Secondary School Teachers at AAR
Annual Meeting for Teachers of Religion
Hilton Towers, Chicago, IL
Friday, October 31, 2008
Our tenth annual gathering of secondary school teachers of religions and ethics from private and public schools, this event is sponsored by CSEE, the Program in Religion and Secondary Education at Harvard Divinity School, and Religious Studies in Secondary Schools. Formal sessions will address Nature in Taoism, teaching ethics, and teaching the Universe Story. “Teacher-to-Teacher,” our afternoon session, invites attendees again this year to talk about or present work or projects they are involved in relating to the field of religious studies.
Schedule (tentative)
Friday, October 31, 2008 – 8:30-4:00
8:30 – 9:00 Registration
9:00- 9:30 Welcome and Introductions
9:30 - 10:30 Teaching the Universe Story (Thomas P. Collins)
10:30 - 10: 45 Break
10: 45 - 12:15 Peace, Conflict Resolution and Religion (Elizabeth Bounds, Ph.D., Emory University)
12:15 - 1:15 Lunch (included in registration fee)
1:15 - 2:45 Taoism and Nature (James Miller, Ph.D., Queens University Ontario)
2:45 - 3:00 Break
3:00 - 4:00 Teacher to Teacher presentations (please contact CSEE if you wish need more than 10 minutes for your slot)
About the Presentations
Taoism and Nature
This presentation will look at how religious Daoists have historically viewed the natural world, and how their viewpoint has shaped their interactions with nature in terms of philosophy, ethics and practice. It will focus on China’s sacred geography, the various mountains and grottos where Daoists have engaged in meditation and self-cultivation, and the relationship between the inner landscape of the body and the surrounding environment. The presentation will include a brief introduction to the story of religion in modern China and how Chinese people are currently re-evaluating the merits of traditional religion and culture especially with regard to formulating a contemporary environmental ethic.
Teaching the Universe Story
Cosmology has always influenced the constructions of worldviews, and religions mutually reinforce both cosmologies and worldviews. For the first time in human history we now possess a complete scientific cosmology that can tell the story of the universe from beginning to the present. For teachers of religious studies this understanding, and the understanding of the new emerging cosmology, have profound implications This previously incomprehensible "epic of evolution" allows us both to see and to participate in the unfolding of the universe. In this presentation, Tom Collins will introduce his work teaching the Universe Story and the effects the work has had on students.
Hotel Info
A number of secondary school participants in this event will be staying at the Congress Plaza Hotel, just a few blocks from the convention. Rooms start at $115. You may call the hotel at 312.427.3800, or reserve online at www.congressplazahotel.com. Several other hotels are available through AAR for those who join (see below).
AAR Membership for Secondary School Teachers
Again this year, conference participants have the opportunity to join the American Academy of Religion, to attend all AAR sessions, and to visit the exhibit / book hall at a significantly reduced price. To take advantage of this offer, please download and send in this form.
For more information about the AAR meeting, please visit the AAR site.