivals to musical entertainers other rulers–have played an important revealed texts; or to their ancestral myths mals and the hunter, how myth, and ritual to museum, drama, or even overseas trips, role.... far more important for the history if they were oral peoples.... reinforce the value of the animal, the the community college should offer cul- of religions have been the broad cultural understanding that the animal gives itself tural enrichment to its residents. changes affecting adherents’ lives–events This is not a book about religious history. to the humans, with the reservation that it such as foreign conquests, large-scale emi- This explains the dearth of names, dates, be valued and not wasted. Students are Because the community college is a state gration from rural to urban settings, or the and social influences in its pages. always responsive to the native American institution, it is required to respect the spread of literacy. This new edition high- Historical facts are kept to the minimum tradition, probably because it is nearer to separation of state and religion: this lights such broad changes and shows how that are needed to situate in time and us and more familiar. They like the story emphasizes the importance of a sensitive religions have responded to them. space the ideas the book deals with.... of the Buffalo’s Wife, which Campbell and equal presentation of all religions in This book is not a balanced account of its See SOLOMON p.xi the Comparative Religions class. Bias and Another proponent of the historical subject. The full story of religion is not

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SPOTLIGHT ON TEACHING Weekend Warrior: Adventures in the Teaching Trade

Jan Briel Red Rocks Community College

The male students tend to cluster in two for a full semester’s worth of written work, Lecture and activities age groups: most are early to mid-30’s, or extended research. The opportunities for The pacing of a weekend class is the real intending to complete their Bachelor’s at a rumination are few, and short. The rule art. The key is to keep track of the time, University; some are late teens to early 20’s, that "human beings tend to overesti- and to break it down into workable incre- more recent high school graduates, a very mate..." applies to the instructor as well. ments: 60 to 90 minutes are the outer few are older and changing careers. Indeed, much of the processing that the edges of complete concentration. When students will do with regard to the class the average attention span of teen-ager is The majority of the students are juggling material will take place, a little at a time, fifteen minutes, don’t expect adults to sit the demands of family, career, and continu- after the class is over. still for eight hours at a time. The occasion- ing education, leaving work on Friday al exception? Showing a two hour movie; afternoon to spend the week-end in class. Factoring in the students’ need to have half the class will need to leave during the These students are hard-working, high- information on their academic progress film, half won’t. One rule of thumb is to achieving, and intellectually curious, with before the class ends, it is wise to give some keep the students moving. backgrounds as diverse as would be expect- type of "mid-term"(test, paper, presenta- ed in a large city. tion) that the instructor will be able to One of the most enriching activities is a grade and return to the students before field experience. Luckily, teaching in a Because of the differences in age and edu- they begin work on their final assignment. Jan Briel holds an M.A. in Religious large metropolitan area offers a genuine cation, there will be little commonality in A final assignment is useful in keeping the Studies, with an emphasis on Native diversity of religious denominations. class experience. The teacher needs to students on track for the full three week- American Mythology, from the University Classes have attended a Roman Catholic accept each student for where they are in ends. Giving the students all of the assign- of Denver, and an M.A. in Guidance high Mass, services at the Synagogue, their life, and strive to move them forward. ment, and their deadlines, at the first ses- Counseling from the University of chanting sessions at the Buddhist Temple, How far forward is their personal issue. sion, allows them to schedule their time Northern Colorado. She has taught reli- vegetarian lunch at the Hare Krishna tem- They are about to be hit by an explosion of most effectively. gion in grades 6-12, and has served as a ple, and a tour of a Latter Day Saints high school counselor. She now, blessedly, information and sensory input. And if the Temple before consecration. Recently, a finds herself working as an adjunct aim is true, some insight will result. Experience has shown that writing is better connection was made to attend a discussion instructor at Red Rocks Community Remember the Golden Rule; teach as you when required in smaller increments rather group at a Ba’Hai meeting, and the option College in Lakewood, Colorado. The would wish to be taught. A good class will than a long research paper. For instance, the has presented itself of contacting a practi- classes that she has been privileged to be as stimulating, challenging and painless text used for Religion in American Culture tioner of Santeria. Response to these field teach include Comparative Religion, as possible for everyone involved. And a consists of selected essays on the develop- experiences has been overwhelmingly posi- Religion and Film, Psychology of Religion, good teacher will set up the class for the ment of different American religious tradi- tive; it seems that students have an empa- and Religion and American Culture. students’ maximum success. tions. It is very effective to lecture on the thetic breakthrough by physically taking historical background while asking the stu- part in new form of religious expression, dents to write four short papers (2-3 pages) reacting spontaneously and immediately to Text reacting to the text. These papers served as an increased understanding of a different To design a week-end format class, the real- an on-going source of feedback for the stu- perspective. ities of the demographic and the time fac- dent, and allowed an objective final to be tor will determine most of the instructor’s given based on the lecture, supplemented by The second activity that works well is the choices. In choosing a text, it is advisable to the outside reading. LOVE MY TEACHING JOB. Because presentation. It is best that these be look for the most approachable and concise of it, I am able to attend appearances by assigned either to individuals or, at most, presentation of the material available. It is also helpful if the assignments can be the Dalai Lama, the Archbishop of pairs. Generally, the students don’t have I Textual material that can be supplemented made personally relevant to the student. Canterbury, Elie Wiesel, and Archbishop similar schedules, and to assemble a group with illuminating lecture will allow the One of the benefits of teaching Religious Desmond Tutu. I have seen priestly ordi- of them would be very difficult. These pre- most effective use of the students out-of- Studies is the possible opportunity for self- nations, demonstrations of Navajo sand sentations may cover portions of the text class study time. A text that the students reflection and personal growth on the part of painting, and Sufis in ecstatic trance. I that need emphasis, or outside research on don’t ever need to refer to is a waste of their the student. It is an implied responsibility have toured temples dedicated to Hindu topics suggested by the reading, or supple- money. If all of the pertinent lectures may on the part of the teacher to create access to gods, Jewish synagogues, and Roman mental information that will enhance the be given without corroborating text, why this opportunity, should the student be inter- Catholic cathedrals. students’ comprehension of the material. ask them to buy the book? Luckily, ested. In Psychology of Religion, a very suc- Religious Studies is "trendy" in the publish- cessful assignment has been to ask the stu- I am an adjunct instructor at a local com- Thirdly, there are several well-done film ing world at the moment and there has dents to write a religious autobiography as a munity college, in the Philosophy depart- series, with topics ranging from exegesis of been a great deal of research and writing final, instructing them to apply some of the ment; my area of expertise is Religious the Book of Genesis to travelogues of recently, making the options in texts abun- research that they had studied to their own Studies. My particular classes are scheduled Buddhist temples, that have become avail- dant. The real choice is between most background. in what is called the "weekend-college" for- able to a widespread audience. In addition, effective text and cost. College textbooks mat. In a practical sense, this means that the great number of mainstream (read: are notoriously pricey, and a book should Another technique that has been found to be my classes take place during the time in Hollywood) films that are concerned with be the main resource for the class. If a useful is to assign the students to make pre- which people usually "recreate"( or in some religious themes or issues are now readily text’s price is high, it should be vital to the sentations of research to the class. For cases, worship), i.e. Friday evening, all day available on video/DVD. Drama evolved mastery of the material, not merely supple- Religion and Film, the students each choose Saturday and all day Sunday. Forty hours from ancient, ritualized, expressions of mental to the course itself. a single director, and prepare a 30 minute of instruction: a complete semester tele- mythology. The creative joining of word presentation on that directors work, using at scoped into 6 class sessions over three and image may reveal the profound, even By the same token, if all of the material least three film clips, with emphasis on the weekends. today. comes exclusively from the text, why religious and mythic symbolism found in the should the student bother to attend class? films. This enables the class to cover a wider Students tell me that, without instructor Which raises the issue of attendance. It is scope of material than any student could Demographic contact, Religion and Philosophy classes are most fair to count attendance and partici- accomplish alone, and gives the students The weekend format has characteristics and very difficult. Many have a limited back- pation as major percentages of the grade, excellent discussion possibilities, as each of needs that differ markedly from a "tradi- ground in these studies, and choose not to and to encourage students that will have the presentations is open to response. tional" class. Class sizes range from 10 to take the self-paced or online classes specifi- attendance issues to take the class when 20 students. 60-70% of these students are cally in order to someone to explicate the they actually have the time; human beings Above all, show reasonable compassion. women, in ages from mid-20’s to mid-40’s. material. Consequently, some investigation tend to overestimate what they are able to Don’t make the work too easy; that will Many of these women already have a of their understanding of the text is neces- accomplish in finite space and time. insult the students and defeat any good Bachelor’s degree, and are returning to sary. That can take many forms; instructor purpose. But don’t pile on the work with school to enter a new field or to revamp an lecture with open question and answer, dis- some mistaken notion that quantity equals existing career. Some of them are entering cussion questions based on previous read- Assignments or surpasses quality. college for the first time, having delayed ing, group-work in class. The forms of The next decision that the instructor must their education to marry and raise children. instruction should attempt to accommo- make involves the amount, length and What does matter is that the students leave Their reasons for pursuing an education date as many learning styles as possible. To depth of the assignments that are required each class with an increased respect for, and vary; a few are fulfilling a personal dream, rely exclusively on lecture is to overlook of the students. One of the realities of the understanding of, the depth and beauty of more are looking for financial indepen- week-end college is how little time occurs religion as a field of study. dence or security. between the first session and the last: two See BRIEL p.xii weeks. This is not long enough to allow

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Religious Studies News, AAR Edition

DREWEK, from p.v for those operations. So, this was to be a 3. Distinguish between different in greeting one another, saying goodbye print-based virtual classroom without approaches to studying religions: theo- and in opinion-focused rather than text- second relates to student success. I have multi-media enhancements unless students logical, historical, sociological, philo- specific discussion. In short, the discussion found the development of an online course individually wanted to access them on the sophical, psychological and humanis- was rather superficial. to offer opportunities for both. web. Gone were several of my stock-in- tic. trade classroom tools for enriching the Typically, the primary focus of community learning environment — slides, films, 4. Describe and illustrate 6 dimensions New Assignments colleges is on teaching and learning. Much recordings. I would have to come up with as a framework for comparing reli- developed for the of one’s attention as a teacher is student- other ways to provide variety and tap the gions online format centered rather than discipline-centered. imaginative mode.7 This situation presents a positive opportu- 5. Describe interactions between religion Three assignments which were innovations nity for instructors interested in maintain- Another challenge was to maintain and and science, religion and selected social of the online formatting of the course ing the "joy of teaching." The potential for accomplish the same objectives in 8 weeks issues. involved different skills. One of these was instructor involvement in the processes of as in the 16-week on ground classes since an analysis of the Hopi Emergence Myth to student learning is enhanced in the online they were equivalent in course credits. The Following the first week’s introduction to develop student reading ability in connota- environment since the contact between pre-existing class had 7 major course objec- course concepts, methods, one another, and tive meanings as well as to introduce the instructor and student is more frequent and tives (see appendix). I modified only one the diversity of religions, I chose to do one importance of cosmogonic myths in devel- intensive. The student-centered focus of — the required field trip or religious expe- religion per week, leaving the last week free oping worldviews. Questions were posed online instruction emphasizes such process- riences component of the 16 week course. for projects and a final exam. The com- after a reading of the myth that probed reli- es as the development of individual student Instead, I added: "To demonstrate an pression of subject matter into 8 weeks gious issues implicit in cosmogonic myths: skills (analysis, synthesis, comparison, inter- awareness of cultural contexts of geography, forced me to omit religions and issues What is the nature of sacred powers? — of pretation and evaluation); demonstrating history, art, and important persons and included in the 16 week course. While the humans? What is the relationship estab- relationships between concepts and their events as they relate to the religions stud- organizational format appeared sound and lished between humans and sacred powers? applications; connecting abstract ideas ied." I reasoned that students taking a balanced I have continued to revise objec- Are there intermediaries? If so, what are across disciplines; overcoming student defi- course online were possibly doing so tives and assignments with each new term they like? How are good and evil under- ciencies in reading, writing, vocabulary because of time and place restrictions that of teaching. stood? What are human relationships with mastery, and test taking; connecting course would make the 3 required field trips other creatures and groups? Are there content to student experiences outside the unreasonable and impossible. unique features of tribal identity implied? course. From Objectives to Learning Activities This assignment proved to be important for Yet another opportunity for effective teach- Choice of models developing reading skills as well as the abil- One of the premises of online instruction is ing and learning at the community college Based upon the 5 design models described ity to define and support issues adequately that students don’t learn simply by reading is the establishment of a more personalized in Bedore 7I chose the "bounded interac- with reference to the text of the reading. or hearing but by "doing" something with "community of learners." The online envi- tive" model that was suited to both class Several students had difficulty with the what they’re learning. What kind of doing ronment increases the degree of interaction size and the level of dialogue I anticipated. assignment which allowed me to assist is possible while sitting at a computer? In among class members through the discus- Our online classes were restricted to 20 stu- them individually through responses to developing assignments and activities a sion boards developed to share and process dents initially (recent union contract raised their work. I then repeated a similar assign- variety of tools are available. The applica- student assignments. Each student has that to 23). The "bounded interactive ment using Hindu myths of creation and tion and combination of tools prescribed access to the submissions of the others on model" is suggested for15-25 students per asked for a comparison of the two myths in by the curriculum design drive the learning the week’s assignments and projects. class and is designed to keep the classroom terms of the basic questions posed. This process to the desired conclusions.9 Students naturally share their experiences, dialogue at a manageable level and not exercise established continuity in course difficulties, solutions, often personal, which overload students or instructor. The highly format, and the continuing development of The objectives provided the platform for touch upon the assignments and offer sug- interactive model is intended for only 10- skills and concepts addressed in religious the assignments or learning tools. The free- gestions and support to one another. 15 students. Bounded interactive antici- studies. dom to devise assignments, exercises and Clearly, the volume of student-student and pates 5-8 messages per student each week. the like to implement the objectives was student-teacher interchange is much greater "When the message rate exceeds 200 mes- A second new assignment focused on the the fun part of the course design. Some online than in on ground classes offering sages per workshop (weekly), we are reach- student’s ability to connect learning about learning activities could be moved directly the potential for synergy which plays a vital ing the limit at which students and facilita- religions with their own experiences and from the classroom to the online format. role in online learning.4 tors can be expected to function comfort- personality. I developed these for the unit One of these was the socratic seminar as ably."8 on Hinduism since it is often the most diffi- taught by Dennis Gray of San Diego, Ca. cult religion for students to grasp. Students Socratic seminars are open-ended dialogues Course Design The instructor manages the dialogue levels were to choose one of the following. using a common text. They encourage crit- by the number of assignments and forums Pitfalls and possibilities ical reading and thinking skills, social dis- s/he creates for student interchange in the Assignment 1: Compare three of the var- As White notes,5 one of the first pitfalls of course and team-building guided by a facil- virtual classroom — the public forum of ious yogas as means to moksha. Find fea- online instruction is "that teachers are itator. Rather than conveying information, the class. Shifting assignments away from tures for comparison. Which would you using digital technologies to supplement or dialogues are an effective way to accom- the virtual classroom through group or choose and why? imitate "talking heads" in the classroom." plish a number of skill objectives as well as independent study reduces the discussion When teachers use new technological tools in-depth examination of issues and con- that takes place without sacrificing course Assignment 2: Compare worship prac- to fit old pedagogical habits, it doesn’t cepts through a text.10 Some modification content. However, effective classroom dia- tices of Hinduism with those of another work. Some adaptation of content and was made in the presentation of the dia- logue is not simply a matter of quantity, faith (your choice). What impact does learning strategy is necessary to refit an logue process for online students. Instead but also of quality. The quality issue will worship of the Great Goddess have in existing course into an online format. The of beginning with student questions, I sup- be addressed under implementation. Hinduism? Briefly explain two of her instructor newly developing a course will plied 3-4 initial questions to begin the dia- forms and attributes. Does she have a par- have some "givens" in the instructional logue. Because of the asynchronous format, Among the tools available for course allel in the worship practices of the contrast model based upon institutional decisions: I limited dialogues to a 24-hour period. design, I relied most on study questions; faith you have chosen? the length of the course; credits offered; the Students submitted responses to the initial seminars on common texts; group work; learning platform; and what kinds of inter- questions to the discussion forum created and creative story applications/situations Both assignments were responded to in actions will be possible with institutional for the dialogue. Earlier submissions usual- involving course concepts. These will be discussion forums for the entire class. technology; requirements for student entry; ly generated more student interchange than illustrated in the following sections. My and whether the learning platform is syn- later ones. After the initial postings it was experience in various modes of classroom A third new assignment for the online chronous or asynchronous. The instructor the responsibility of students to question instruction served me well by providing a course required students to use their imagi- also needs to consider capacities of the stu- and comment on one another’s work to variety of verbal activities to engage stu- native faculties, and served to vary the dents’computer equipment. generate dialogue. The role of facilitator is dents in the learning process. kinds of assignments students were com- especially important at this juncture to pleting. I developed these for the Judaism probe responses for clarification, assump- unit, and later translated a similar assign- Parameters tions and further questions and to steer the Defining course objec- ment into the unit on Islam. After reading The author began with the following direction of dialogue to a few focus areas. a lecture on the mitzvoth, students were parameters based upon the above: a 3-cred- tives and structure Early dialogues are often very diffused, with asked to: it hour 8-week course, which is the equiva- My first task was to adapt course objectives topics veering off in many directions often lent of 16 weeks of classroom instruction to weekly objectives. This process was really unrelated to the shared text. For this reason 1. Create a Jewish character (male, with a 20 student ceiling on enrollment. curriculum review. Weekly objectives need it is necessary for the instructor to log-onto female, Orthodox, Conservative or We were partnered to the Convene to be "outcomes" stated in terms of specific the learning platform frequently to track Reform) in the contemporary world or Learning Platform in California, which behaviors. The first week’s outcomes may and guide the exchange. Socratic seminars choose one from film (several films used an asynchrononous course delivery serve to illustrate this adaptation. always focus in the direction of the text were suggested). Describe daily events with two possible hook-up modes: logging rather than away from it. in the life of this character that would onto the WWW or a modem dial-up with 1. Describe how studying religions differs be influenced by the mitzvoth. End a download of all messages followed by from the practice of religion Last summer I experimented with moving with the celebration of Sabbath: exiting to working offline. 6 We had no the dialogue to a synchronous chat room describe preparation for, experiences of opportunities to play movies or recordings 2. Use concepts for the study of religion format during an agreed-upon hour when and meaningfulness for Jews. in our virtual classroom; furthermore many in chapter 1 in a paragraph you write many students would be online.11 After computers (my own included) could not about your study of religion two attempts, I eliminated this format since 2. OR Create your character and follow support the hard drive memory required so much of the time was simply taken up

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SPOTLIGHT ON TEACHING

this character through the stages of life arena of questions/issues: scriptures, history, example: "Compare the five pillars of faith learning in a virtual classroom, course rituals: bris, bar/bat mitzvah, marriage, biography, theology, groups and denomina- in Islam to the Mitzvoth of Judaism;" design must consider realistically the ability funeral and shiva. tions, etc. I created small groups to man- "Most religions we study have these com- of students and instructor to maintain the age the quantity of information/issues mon elements. Describe 5 with examples expected level of activity. Formatting Course incorporated into the unit in both text and from 5 different faiths;" "Name and explain lectures. The Blackboard platform has one symbol each of four different faiths." Managing the course delivery for made the creation of small groups much Consistency and easier as it establishes several forms of com- Both new and experienced online students munication among participants: small Assessment will have many questions about assign- Continuity group forum, email and chat room. The balance of assessment components ments, grades, technical difficulties and the shifted the emphases from the on ground like. The Blackboard platform has allowed Based upon what we had learned in the Each group of 3-4 persons is named to cor- to the online class. Normally, my student’s the creation of a forum specifically to han- training course, students need a detailed respond to one of the centers of early final grade reflects 60% tests, 15% class dle course-related questions. This forum overview of each unit or week outlining the Christianity: Rome, Antioch, discussion, 15% final project and 10% field is used for clarifications about assignments following: See Appendix B for a sample Constantinople, etc. Each group is respon- trips. In the online class, assignments and and other issues needing an immediate unit. sible for answering about 10-12 questions dialogue in the discussion forums were the response. Once I was two hours late post- during the first part of the week. Then, in bulk of evaluative material. More weight ing a test. By the time I got online to do 1. Week’s objectives, including key vocab- a forum for the entire class I submit a quiz, was therefore given to assignments (35%) so, there were twelve messages asking where ulary terms focusing on select questions per group to and less to tests (50%) with the remainder the test was. So this forum is also a place which the groups post their answers for final projects (15%). for blowing off some steam which is a good 2. Reading assignments through a group facilitator. The small outlet for student frustrations. Better they group assignment helps prepare the entire My first two online classes used both a should be public and addressed than hid- 3. Written assignments: when due and in class for the test that follows the week. It qualitative and quantitative numerical den and perhaps ignored. The course relat- what forum, preparation needed, also generates a good deal of dialogue on grade for each week’s general discussion — ed forum keeps an instructor constantly in approximate time needed for comple- the unit concepts and objectives. responses/questions to others’ work or clari- touch with students, and there are always tion, and points offered fications and additions to one’s own. some who require more attention than oth- The second small group assignment Assigning point values to discussion rein- ers. I am regularly reminded that commu- 4. Tests or quizzes involves a course project. Each student has forced the course "attendance" requirement nity college teaching is a "service oriented" the choice of an individual project on a of being online 5 out of 7 days per week. profession, and that characterization is The sample unit should illustrate how religious issue or theme of their choice (sev- This standard was suggested for all of magnified in an online class. objective #3 is accomplished through eral are suggested) or a group "ritual pro- Macomb’s online classes to encourage stu- assignment #2. To regulate the quantity of ject." Students make their selection of pro- dent responsibility. However, it encouraged dialogue in the virtual classroom, some jects the 2nd week of class. The ritual pil- a lot of innocuous chat simply to hike up Regulating the quality and assignments are sent to my personal mail- grimage project is included in Appendix C. one’s grade. It also made extraordinary box for grading, especially if they involve a quantity of dialogue demands on the teacher to monitor the high level of skill development (the Hopi As with any on ground class, some students Completed projects are posted in the dis- qualitative and quantitative contributions myth assignment). Most finished assign- will participate often in the virtual class- cussion forum the last week of class and of each student in addition to grading 3 ments are posted to the discussion forums room forums and others will submit only offer all students access to either the pil- assignments per student each week. I for all to read and respond to (Chief their assignments with the odd comment grimages of the various groups or the topic dropped the separate assessment in favor of Seattle’s speech dialogue).This feature cre- here and there. It is the instructor’s task to research of those choosing the individual a single 5 points per week for discussion. ates an open classroom where students try to balance the dialogue so that diverse project. This feature of course develop- The present weighting of assessment com- learn from each other. It is a major asset of points of view are shared and responded to. ment has proved very effective for broaden- ponents has worked well. the practice in active learning offered by Frequent logging into the course platform ing the scope of religions and issues studied the online classroom. (usually daily) is necessary to do this. It and for increasing the synergy of classroom At the close of the design phase, the teacher involves probing and directing the dialogue dialogue. should have on disk all the above course through questions, encouraging responses components "ready to roll." It is not feasi- Lectures or corrections. Often the instructor’s expe- ble to reconstruct objectives, assignments, Online learning does not emphasize the rience of religions is appropriate to give a Testing supplementary readings, tests, lectures and lecture as an important part of the process context to the issues under discussion and The kinds of tests, where administered and projects once a course has started. The of student learning. As White notes in his send the dialogue to a more realistic level. how, the value given to them in the final pace is too fast, the demands of students review of key learning principles,12 "People When a student has been "absent" for sev- grade, and whether to use them at all are too pressing, and the grading too time con- learn by doing…Even if the lectures are eral days it is necessary to personally e-mail issues which the online teacher addresses in suming to seriously devote any time to the inspiring, inspiring words alone will not the student to find out what is going on. course design. To maintain consonance curriculum itself once the course has help learners to internalize knowledge and with my on ground classes, I decided to begun. Modifications must be made follow- skills. Learners need to be actively Another challenge to the instructor is noted administer tests and to do so online. To ing the course before its next offering. engaged." Nevertheless, my course incor- by Jon Spayde in his article "College at keep my grading and feedback of test porated two lectures each week in addition Home" — the "spirit of chat." This disease results at a manageable level, I decided to to the textbook and supplementary read- refers to a level of dialogue which does not test every two weeks. Each test incorpo- Implementation ings. I reasoned, since this was to be stu- move beyond the surface of issues, opinions rates objectives from two religions: the first dents’ first exposure to the concepts and and feelings. It is deadly to the synergy of would include the introductory week and Developing synergy in the 1st week methods of Comparative Religion, lectures online learning because it skirts the course the Native Americans; then Hinduism and The amount of dialogue generated in the provided focus and application of concepts objectives and attendant processes of critical Buddhism; Judaism and Christianity; and, public forum of the class determines syner- stated in the week’s objectives. Lectures thinking in favor of "feel good" responses. It finally, a test on Islam alone at the end of gy. High synergy formats lean towards the also served to synthesize, integrate, and can also bore students who have a genuine week 7. The format of each test involves socratic end of learning models while lower apply key vocabulary terms. The first lec- interest in course content.15 Every online class more written work in description and synergy exists with more independent ture each week was devoted to major I have taught has had students predisposed to application of key terms and concepts than study. "Higher levels of dialogue are associ- beliefs, figures and worldview of each reli- the "spirit of chat." It is the instructor’s those for on ground students. I acknowl- ated with individual discussion questions gion, while the second focused on practice responsibility to guide the level of dialogue edged that students would have access to and open discussion assignments. Lower or application of basic beliefs and concepts. by personally contacting students about the written materials of the class for their tests, dialogue levels result from assignments that The lecture-writing process draws on one quality of their work with specific sugges- but the tests were geared to the integration focus on individual efforts such as reading of the major skills of community college tions to improve. It has been my experience and understanding of unit concepts more and submitting papers."14 Since the teachers — the ability to synthesize and in online instruction that students really than simple recall of information. Students Comparative Religion course was most condense material so as to be accessible to desire to do well. They usually just need were allowed 24 hours to read and respond likely students’ first exposure to the content students with little or no background in the enough guidance to point out how. to the tests and send them to my personal of the discipline, I chose to encourage a subject area and, often, poor learning skills. mailbox.13 During the 24 hours of testing, high level of dialogue to increase synergy. Given the online emphasis on doing, not I offered my home phone number to stu- The outcomes of such dialogue benefit all merely reading, two lectures per week Evaluation dents for any questions they may have dur- as a community of learners, but are espe- seemed optimum. Since evaluation is necessary to determine ing a designated two hours the evening the cially important in exposing the less able or whether the course is meeting student and test was due. After two weeks or more read- less experienced students to the thoughts instructor expectations, I offer two forms of ing individual responses to the assignments, and responses of others. To this end, a live- Small Group Projects evaluation here: student evaluation and I already had a good knowledge of each ly interchange the first week is begun by One tool for regulating the quantity of dia- teacher evaluation. The form I developed student’s abilities, mastery of material, writ- having each student submit a spiritual or logue in the virtual classroom is the cre- for student evaluation was simple and short, ing style and learning difficulties. I was not religious autobiography as a means to ation of small groups focused on specific using a 4- point scale (4 being high) to rate overly concerned about the authenticity of introduce one another within the content projects or topics. They divert dialogue all aspects of the course: syllabus, assign- test responses submitted. concerns of comparative religions. The from the main forums of the classroom to ments, readings/seminars, tests, text, lec- autobiographies help establish a communi- individual forums created for the group tures, administration, projects, student and The unit tests were followed by a final ty of learning by identifying individual members. I have used the small group for- instructor interaction and most and least exam the last week in which I assigned each experiences. Instructor interaction is not mat in two ways. Within the weekly reli- favorite aspects of the course. Here are some student 3 of the 12 final exam questions. high at this point. Remaining assignments gion units, small focus groups were used to things I learned in each of two classes. The exam questions were similar to those maintain the dialogue with one another respond to a variety of questions on of the on ground finals-- essay questions generated in assignment 1 (see Appendix Christianity (one could use any faith See DREWEK p.x involving the comparison of religions. For D). While dialogue is a major source of group). Each group focused on a specific

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DREWEK, from p.ix • Classroom dialogue: The 3-4 forums tion or testing out with at least 80% is nec- each week have encouraged very high essary to be added to the course roster. 1 Bedore, Drs. Gerry and Marlene, with Gerry Jr. Group 1 levels of dialogue and good synergy, Online Education: The Future is Now. The resulting in an exciting class according Most students who complete the first 2 Socrates Distance Learning Technologies Group: • Strong points (3.5 and higher) were to many of the respondents as well as weeks of a course will finish successfully Phoenix, AZ, 1998. assignments, readings/seminars, lectures; instructor. The insight gained is with a "C" or better. Students who fall 2 The 5 models offered by the Bedores are relative invaluable to my clearer understanding behind and cannot manage the course to levels of interactivity in the online classroom. • Close seconds were syllabus and of the processes of student learning. requirements for this initial period will usu- The interactive model is designed for fewer stu- projects Additionally, the joys and progress of ally drop or disappear. Retention rates dents, while the less interactive for up to 60 stu- student learning also become more vis- have been higher in my online courses than dents. • Weakest area was course administra- ible, thus encouraging to both students in on ground courses with higher grades. tion (grading, forums, amount of and teacher. Of 22 enrolled students in last Fall’s class, 3 Macomb Community College currently has material covered in assignments), 2.8 there were 2 withdrawals after week 2 and online registration, an articulation arrangement • Insight into the learning process: 2 who disappeared before week 4. Of the for course transfer with the Michigan Virtual Several students faulted me for not clarify- Much of what remains hidden in a remaining students, there were 6 A’s, 11 B’s Learning Collaborative, Franklin University, ing expectations of participation in the VC classroom of 35 students becomes and 1 C. The engaged learning environ- Walsh College and U. of Michigan, Dearborn to and optional assignments. This was soon exposed in the virtual classroom. The ment, the fast pace of the units, and shorter absorb all student online credits into their bac- remedied in group 2. initial world views of students, how time span of the course leave little room for calaureate programs. The online student body they process and assimilate new ideas, drifting away or inattention more common has grown from 80 to 1600 in the two years • Favorite aspects: all; interaction with their ability to relate those to the expe- in the traditional classroom. The higher from 1998 to Fall, 2001 in 81 sections. students; Islam; religious dimensions; riences of their daily life are a few of retention and grades may be due to the 4 Bedore, 51. Buddhism; Projects; Judaism; the areas exposed in an online class. I more mature, self-motivating student Christianity am convinced that it keeps me in enrollment in online classes. 5 Frank White. "A Review of the Learning touch with the learning processes of Principles that Underlie Virtual Learning • Least favorites: too much material; my students, enabling me to be a more Environments." October, 1999. Unpublished team project; fewer test questions; effective teacher. Future directions manuscript. website; need test each week. Since this paper has described the specific 6 Macomb switched its learning platform from • Course administration (manage- processes and decisions of refitting an exist- Convene to Blackboard beginning in 2000, as did Group 2 Higher overall evaluations with ment): This feature continues to be the ing Comparative Religion class to an online the Michigan Virtual Learning Cooperative. This the following highlights most challenging aspect of online teach- environment, I have not focused on the move to a web-based platform required only a ing for this instructor. It requires fre- theoretical learning principles and their brief introductory orientation for both students • Strong points (3.5 and higher) were quent logging into the course platform, incorporation. I would like to include and faculty to become proficient in its use. The syllabus, readings/seminars, textbook, clear and helpful feedback to students these as checkpoints for those who may Blackboard program has avoided many of the lectures, projects, student interaction and steering the dialogue in the direc- wish to enter the online teaching arena and server problems we faced with Convene. tion of course objectives while meeting as guides to my further revisions and goals • Close seconds were assignments individual student needs and concerns. and those of my readers. 7 To add audio and visual enrichment to my All of this must be accomplished in a Comparative Religion classes, I had purchased • Tests, administration and instructor timely manner which places many The learning environment is: several copies of Diana Eck’s On Common interaction were all 3.2 demands on the instructor. For this rea- Ground CD Rom as a library resource. However, son, I have chosen not to offer the • fun, online students prefer accessing library materials • Favorite aspects: Islam, Judaism, online course each semester even from their computers. Native American, projects, though demand has been high. Course • engaging 7a The models, noted briefly in footnote 2 are: Christianity, Buddhism registration usually closes after 2 or 3 Interactive, bounded interactive, days of offering the class. • experiential consultative/interactive, independent/consulta- • Least favorite: Hindu; assignments; tive, special configuration. These progress from Judaism, Islam; too many assignments • Carry over: Developing and teaching • interactive highly interactive to low interactivity consonant the online class has transformed the with number of students per class and design way I teach in my traditional class- • set in a meaningful context dialogue levels per student. room in many ways. Adapting course The second group had no ratings below 3.0 objectives to weekly outcomes has • activity-based. 16 8 Bedore, 100. (good) but both classes felt the amount of helped make my expectations of stu- 9 Bedore, 109-110. He then offers over 40 such material covered was too much. Students dents expressed in the objectives much Arenas targeted for future implementation tools. found the 3 rather challenging assignments clearer. Online teaching has also pro- are the incorporation of quick time movies, per week to be too time-consuming and vided the incremental steps necessary pictures and audio recordings to the online 10 Dialogue texts chosen for the online students difficult. Some students indicated they to achieve course objectives through class. In particular, the Detroit area change periodically, but this year have included: would like verbal feedback on each of their learning exercises and activities which Harvard Pluralism Project with which I am Chief Seattle’s Speech to Governor Stevens in assignments. engage students in the process of their associated has developed a photo exhibit of 1854; a Zen story; two newspaper articles on own learning. With time and use the area religious communities and is in the Judaism in contemporary life; an excerpt from Instructor evaluation instructor is able to gauge which process of recording audio portraits of com- Anne Tyler’s Saint Maybe on atonement for the assignments are accomplishing their munities in action. I would like to make Christianity unit; and a newspaper article on • Assignments: The demand of grading desired purpose and which are not. It these materials available to online students Islam entitled "Muslims Try to Correct Wrong 60+ assignments per week is excessive. has made the class fun — both for me as well to supplement their experience in Beliefs about Islam." In future, I would change this to 2 and the students — due to the activi- the religious communities in our Metro 11 Synchronous forums must be timed so that stu- graded assignments with other topics ty-based assignments. Detroit area. ❧ dents are "present" during agreed-upon hours. posted for general discussion. Asynchronous forums are available whenever indi- viduals choose to access them. The Blackboard Other learning tools such as pairs shar- Gateway and Retention platform adopted in 2000 allows both. ing or small groups would simplify the Retention policies and practices are a major required work but not sacrifice learn- focus of community colleges today. The 12 Ibid, 5. ing objectives. "revolving door" of 10-20 years ago is no 13 The Blackboard platform has a Digital Drop longer acceptable in the face of increased Box for student work which can be accessed Another tool to simplify the grading of competition for students from many post- only by the instructor but which permits com- assignments would be a list of frequent secondary institutions. Retention is closely ments on the material submitted. weaknesses or comments (similar to connected to student preparation for the banks of FAQ) which could be cut, course, and the requirements for entry are 14 Bedore, 115. pasted and mailed in response to each established by institutional policies. Those 15 Frank White reflects on this and other issues student’s weekly work. requirements at Macomb include a self-test which disillusion an interested student in his of attributes needed for online student suc- unpublished paper, "Computer-Mediated A third tool already used was the ability cess before student enrollment. If the stu- Distance Learning: Critical Reflections on a to grade student work from the com- dent deems him/herself qualified, they are Personal Experience." December, 1999. puter screen instead of printing it first. allowed to enroll. Prior to the start of In earlier classes, I felt uncomfortable classes new students are given Blackboard 16 White, "A Review of the Learning Principles grading work on screen since I was entry and password and complete an orien- that Underlie Virtual Learning Environments.", accustomed to comment on portions of tation in the use the platform technology. 7. the assignment as I reviewed it. The orientation is mandatory and comple-

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SOLOMON, from p.vi Literature I, for one 4-credit combined rience of Christian mystics such as St. ous, ecstatic state; a permanent absorp- course: World Religion and Literature. In Lit Teresa of Avila, or St. John of the Cross, tion into the divine, a rebirth. retells, about how a buffalo herd covenants 201, we read Akhenaten’s Hymn to the Sun, with the Hindu mystic experience, and the with the Blackfoot tribe to allow themselves large portions of Genesis and the stories of Islamic Sufi experience. It is amazing that The sufis themselves describe a twofold to be hunted and eaten, as long as they are Joseph and his brothers, Jonah, Cain and such diverse traditions come together so approach to God. Hujwiri (d. ca. 1071) hunted in the right spirit, with reverence, Abel, and Noah and the Ark from the old similarly, almost as though the weather claims, "There is a difference between one without waste, and with the proper atten- Testament. We also read Gilgamesh, which below may be varied and cloudy in reli- who is burned by His Majesty in the fire of tion to the dancing and rituals that will makes a fascinating comparison with the gious experience, but when one transcends love and one who is illuminated by His allow the herd to be constantly renewed. Noah stories. There are selections from these differences, the mystical light above Beauty in the light of contemplation." We contrast the "I-Thou" attitude of the those most exciting Hindu scriptural sto- is concentrated, clear and unified.. Native American towards the buffalo with ries, the Ramayana, Bhagavid Gita, and Jami distinguishes between two types of the colonial white "I-It" attitude, hunting Mahabharata. We read selections from the One of the best definitions of the stages of advanced Sufis, one type "to whom the the buffalo to extinction for trophies and Chinese Book of Songs and Confucius’s the mystic experience, common both to Primordial Grace and Lovingkindness has robes, without needing or valuing the Analects. Then we read Socrates Apology and the experience of St. John of the Cross and granted salvation after their being sub- meat. Phaedo by Plato; we read Luke’s birth story to the path of Raja Yoga in Hinduism, is merged in complete union and in the wave of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount and given by Farid al-din Attar in "Conference of tawhid (unification).... " The second Because Craig is provincial and isolated, Matthew’s Passion of Jesus, followed by the of the Birds." type "are those who are completely sub- there are no temples, synagogues or Confessions of St. Augustine. We then turn merged in the ocean of Unity and have mosques to visit. As we continue to study to Islam, and read suras from the Qu’ran, 1. Talab: yearning for union with God. been so completely naughted in the belly of the world religions, we must create our selections from The Biography of the Prophet Renunciation of worldly things. the fish "annihilation" that never a news or own introductory experiences. Studying by Ibn Ishaq, two stories from The trace comes to the shore of separation and Buddhism, when covering Diamond-Way Conference of Birds, by Farid al-din Attar, 2. Ishq: an overwhelming love for the the direction of subsistence... and the sanc- Buddhism in Tibet, we discuss the Dalai the mystic and sufi, followed by the ecstatic goal. tity of perfecting others is not entrusted to Lama’s story as well as the religious differ- sufi poetry of Rumi and Sa’di. And for a them." (Anne-Marie Schimmel, Mystical ences. We watch Kundun, and research the chaser, there are the delightful satires of 3. Marfat: enlightenment, seeing God in Dimensions of Islam, Chapel Hill: U. of sufferings of Tibet; I offer the option of religious figures in The Canterbury Tales and every particle of creation. North Carolina Press, 1975, 7) sending letters of support and/or money to a final accounting of sin and virtue, the Help Tibet Campaign, and most partic- Dante’s Inferno with selections from 4. Istraghrak or fana: Absorption into the I enjoy closing the course by discussing ipate. When we study Daoism, I have Purgatorio and Paradiso, by Dante. We even beloved, involving the annihilation of the common characteristics of the mystical homegrown yarrow sticks from my father’s have a highly entertaining Buddhist fable, the ego; dark night of the soul. experience in these different religions. It is orchard (lots of good chi there) that we use "Monkey" (an abridgement, translated by as though we have distilled the essence of to do an I-ching reading in class. We also Arthur Waley, of the four-volume Journey to 5. Tawhid: Unity consciousness. God is Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, clarified burn incense and pass around hell-notes, the West, a fantastic account of the historical experienced as timeless, and as a per- and purified from the muddy, imperfect, discussing their function. When discussing journey of a 9th century monk to bring the meating unity amid worldly multiplici- and very human domains of history. It Islam, I bring my Iranian chador and let Mahayana Buddhist scriptures to China). ty. " Till duality and consciousness of gives me hope that below our layers of cul- the students alternate wearing it; carrying As a course in primary texts of world reli- the world is lost, this stage is not tural accretion, the prejudice, weight of things, passing out papers, moving books gions, it would be outstanding. reached, and when it is reached, He experience, sorrows and injustices of histo- across the class all become a new challenge alone is left. I am obliterated." Attar. ry, we can find a common spirit of love, that gives them insight into the restrictions At the close of the section on Islam, (at unity and agreement. And to me that is on women. least, those times when we have been disci- 6. Hairat: amazement. The seeker is what religion should be about. ❧ plined and stuck closely enough to our syl- struck dumb by the glorious percep- If I could have my way with the state sys- labus that enough time remains) we close tion of the divine. tem, I would blend Phi 115, Comparative with a unit on mystical thought in Islam. I Religions, with Lit 201, Masterpieces of World point out the similarities between the expe- 7. Fuqr Wa Fana: Annihilation: a raptur-

JAUHIAINEN, from p.v allows them to be more flexible in their ity of its courses. Its primary concern is to how the study of religion can promote programming. Since religious studies is prepare students for jobs — to connect some of these skills, through the interpreta- idea that we in the liberal arts, for example, often seen as tangential to other "core" dis- newly acquired skills to the job market, tion of texts, the writing of papers, and the can adequately improve and measure stu- ciplines, courses are frequently taught by thereby promoting students’ economic and critical analysis of ideas, practices and insti- dents’ skills and learning when we are professors trained in other areas like philos- social progress. This emphasis on practical tutions of human cultures. Community assigned 150-190 students per semester. The ophy or literature or by members of the usefulness represents a somewhat different college administrators need to be shown large student volume restricts one’s choice of clergy. ideal than the traditional college or univer- how religious studies give students impor- assignments and the amount of constructive sity, where a strong commitment to the lib- tant analytical tools that will serve them feedback one provides on papers and exam This presents two obvious concerns. One, eral arts reveals an underlying concern to well in the work place and other facets of essays, and indeed tempts one to resort to there are a lot of instructors teaching reli- develop well-rounded, educated persons life. much multiple choice testing in order to gion at community colleges who are not who are prepared to encounter life in all its reduce the time spent grading. adequately trained in the academic study of variety. Another way is to stress the importance of religion, let alone the particular subject preparing students for constructive engage- In responding to community needs, com- being taught. I don’t have any statistics to What kinds of implications does this "con- ment in a multicultural workplace and soci- munity colleges have been concerned to back this up, but a casual check of commu- sumerist culture" have for religious studies, ety, and for understanding the complex provide quality programs at low cost. One nity college course catalogs or web pages or more specifically, for the promotion of reactions of world communities to the way of reducing costs is not only to have bears this out. This perhaps promotes the religious studies at community colleges? I ubiquitous forces of globalization. They some faculty teach large classes, but to have perception that religion is not a rigorous still think there is a place to argue for the will be working with and living among them teach more classes than they would in academic discipline in its own right that validity of religious studies by appealing to people of diverse religious beliefs, values, a liberal arts college or university setting. deserves to be placed alongside history, phi- the value of developing full human beings and practices. The academic study of reli- At Kirkwood, the standard load is five losophy, literature, and so on. who might be intellectually, morally, and gion can promote a healthy understanding classes per semester. Needless to say, there spiritually enriched or challenged by study- of and appreciation for diversity, thereby is little time for research. At the communi- Second, I suspect that some ministers who ing the religious dimensions of different encouraging cooperation and mutual ty college, faculty are primarily teachers. serve as adjunct instructors are tempted to cultures. Yet in a context where vast num- respect among workers or citizens. It can They are not expected to publish. Thus use the classroom as a pulpit for promoting bers of students never go beyond one or also encourage a more nuanced awareness they are relieved of the pressure of having their own religious faith. This raises serious two years of course work, but instead are of the divergent expressions of religious to churn out articles and books in order to church/state issues that might further con- concerned to get just enough education to conviction within each of the world’s reli- receive ongoing employment. Yet this can firm the reluctance of some community improve their job prospects, we need to gions, thereby preventing rash and indis- be frustrating for faculty who would like to colleges to offer religion courses. Not only articulate how the study of religion is appli- criminate judgments that perpetuate cycles make contributions to the larger scholarly do state supported, secular institutions cable to the work place. I would like to of prejudicial thoughts and actions toward community, or who fear intellectual stagna- need to be convinced of the importance of suggest a couple of ways how this can be the individual members of different reli- tion if time prohibits them from keeping religious studies, but they must be con- done. gious communities. This goal has perhaps up to date with the latest scholarship in vinced of the importance of hiring qualified been never more urgent than in the after- their disciplines. religious academicians to teach the subjects One thing we hear increasingly from math of the tragic events of September 11, in this area. employers is the desire for prospective job as Americans of all faiths work to under- Another way of keeping costs down is to seekers to be not only technically proficient stand each other better and assess the employ large numbers of part-time, adjunct A final issue relates to the pragmatic but to be thoroughly trained in the so- social, political, and religious factors that instructors. Community colleges generally dimension in a different way. The commu- called "soft skills." These include critical or breed hatred and violence, both within our use a higher percentage of adjunct instruc- nity college is characterized by a "consumer logical thinking, problem solving, oral and country and the world at large. ❧ tors than four-year colleges and universities. approach" to education where the overrid- written communication, and the ability to This not only keeps tuition costs lower, it ing concern is the economic and social util- work in small groups. We should stress

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The student must complete a capstone experi- NELSON, from p.iv The reasons students Biblical Greek with an enrollment of six- ence of 1-3 credits. We recommend Social teen. Who, then, was that one student seen Sciences (SOSC 2395) or Humanities (HUMN are enrolled in Biblical on a daily basis with me in a classroom? He 2440)1-3 Religious Studies Languages and Biblical was an older retired man crippled with Specialization Archaeology arthritis and able to see the Greek text only while holding a large lens. He was not able A Religious Studies Specialization was Core Electives Required for the 1. Students completing language require- to attend the Greek course under normal approved in the spring of 2001 by the Specialization ments for the University of Wyoming arrangements so I repeated the course one- Northwest College Curriculum Committee or other BA and BS transfer programs. on-one for him. It was a blessing for both and entered the class schedule in the fall of Students must complete four courses (12- Students must complete twelve credits of us. He was a wonderful person with a 2001. No new courses have been intro- 16 credits) from the following list of in one language for the BA or eight sharp mind and great passion for learning duced since the college is not in an expan- approved of approved courses, at least one credits in one language for the BS. Greek. We had a great semester. sionist mode just now, but hopefully some from each track. expansion of the curriculum will take place 2. Students taking language courses to I suppose there will always be some criti- in time. Below is the description of the Track I – Anthropological and Linguistic meet humanities and/or multicultural cism in the community college of the so- Religious Studies Specialization Number and Title Credits general education requirements. called "exotic humanities curriculum," but ("Specialization" is our word for "major"). I Anth 2200 – World Ethnography: the answer, of course, lies in the enroll- welcome any comments or suggestions Topics vary by semester 3 3. Students taking language courses in ments. So far, in the sixteen years we have from readers. Track I of the Religious Studies Anth 2310 – Archaeological had Greek and Hebrew in the curriculum, Specialization. Field Methods: Israel 1-6 the courses have never failed to fill. As I Anth 2350 – Biblical Archaeology 3 said earlier, I am working in an area of this Associate of Arts with specializa- 4. Non-traditional students taking lan- Greek 1015 – Elementary Biblical Greek I 4 country where there is a great desire for this guages for personal reasons apart from tion in Religious Studies kind of learning and hopefully the enroll- Greek 1025 – Elementary Biblical Greek II 4 degree seeking. These students have Religious Studies is the interdisciplinary ments in Biblical languages and Biblical Greek 2035 – Intermediate Biblical Greek 4 been the largest and most stable com- study of the subject of religion. Courses are archaeology, will continue to be strong. Greek 2150 – Selected Readings ponent in enrollments. available from Anthropology, English, in Biblical Greek 1 Philosophy, Humanities, Ancient Languages, 5. Students planning to attend seminary and History. The purpose of religious studies Hebrew 1010 – First Year Hebrew I 4 A Student Testimonial or transfer to a Bible-related college. is intellectual and is not intended to teach Hebrew 1020 – First Year Hebrew II 4 "What’s a forty-six-year-old homemaker, any particular religious faith. It is the study Hebrew 2030 – Second Year Hebrew 4 mother of seven children, resident of rural Types of students enrolled in Biblical of religion from comparative, cultural, and Wyoming, doing in Hebrew and Greek Hebrew 2150 – Selected Readings Languages and Biblical Archaeology historical perspectives. in Hebrew 1 classes? Having the time of her life! I have waited many years for my children to be We have had a range of students take Greek Religious Studies includes three tracks. old enough to enable me to take these and/or Hebrew over the years, including, Students may choose to focus on classes. My friends gasp when they hear of welders, ministers, ranchers (cattle and Anthropological and Linguistic studies, or it and ask why on earth I would want to do sheep), outfitters (hunting and fishing Humanities and Philosophical studies, or Track II – Humanities and Philosophical such a thing. I just know that it has been a guides), military personnel, senior citizens Historical approaches. Approaches burning desire for as long as I can remem- and retirees, business people, housewives ber. I love the Scriptures and have always Engl 2170 – Bible as Literature 3 and mothers, engineers, geologists, a few General Education Requirements wanted to be able to read them in the origi- Engl 2280 – Intro. to Mythology 3 high school students, artists, and traditional nal languages. I find there are many bene- Engl 2400/HUMN 2030 – degree-seeking students. Students should refer to the Graduation fits to taking these classes. I believe my Intro. to Folklore 3 Requirements regarding general education overall memory has improved in every way. requirements. Your advisor may have sug- Engl 2410 – Literary Genres 3 A personal and I have taught religion classes in my church gestions about courses that would be par- Humn 2440 – Dialogues in the Humanities 3 for twenty years and know that others will ticularly useful for you. Phil 1000 – Introduction to illustrative story also be able to benefit in a small second- Philosophy 3 Some years ago I was often seen in a class- hand way from my new-found knowledge. For the 2001-2002 catalog these total Phil 2200 – Social and Political Philosophy 3 room with one student. Little did I know Excitement over learning is contagious, and 36 - 39 credits Phil 2311 – Philosophy of Religion 3 this was stirring up some controversy in my children are showing a lot of interest in another department over the Dean of learning another language. We have a lot of Required Core Courses Instruction, a humanities-oriented scholar, fun sharing the little we know with each approving an exotic course, Biblical Greek, other. But, most of all, the best reason of Three courses (9 credits) with only one student in it. That particular all, is that it tastes so delicious to me! I love semester I was teaching five classes which is learning it and I will go to my grave thank- Track III – Historical Approaches Number and Title Credits our usual load and had 154 students. ful that it was taught, of all places, in a Hist 1110 – Western Civilization I 3 ANTH 2350, Biblical Archaeology 3 Clearly I was doing my duty for the col- small community college in Wyoming." ❧ or Hist 1120 – Western Civilization II 3 lege. That semester one of my courses was ENGL 2170, Bible as Literature 3 Hist 2120 – Ancient Greece 3 PHIL 2311, Philosophy of Religion 3 Hist 2130 – Ancient Rome 3 or Hist 2140 – Ancient Near East 3 Engl 2280, Introduction to Mythology 3 General Electives 0-9 LAPP, from p.ii Although we have forty hours of class time, (courses not chosen above may be used as elec- Minimum credits for the degree 64 we simply cannot deal with as much mate- tives below) Forrest Gump, Mr. Holland’s Opus, The rial as in a full semester. That’s the reality. Shawshenk Redemption, or another of the ten However, that said, students often express films Jewett discusses. They study the Pauline amazement at the end of the course about text which Jewett identifies and read his dis- how much they learned in such a short BRIEL, from p.vii By far, the most satisfying classes that I’ve cussion about the "interpretive arch" between time. worked with are the weekend students at Paul and the movie. Then they watch the half of the people in the room. Many the community college. The classes are the movie and prepare a classroom presentation One of the films we sometimes watch is good students have to talk about material perfect combination of subject matter and in which they show a clip of the film and Babette’s Feast. In the film, a pietistic and to fully understand it, others have a need student maturity. I am privileged to discuss analyze Jewett’s "dialogue" between the ascetic Danish congregation is transformed to experience, or interact, with the material the most challenging and profound ideas ancient and modern texts. Students have gen- when a French cook, Babette, offers to pre- to appreciate it. with the most open and diverse selection of erally found the activity interesting, and the pare a banquet to honor the group’s students possible. Often, they are at a presentations have at times generated heated founder. Having renounced all pleasures of point in life where they are most able to debate. I always deliberate about the value of the flesh, the congregants watch in horror Conclusion make use of the course content. These watching films rather than using the time to as Babette prepares a sumptuous spread of Teaching is a craft. Once the basics of the people lead me to think in new ways, and focus on the ancient text, but I continue to truffles, caviar, quail, sea turtles, wine and craft are mastered, usually through years of to analyze the material more deeply, use the activity specifically because of the other dangerous pleasures. They are deter- practice, matching the subject matter and because that’s what they are doing. They weekend format. Energies are flagging by this mined not to enjoy the feast, but the deli- teaching approach to the maturity level of have the interest and the courage to look at point in the weekend, and the films provide a cious foods and wine work to soften their the students is the only variable. I’ve had their own backgrounds, expectations, fears needed change of pace. hearts and heal unspoken quarrels which the great good fortune to teach the subject and needs. have divided people for decades. Jewett of Religion across a wide age span — from Considering energy and attention-spans places the film in conversation with Paul’s 6th-graders to junior college students — As I said, I love my teaching job. ❧ raises a final issue regarding the weekend- letter to the Corinthians in which the apos- and in a variety of parochial and non- intensive format. Because of the compact tle urges the Christians of Corinth to allow denominational settings. nature of the course, students simply do the sharing of the love feast to build com- not have as much time between classes to munity rather than create dissension. In read and reflect as would be possible in a honor of Babette and the Corinthians, we regular semester class. One cannot do in an end the class with a potluck brunch on the eight-hour stretch what is possible in eight final Sunday morning, a celebration of the class periods spread over three weeks. I academic community we have created dur- have to curtail reading assignments. ing the three weekends of class. ❧

xii • October 2002 AAR RSN