Teaching the World's Religions

Summer Institute, 2009

Cenacle Retreat Center, Chicago, IL
Thursday, June 25th - Tuesday, June 30th

This year's institute will focus especially on Buddhism and Islam, with university scholars and creative secondary school teachers from independent schools around the country. Teachers of religions and history leave our institutes with increased knowledge, new ideas for what to do in the classroom, and great lists of both resources and contacts.

Featured Presenters in June 2009

Christian Wedemeyer, Ph.D.
University of Chicago

Buddhist Texts for Classroom Use

In three half-day sessions on Buddhism, Dr. Christian Wedemeyer will address basic issues and key concepts, the use of the Lotus Sutra, a key text for the classroom, and Buddhist rituals and practices.

Asma Afsaruddin, Ph. D.
Notre Dame University/Indiana University

Modern Issues in Islam
In this half-day session Dr. Afsaruddin will focus on issues that come to the forefront with Muslims in the world today; she will focus especially on religious pluralism, tolerance, and gender.

Jihad
In this afternoon session, participants will look at the concept of jihad in Islam: its Qur'anic roots, its history, its varying interpretations in the modern world.

Bridget O'Brien
Hands on Hinduism 
This session will provide the opportunity to explore a wide variety of resources for teaching about Hinduism. It will include activities and readings for working with Vedic literature, the Upanishads, the bhakti poets, the famous Hindu epics, contemporary issues found in India (such as nationalism and environmental issues) and it will also include ideas about how to teach about Hinduism in America. The session will include hands-on activities for participants that may be utilized and modified in one's own classroom and it will provide both background material on these topics for students and suggested readings for students (and instructors alike) who might enjoy the opportunity to continue the journey as a lifelong learner.

Religion, Ethics and Nature: Teaching about nature in the RS classroom
Global concern over the health of the planet continues to grow, with increasing population and continued economic growth raising important questions about natural resource use and conservation and the trajectory of development. This session is designed to demonstrate how RS studies classrooms may be used as an arena for analyzing the relationships between human and nonhuman nature. We will begin by exploring some of the ways that the constructed terms religion, nature and ethics are conceived. Then, we will discuss ways to help students explore such questions as: To what extent have religions contributed to environmental degradation? What solutions do certain religious traditions propose? Resource ideas for the classroom will be provided for topics such as 1) food, agriculture and population issues 2) animals 3) media, consumption and education 4) science/technology 5) recreation, sacred spaces and recreation 6) water issues 7) sustainability and politics with a special focus on consumerism and religion.
 
Jim McGarry
The Other Smith's Contribution to Understanding and Teaching Religions
This presentation will introduce the legacy of one of the most remarkable contributors to religious studies in the 20th century, Wilfred Cantwell Smith. Several passages from Smith's work will be presented and discussed, especially passages that are relevant both to Islam and to the larger discussion about how to understand, and how to teach, religion.
 
David Streight
Islam's Early Years
This presentation will look at the birth of Islam and key events in the early years of the Muslim Community, with a focus on key issues and information for the high school religion classroom.  Special focus will be on the early factors that served to split the Shi'ite partisans of the Ali from the larger Sunni community.
 
Approaches to Teaching Religion
Two issues will be addressed in this block of time, both emerging from recommendations by CSEE's experienced teachers consortium. The first entails the mindset of the teacher that guides his or her way of presenting religious traditions: are other traditions looked at as inferior to one's own tradition? are religions presented as if they were static entities with set beliefs and practices unchanged by time? are all religions equal in all ways? How are religions affected by historical and political events? Etc. The second entails teaching religions through themes, such as pilgrimage, love, or art. Participants are expected to finish the presentation with new thoughts about exciting new possibilities.
 
Tentative Schedule
Thursday Evening, June 25
Start time: 6pm, Dinner

Introductions
Islam: Shiites and Sunnis (David Streight)

Friday Morning

Buddhism: Basic Issues and Key Concepts (Christian Wedemeyer)

Friday Afternoon
Buddhism: Use of the Lotus Sutra text in the classroom (Christian Wedemeyer)

Saturday Morning
Buddhism: Rituals and Practices (Christian Wedemeyer)

Saturday Afternoon
Participants are free to explore Chicago on their own 

Sunday Morning
(Late beginning to allow for participants who wish to attend Christian religious services in the neighborhood)

Hinduism: Activities for the Classroom, presented by Bridgette O'Brien

Sunday Afternoon
Every Religion is a New Religion Every Morning: Provocative Thoughts from Wilfred Cantwell Smith (Jim McGarry)

Looking at Nature Through Religion (Brigette O'Brien)

Monday Morning
Modern Issues in Islam (Asma Afsaruddin)

Monday Afternoon
Jihad (Asma Afsaruddin)

Tuesday Morning
Approaches to Teaching Religion (David Streight)

Resources for the Classroom

Finish with Lunch (noon)

Accommodations at Cenacle Retreat Center

Located in the historic Lincoln Park neigborhood of Chicago, just four blocks from Lake Michigan, Cenacle Retreat Center is a peaceful Haven in the midst of the city. Single-room accomodations, delicious meals, and our meeting space is all on site.