Wabash Center

How To Apply
Past Workshops
Policy on Participation
Our Philosophy
FAQ

Teaching Links
subscribe to the Wabash Center e-newsletter.

view photos >>

Related Links

Group photo

2002-2003 Workshop on
Teaching and Learning for Pre-Tenure Faculty at Church-Related Colleges and Universities

Director:
Stephen R. Haynes, Rhodes College
Staff:
John J. Carey, Agnes Scott College
Amy G. Oden, Oklahoma City University
Philip J. Linden, Jr., Xavier University of Louisiana
Workshop Librarian/Resource Person:
Kirk Moll, Dickinson College

Wabash Center Facilitator:
Paul O. Myhre

Participants and Project Descriptions:

Daniel Deffenbaugh, Hastings College
“Visual Learning and Artistic Expression in the Religion Classroom”
Develop 2 courses that explore how visual learning and artistic expression can be utilized in the teaching of religion, especially in the examination of how theological and religious concepts have been made manifest through the arts.

Darlene Fozard Weaver, Villanova University
“Infidelity, Betrayal and Deceit”
Develop a course in Christian ethics that explores the themes and problems of infidelity, betrayal and deceit – asking questions about the way Christian ethics is done and taught and focusing on a more mundane “ethics of everyday life.”

Mark A. Gstohl, Xavier University of Louisiana
“Theological Perspectives of the Reformation”
Develop two components of a new course called “Theological Perspectives of the Reformation”: 1) the relationship between Reformation ideas and American culture (especially slavery); and 2) the development of classroom resources (including an interactive CD with Power Point, theological documents, video interviews, and summary charts).

Kendra G. Hotz, Calvin College
“Lived Religion and the Development of Christian Theology in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages”
Redesign a course on the history of Christian theology (to the Medieval period) by developing classroom resources that will help students connect theological developments to the “lived religion” of Christians, and incorporating cooperative learning projects that encourage students to develop critical thinking skills.

Rolf Jacobson, Augsburg College
“Teaching and Reading Poetry – A Project on Interpretation of Psalms, Poetry, and Hymnody”
Investigate how English Literature departments teach poetry, in order to develop an interdisciplinary course on the interpretation of poetry and another course focused on the poetry of the Psalms and the hymnody of the church.

Paul C. Kemeny, Grove City College
“Contemporary American Religion: A Teaching Website”
Create a website for a course on contemporary American religion – with the assistance of students so that they will learn how to make the web a research tool and become more judicious evaluators of material on the web.

Linda M. MacCammon, Carroll College
“Developing and Teaching Foundational Courses in Religion for First-Year Students”
Consider pedagogical strategies in the development of an introductory course on Christian theology.

Bernadette McNary-Zak, Rhodes College
“Revisioning Early Christian Literature”
Revise a course on early Christian literature by including non-Christian examples of literary forms from the same historical period, improving the secondary material to better fit the course structure, and considering pedagogical strategies that would give students opportunities to explore the spiritual and theological nature of this literature (in order to develop their skills as critically thinking beings).

Theresa O’Donovan, Brescia College
“Course Development: Women and the Bible”
Develop a course on women and the Bible by integrating 4 components into the course: 1) a survey of the portrayal of women in the Bible; 2) consideration of the ways in which women historically have been influenced by and responded to the Bible; 3) consideration of the ways in which some contemporary writers and artists have reinterpreted biblical stories (demonstrating that the Bible is indeed a “living book”): and 4) an assignment that asks students to respond personally and creatively to the material studied (using any non-essay format).

Rebecca Todd Peters, Elon University
“Examining the Role of the Senior Seminar as a Capstone Course in Religious Studies”
Develop a new capstone course that will interest and engage students, reflect serious and deep engagement with the discipline, model and teach independent learning and responsibility, build on previous coursework, and require students to both synthesize and apply their knowledge of the discipline.

David C. Ratke, Lenoir-Rhyne College
“Making ‘The Christian Perspective’ My Own”
Completely re-think a capstone course to reflect personal interests and sensibilities by reorienting the emphasis from “social ethics” to “religion and culture,” and interpreting the theological perspectives expressed in literature, music, and movies.

Elna K. Solvang, Concordia College, MN
“Can the Old Testament Help Middle Class White Students Wrestle with Race and Ethnicity Today?”
Test whether Old Testament texts can assist students in moving from an assimilationist stance to a pluralistic view of human community, by re-examining key texts in the Old Testament in order to redesign aspects of Old Testament classes currently taught, and exploring ways to develop contacts between students and others of different racial/ethnic backgrounds.

Brian Stratton, Alma College
“Undergraduate Study of Religion and Science”
Research techniques for teaching the relationship between religion and science to undergraduates with limited backgrounds in the discipline, developing new teaching techniques and materials, with a special emphasis on the development of critical thinking skills.

John J. Thatamanil, Millsaps College
“Multiple Identities and the Challenge of Teaching at a Church-Related College”
Comprehensively rethink the meaning (goals and purposes) of the church related college, from the perspective of a committed Christian interested in and engaged by the comparative study of religion.

Michael Vines, Lees-McRae College
“A Technologically Enriched Introduction to the Bible”
Redesign an introductory Bible class to take advantage of a technologically enhanced classroom: create a series of online formative assessment tools; consider pedagogical implications of web based threaded discussions and develop a series of discussion topics to guide students through the material; build a student oriented web site, including Power Point presentations, pictures, charts, and maps; and assemble a student focus group to refine and evaluate these projects.

Wabash Center

301 W. Wabash Avenue

Crawfordsville, Indiana 47933

wabashcenter@wabash.edu
(765)361-6047 phone

(800) 655-7117 toll-free

(765)361-6051 fax