This is a provisional schedule for the July 2024 Religious Worlds institute. Some details may change, but this schedule will give you a clear sense of content and pacing of the institute.
Note that readings and activities in green are optional, so the workload is not as large as it may seem. Optional readings will enrich your understanding of the issues we discuss, but will not be a focus of class discussions. Optional readings on specific faith traditions are highly recommended if you’re not already familiar with the tradition in question.
Introduction to the Institute
Monday, July 8
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Welcome, Orientation, and Introductions, Henry Goldschmidt
Reading:
Christopher Cotter and David Robertson, “The World Religions Paradigm in Contemporary Religious Studies,” in After World Religions, eds. Cotter and Robertson (Routledge, 2016), pp 1-20.
Henry Goldschmidt, “From World Religions to Lived Religion: Towards a Pedagogy of Civic Engagement in Secondary School Religious Studies Curricula,” in Civility, Religious Pluralism, and Education, eds. Vincent Biondo & Andrew Fiala (Routledge, 2014), pp 177-192.
10:30 Break
10:45 Religious Liberty in American History and Ideals, Charles Haynes
Reading:
John Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity, selection (1630)
Roger Williams, The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience, summary (1644)
The Flushing Remonstrance (1657), and Peter Stuyvesant’s response (1658)
Moses Seixas, Letter to President George Washington (1790)
George Washington, Letter to the Jews of Newport (1790)
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Radio Address on National Brotherhood Day (1936)
Barack Obama, Remarks at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, selections (2016)
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Teaching About Religion in Public and Private Schools, Charles Haynes
Reading:
U.S. Supreme Court, Abington v. Schempp (1963)
Warren Nord and Charles Haynes, Taking Religion Seriously Across the Curriculum (ASCD and First Amendment Center, 1998), Intro, Chaps 1, 2, and 8. (You may also want to read any other chapters that are relevant to your teaching. It’s an extremely helpful book even you don’t accept its broad arguments about religion, secularism, and public education.)
3:00 Small Group Discussions of Constitutional Issues in Teaching about Religion, with closing reflections facilitated by Charles Haynes
4:30 Done with Seminars, but . . .
5:00 Welcome to New York – Wine and Cheese Reception, Sponsored by ICNY and UTS
Tuesday, July 9
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 The Critical, Comparative Analysis of Religion, Henry Goldschmidt
Reading:
William Paden, Religious Worlds: The Comparative Study of Religion (Beacon Press, 1988), Preface, Intro., Chapters 1, 2, and 3. (You may also want to read at least one out of chapters 4 to 7 in Paden, which illustrate his comparative method to the study of religion. Chapter 6 on “Gods” is fascinating, but take your pick.)
10:30 Small Group Discussions: Why Teach about Religion? What do my Students Gain?
11:15 Break
11:30 The Study of Everyday Religious Life, Henry Goldschmidt
Reading:
Robert Orsi, “Everyday Miracles: The Study of Lived Religion,” in Lived Religion in America: Toward a History of Practice, ed. David Hall (Princeton U. Press, 1997), pp. 3-21.
Robert Orsi, “Is the Study of Lived Religion Irrelevant to the World We Live In?” in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 42 (2003), pp. 169-174.
1:00 Lunch
2:00 Bus leaves Union Theological Seminary for Site Visit to “Bronx Lourdes” grotto, led by Henry Goldschmidt
4:30-ish Return to UTS and Done for the Day
Wednesday, July 10
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Debrief / Discussion of Site Visit to “Bronx Lourdes” Grotto
10:00 Break
10:15 Classroom Strategies for Teaching about Religion – Raising the Issues, Henry Goldschmidt
Readings:
First Amendment Center, Teacher’s Guide to Religion in the Public Schools (2001)
American Academy of Religion, Guidelines for Teaching about Religion in K-12 Public Schools in the United States (2010)
10:30 Classroom Strategies Continued – Creating Inclusive Learning Communities for the Study of Religion, Eva Abbamonte, Jody Madell, Jacqueline Richard, and Kathy Wildman Zinger
11:30 Lunch
12:30 Classroom Strategies Continued – Workshops with Our Curriculum Mentors
45 minutes each, in groups of 12-13 (half of the institute) rotating between workshops, with a break from 2:00 – 2:15
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- Dialogue Tools for Civil Discourse, Jody Madell and Jacqueline Richard
- Student-Centered Learning in the Study of Religion, Jody Madell and Jacqueline Richard
- Making Tough Choices in Curricular Planning, Eva Abbamonte and Kathy Wildman Zinger
- Engaging with Parents and Local Communities, Eva Abbamonte and Kathy Wildman Zinger
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3:45 Introductory Discussion of Curriculum Development Projects, Henry Goldschmidt
4:00 Done for the Day
World Religions and Religious Worlds
Thursday, July 11
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Introduction to Christianity and Christian Communities, Julie Byrne
Optional:
Linda Woodhead, Christianity: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2003), chaps 1 and 2.
Catherine Albanese, “Understanding Christian Diversity in America,” in American Christianities: A History of Dominance and Diversity, eds. Catherine Brekus and W. Clark Gilpin (University of North Carolina Press, 2011), pp. 29-58.
Matthew Dougherty, “New Scholarship in Religion and United States Empire,” Religion Compass, Vol. 13, No. 5, 2019.
10:30 Break
10:45 Panel Discussion with New York Christian Clergy and Lay Leaders, facilitated by Henry Goldschmidt
12:15 Lunch
1:30 Introduction to Burke Library, and to Web-Based Resources for the Study of Religion, with Burke Staff and Henry Goldschmidt
2:30 Done for the Day, or Appointments with Burke Research Librarians
Friday, July 12
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Introduction to Judaism and Jewish Communities, Hasia Diner
Optional:
Hasia Diner, A New Promised Land: A History of Jews in America (Oxford University Press, 2003). (Chapters 2, 3, and 4, on the major waves of American Jewish immigration and settlement, are particularly recommended if you have time.)
John Leach (ed.), A Teacher’s Guide to Religion in American Life (Oxford University Press, 2003). (Diner’s A New Promised Land is one of a series of 25 books on American religious history for young adult readers, published by Oxford University Press. These are great resources for teachers, so we have included a copy of the teacher’s guide to the series as a whole.)
10:30 Break
10:45 Panel Discussion with New York Jewish Clergy and Lay Leaders, facilitated by Henry Goldschmidt
12:15 Afternoon off – or Research Time for Curriculum Development Projects
6:30 Site Visit to Kabbalat Shabbat service at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, 257 West 88th Street
Optional:
Ayala Fader, Mark Kligman, Rolando Matalon, Marcelo Bronstein, and Felicia Sol, Spirituality at B’nai Jeshurun: Reflections of Two Scholars and Three Rabbis. S3K Synagogue Studies Institute, 2009.
Saturday, July 13
No institute activities. Relax and enjoy the city!
Optional Visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, led by Curriculum Mentor Jody Madell. Explore museum pedagogy and amazing sacred art.
Sunday, July 14
10:30 Site visit to Sunday morning service at Convent Avenue Baptist Church, led by Henry Goldschmidt.
Meet at the church, 420 West 145th Street @ Convent Avenue.
Monday, July 15
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Debrief / Discussion of Site Visits to B’nai Jeshurun and Convent Avenue Baptist Church
10:00 Break
10:15 Exploring Religious Worlds (and specifically Harlem churches) Through Literature, Clarence Hardy
Reading:
James Baldwin, Go Tell it on the Mountain (Dial Press, 2000 [1953])
Optional:
Clarence Hardy, James Baldwin’s God: Sex, Hope, and Crisis in Black Holiness Culture (U. Tennessee Press, 2009), chaps 1 and 2.
Henry Goldschmidt, “Teaching Lived Religion through Literature: Classroom Strategies for Community-Based Learning,” in Teaching About Religion in the Social Studies Classroom, ed. Charles Haynes (National Council for the Social Studies, 2019), pp. 53-60.
11:45 Small Group Discussions of Teaching Religion with Literature: What Texts Have You Used (or Would You Use) and Why?
12:45 Lunch
2:00 Curriculum Development Group Meetings with Mentors
4:00 Done for the Day – or Research Time for Curriculum Development Projects
5:00 Special Late Hours at Burke Library, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm – Research librarians available to discuss curriculum development projects
Tuesday, July 16
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Introduction to Hinduism and Hindu Communities, Rachel McDermott
Optional:
Stephen Prothero, God Is Not One (HarperOne, 2010), Chapter 4, “Hinduism: The Way of Devotion”
Vasudha Narayanan, “Hinduism: Practicing Tradition Today,” in South Asian Religions: Tradition and Today, eds. Karen Pechilis and Selva Raj (Routledge, 2013), pp. 39-70.
Prema Kurien, A Place at the Multicultural Table: The Development of an American Hinduism (Rutgers U. Press, 2007), Chapter 3
John Stratton Hawley, “Global Hinduism in Gotham,” in Asian American Religions: Borders and Boundaries, eds. Tony Carnes and Fenggang Yang (New York U. Press, 2004), pp. 112-137
10:30 Break
10:45 Panel Discussion with New York Hindu Clergy and Lay Leaders, facilitated by Henry Goldschmidt
12:15 Bus leaves Union Theological Seminary for Site Visit to the Hindu Temple Society of North America, led by Henry Goldschmidt.
Lunch together at the temple canteen (provided by the institute).
4:30-ish Return to UTS and Done for the Day
Wednesday, July 17
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Introduction to Buddhism and Buddhist Communities, Laura Harrington
Reading:
Robert Buswell & Donald Lopez, “10 Misperceptions about Buddhism” A series of blog posts published online in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review (2014)
Optional:
Rupert Gethin, Foundations of Buddhism (Oxford U. Press, 1998), Chapters 1, 3, and 6.
Scott Mitchell, Buddhism in America: Global Religion, Local Context (Bloomsbury Academic, 2016), Chapter 4.
10:30 Break
10:45 Panel Discussion with New York Buddhist Clergy and Lay Leaders, facilitated by Henry Goldschmidt
12:15 Lunch
1:30 Subway from Union Theological Seminary for Site Visit to Chogyesa Zen Temple of New York, led by Henry Goldschmidt
3:30-ish Done for the Day, at Chogyesa Temple
Thursday, July 18
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Debrief / Discussion of Site Visits to the Hindu Temple Society of North America and Chogyesa Zen Temple of New York
10:00 Break
10:15 Exploring the Ties and Tensions among Religious Worlds, with the Pluralism Project’s Case Study Method, Elinor Pierce
Reading:
Elinor Pierce, “What is at Stake? Exploring the Problems of Pluralism” in The Journal of Interreligious Studies, # 15 (August 2015).
The Pluralism Project, Harvard University, “A Call to Prayer,” A and B Cases
Optional:
John Boehrer and Marty Linsky, “Teaching with Cases: Learning to Question,” in New Directions for Teaching and Learning, no. 42, pp. 41-57 (Summer 1990).
11:45 Lunch – and Small Group Research/Preparation for Case Study Role Play
2:00 Case Study Role Play: Debating the Call to Prayer in Hamtramck, facilitated by Elinor Pierce and Henry Goldschmidt
3:30 Done for the Day – or Research Time for Curriculum Development Projects
Friday, July 19
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Introduction to Islam and Muslim Communities, Ali Asani
Reading:
Ali Asani, “Enhancing Religious Literacy in a Liberal Arts Education Through the Study of Islam and Muslim Societies,” in The Harvard Sampler, eds. Shephard, Kosslyn, and Hammonds (Harvard UP, 2011), pp 1-31.
Optional:
Carl Ernst, Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World (U. of North Carolina Press, 2004), Chaps 2, 3, and 4
Edward Curtis, “Peril and Possibility: Muslim Life in the United States” in Islam in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives, ed. R. M. Feener (ABC-CLIO, 2004), pp. 283-307.
Ali Asani, “Islam, Arts, and Pedagogy,” in Architecture of Coexistence: Building Pluralism, ed. Azra Akšamija (ArchiTangle, 2020), pp. 264-273
10:30 Break
10:45 Panel Discussion with New York Muslim Clergy and Lay Leaders, facilitated by Henry Goldschmidt
12:15 Quick lunch together at Union (provided by the institute)
12:45 Cabs leave Union Theological Seminary for site visit to Jumma service at the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood, led by Henry Goldschmidt
3:30-ish Done for the Day, at the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood
Saturday, July 20
No institute activities. Relax and enjoy the city!
Sunday, July 21
No required institute activities. Relax and enjoy the city! And/or:
Optional institute barbecue at Henry’s house – more details closer to the date.
Monday, July 22
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Introduction to African Diaspora Religious Traditions and Communities, Elizabeth McAlister
Optional:
Joseph Murphy, Working the Spirit: Ceremonies of the African Diaspora (Beacon Press, 1995), chapters 1, 2, 4, and 7
Karen McCarthy Brown, “Staying Grounded in a High-Rise Building: Ecological Dissonance and Ritual Accommodation in Haitian Vodou.” In Gods of the City: Religion and the American Urban Landscape, ed. Robert Orsi (Indiana U. Press, 1999), pp. 79-102.
10:30 Break
10:45 Panel Discussion with African Diaspora Clergy and Lay Leaders, facilitated by Henry Goldschmidt
12:15 Lunch
1:30 Subway or Cabs from Union Theological Seminary to Centre Culturel, Spirituel, et Traditionel — Vodou temple in Brownsville, BK
Site Visit and Vodou Ceremony, led by Henry Goldschmidt and above all CCST members
?:?? Not sure when we’ll be done for the day.
We’re officially scheduled to visit from 3:00 to 6:00 pm, but the last time we visited it went much longer. We’ll be near the subway (and Uber runs everywhere) so you can head home whenever you need to.
Tuesday, July 23
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Debrief / Discussion of Site Visits to Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood and Centre Culturel, Spirituel, et Traditionel
10:30 Break
10:45 “Virtual Site Visits”: The Possibilities and Limits of Online Experiential Learning, Henry Goldschmidt
What do you do when you can’t go visit? Demonstration and discussion of tools for online experiential learning, including Google Street View, Google Earth, YouTube, and Zoom
Optional:
Mei Yee Leung, et al, “Developing Virtual Experiential Learning: Key Takeaways,” Times Higher Education, Nov. 15, 2021.
Theresa Mercer, “Playing the Field: How Virtual Field Trips Can Benefit Student Learning,” Times Higher Education, July 14, 2021.
Henry Goldschmidt, “Being There: What do Students Learn by Visiting Houses of Worship?” in CrossCurrents, Vol 68, No 3, Pp 394-411 (September 2018)
12:15 Lunch
1:30 Curriculum Development Group Meetings with Mentors
3:30 Done for the Day – or Research/Writing Time for Curriculum Development Projects
5:00 Special Late Hours at Burke Library, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm – Research librarians available to discuss curriculum development projects
Locating “Religion” in the Life of the City
Wednesday, July 24
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Questioning the Concept of “Religion,” Henry Goldschmidt
Reading:
Brent Nongbri, Before Religion: A History of a Modern Concept (Yale University Press, 2013), Intro, Chap. 1, and Conclusion
Daniel Boyarin, “The Christian Invention of Judaism,” Representations, Vol. 85, No. 1 (Winter 2004). Pp. 21-29 required. Pp. 29-48 optional but highly recommended, if you like close readings of ancient texts.
David Chidester, Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture (University of California Press, 2005), Chap. 2
10:00 Break, and Walk to Saint John’s
10:30 Field Research: Locating “Religion” at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. Meet at the Cathedral, Amsterdam Avenue & 112th Street.
12:00 Lunch, and Travel to Field Research Areas
1:30 Field Research: Locating “Religion” on the Streets of the Upper West Side
4:30ish Done for the Day, at Field Research Areas
Thursday, July 25
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Research Teams Prepare Brief Presentations on the Meanings of “Religion” at Saint John’s and in the Streets
10:00 Presentations and Reflections on the Meanings of “Religion” at Saint John’s and in the Streets
Each research team will present a brief slide show of its fieldwork findings, and discuss the definition of “religion” that emerged in its research.
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Concluding Reflections on Panel discussions, Site Visits, Walking Tour, and Field Research
Focusing on strategies and challenges for community-based religious diversity education in public, private, and faith-based schools. Would programs like these work in your school? How else can you introduce your students to everyday life of American religious diversity? What aspects of our work in the institute can and can’t you translate into your teaching?
Part 1 in small groups. Brief Break. Part 2 facilitated by Henry Goldschmidt.
Optional:
Henry Goldschmidt, “Being There: What do Students Learn by Visiting Houses of Worship?” in CrossCurrents, Vol 68, No 3, Pp 394-411 (September 2018)
Linda K. Wertheimer, Faith Ed: Teaching about Religion in an Age of Intolerance (Beacon Press, 2015), chap. 2
Michael Umphrey, The Power of Community-Centered Education: Teaching as a Craft of Place (Rowman & Littlefield, 2007), chaps 1 and 8
3:30 Done for the Day – or Time to Finish Curriculum Development Projects
Curriculum Development Projects due in Google Drive Folder by 6:00 pm
Friday, July 26
8:30 Coffee and Light Refreshments
9:00 Presentation and Discussion of Curriculum Development Projects
Part 1 in small groups. Brief Break. Part 2 facilitated by Henry Goldschmidt.
12:00 Farewell and Institute Evaluations
12:30 Done for the Day – and for the Summer