I have taught our Department's "Method and Theory" course for seven years. The course is directed at fourth-year Majors and Honours students and M.A. students. An older version of this course is included here (see "Previous Course" on this site, which includes its own pedagogical reflections); it has worked well for me and I would recommend it to others.

The reason I am including this new version of the course is that I am extraordinarily pleased (and surprised) by how well a part of it has worked, so would like to share it with others.

The second half of the course was devoted to students selecting, researching and presenting to their classmates scholars of religion currently teaching in religious studies departments in Canada (this could be adapted to different geographical regions). This assignment resulted in more enthusiasm and insights than I had anticipated. Students chose scholars who worked in areas of interest to them, they often interviewed them (in person, by phone or email), and in the process they learned a great deal about what scholars do, how departments are run (I took the opportunity to put each scholar in their departmental context), and how the field is enormously diverse. Some students made connections that impacted on the choice of graduate schools they had in mind. And we formed a learning community that extended far beyond the confines of the classroom. I was then drawn into conversations with scholars students had selected and presented.

Moreover, the concluding assignment -- student papers oriented to conceptualizing the field based exclusively on the scholars presented in class -- encouraged students to listen carefully to their classmates' presentations, and (re)imagine the field.

The result was a lively mix that kept everyone on their toes and helped to bring the field alive.

Acknowledgment

This site was designed by Nicola Denzey, Skidmore College.