"To become educated is to enter the centuries-old conversation with all the classics; to enter that conversation independently and critically, to be sure, but nonetheless to enter." -- David Tracy
My philosophy of teaching revolves around the notion of education as conversation. I find that courses in theology, religious studies, and philosophy are among the best places to cultivate the ability to converse. I've been privileged to teach at institutions where religious diversity and the dialogue that can result from that diversity are welcomed and encouraged. Here are a few values I use to organize my classes, so that my students can enjoy the possibilities inherent in conversation...
Finding a voice
The best moments of conversation occur when partners take two risks. First, they listen, risking the possibility that their partner has something worthwhile to say. Second, they speak, risking the possibility that what they say may or may not be welcomed. I encourage my students to listen while also finding their own voice. The ability to speak is of central importance in a course covering religion, since religion is often at fault for discouraging exploration.
Class typically begins with a listening exercise -- usually a powerpoint lecture, no more than thirty minutes, in which I introduce students to our topic for the day. These lectures are uploaded onto our course website. I may also utilize a TED or Youtube video or a portion of a DVD. I find that after about thirty minutes of listening, students reach their receptive point of saturation, so I then engage them in an exercise allowing self-expression. Because I am a bit of a control freak, these exercises do not come from nowhere. I usually hand out a brief written text that illustrates the point of the day: perhaps an op-ed piece, news item, blog post, or portion of our required reading, which are accompanied by a set of questions. Students are asked to respond to these questions individually or in groups.
Trust and vulnerability
No conversation can occur without mutual trust. I do my best to cultivate a sense of trust in my classroom by developing a relational rapport with my students quickly as possible: memorizing and using students’ names, incorporating discussions held outside of class into lectures, speaking with students before class, and complementing critique with plenty of encouragement. As students observe that (although this is a course in religion!) their professor is not only open to their point of view but encourages them to express their own, they develop a sense of confidence that allows them to do their best work.
Accountability and regularity
Yet I also find that conversations are most productive, when they follow certain ground rules. I balance the “fun” side of class by including numerous, “bite-sized” requirements in my syllabi. Here are two examples:
(1) I have a rather strict attendance policy, which I enforce by taking roll at the beginning of every class session. Memorizing names early helps speed this process. In courses meeting three times a week over a fifteen-week period, I allow students to miss three class sessions. (Three tardies, which include leaving class early, count as an absence.) Students who meet the attendance policy are allowed to write a final paper instead of taking a final exam.
(2) A major portion of the students’ final grade (usually 40%) is their “quiz average.” Most of these quizzes are timed, online quizzes that students are required to complete twenty minutes before class. These questions then serve as a portion of the study guide for in-class quizzes and exams. I may also post reading guide questions and then require an open-note (not open-book) quiz that is based on these questions. Other grades include pop quizzes, group exercises, or even class-wide quizzes that we take together. This variety provides sufficient leeway while requiring regular involvement and thus enabling memory.
Grace and fun
When that rarely great conversation occurs, conversation partners find that they lose themselves in the game of dialogue. Although I design my courses with a rather detailed amount of structure, I am also aware that life throws unpredictable situations at my students. I especially apply this value in classes with a high number of non-traditional students. Built into my syllabi are various opportunities for extra-credit. Among the most beneficial of these assignments is a response paper to a public lecture held outside of class. Students are asked to write a 2-page paper: one page summarizing the content of the lecture they attended and one page summarizing their own response to it.
Hermeneutics and horizon
Finally, I do not pretend to approach religious studies within a vacuum. In any conversation opinions are construed and evaluated according to ways of thinking that are connected to one’s cultural background but, for that reason, not often named. Philosophers call this cultural location a “horizon.” The best forms of theological education allow students to understand their own location. As has occurred in my own life, I encourage students not only to own and celebrate their respective cultural-religious loci but to think critically about them as well.
I often use the exchange between Socrates and Glaucon in Plato's Republic to illustrate this point:
Socrates: If the man who ascended out of the cave of shadows returned to the shadows and interacted with his fellow prisoners about the shadows on the wall, would he not be the source of laughter, considered a corrupt, incorrigible atheist? And if those prisoners were somehow able to get their hands on him, wouldn’t they certainly try to kill him?
Glaucon: Undoubtedly.
I believe education is at its best when it provides opportunities for students to climb out of their respective caves; interact with new, inevitably bright, and perhaps blinding ideas; and often find themselves disagreeing with the members of their community of origin. In no discipline is this narrative more observable and more important than theology.
The future of our global society depends on our ability to converse. Hasty entry into complex debates can perpetuate myopia and disable collective flourishing. By introducing my students to the excitement of conversation around the ultimate questions religion engages, I enable them to become responsible participants in our increasingly global society.
Samples
Evaluations
My philosophy of teaching revolves around the notion of education as conversation. I find that courses in theology, religious studies, and philosophy are among the best places to cultivate the ability to converse. I've been privileged to teach at institutions where religious diversity and the dialogue that can result from that diversity are welcomed and encouraged. Here are a few values I use to organize my classes, so that my students can enjoy the possibilities inherent in conversation...
Finding a voice
The best moments of conversation occur when partners take two risks. First, they listen, risking the possibility that their partner has something worthwhile to say. Second, they speak, risking the possibility that what they say may or may not be welcomed. I encourage my students to listen while also finding their own voice. The ability to speak is of central importance in a course covering religion, since religion is often at fault for discouraging exploration.
Class typically begins with a listening exercise -- usually a powerpoint lecture, no more than thirty minutes, in which I introduce students to our topic for the day. These lectures are uploaded onto our course website. I may also utilize a TED or Youtube video or a portion of a DVD. I find that after about thirty minutes of listening, students reach their receptive point of saturation, so I then engage them in an exercise allowing self-expression. Because I am a bit of a control freak, these exercises do not come from nowhere. I usually hand out a brief written text that illustrates the point of the day: perhaps an op-ed piece, news item, blog post, or portion of our required reading, which are accompanied by a set of questions. Students are asked to respond to these questions individually or in groups.
Trust and vulnerability
No conversation can occur without mutual trust. I do my best to cultivate a sense of trust in my classroom by developing a relational rapport with my students quickly as possible: memorizing and using students’ names, incorporating discussions held outside of class into lectures, speaking with students before class, and complementing critique with plenty of encouragement. As students observe that (although this is a course in religion!) their professor is not only open to their point of view but encourages them to express their own, they develop a sense of confidence that allows them to do their best work.
Accountability and regularity
Yet I also find that conversations are most productive, when they follow certain ground rules. I balance the “fun” side of class by including numerous, “bite-sized” requirements in my syllabi. Here are two examples:
(1) I have a rather strict attendance policy, which I enforce by taking roll at the beginning of every class session. Memorizing names early helps speed this process. In courses meeting three times a week over a fifteen-week period, I allow students to miss three class sessions. (Three tardies, which include leaving class early, count as an absence.) Students who meet the attendance policy are allowed to write a final paper instead of taking a final exam.
(2) A major portion of the students’ final grade (usually 40%) is their “quiz average.” Most of these quizzes are timed, online quizzes that students are required to complete twenty minutes before class. These questions then serve as a portion of the study guide for in-class quizzes and exams. I may also post reading guide questions and then require an open-note (not open-book) quiz that is based on these questions. Other grades include pop quizzes, group exercises, or even class-wide quizzes that we take together. This variety provides sufficient leeway while requiring regular involvement and thus enabling memory.
Grace and fun
When that rarely great conversation occurs, conversation partners find that they lose themselves in the game of dialogue. Although I design my courses with a rather detailed amount of structure, I am also aware that life throws unpredictable situations at my students. I especially apply this value in classes with a high number of non-traditional students. Built into my syllabi are various opportunities for extra-credit. Among the most beneficial of these assignments is a response paper to a public lecture held outside of class. Students are asked to write a 2-page paper: one page summarizing the content of the lecture they attended and one page summarizing their own response to it.
Hermeneutics and horizon
Finally, I do not pretend to approach religious studies within a vacuum. In any conversation opinions are construed and evaluated according to ways of thinking that are connected to one’s cultural background but, for that reason, not often named. Philosophers call this cultural location a “horizon.” The best forms of theological education allow students to understand their own location. As has occurred in my own life, I encourage students not only to own and celebrate their respective cultural-religious loci but to think critically about them as well.
I often use the exchange between Socrates and Glaucon in Plato's Republic to illustrate this point:
Socrates: If the man who ascended out of the cave of shadows returned to the shadows and interacted with his fellow prisoners about the shadows on the wall, would he not be the source of laughter, considered a corrupt, incorrigible atheist? And if those prisoners were somehow able to get their hands on him, wouldn’t they certainly try to kill him?
Glaucon: Undoubtedly.
I believe education is at its best when it provides opportunities for students to climb out of their respective caves; interact with new, inevitably bright, and perhaps blinding ideas; and often find themselves disagreeing with the members of their community of origin. In no discipline is this narrative more observable and more important than theology.
The future of our global society depends on our ability to converse. Hasty entry into complex debates can perpetuate myopia and disable collective flourishing. By introducing my students to the excitement of conversation around the ultimate questions religion engages, I enable them to become responsible participants in our increasingly global society.
Samples
Evaluations