Religion and Public Schools: International Perspectives Unit
The “Religion and Public Schools: International Perspectives” (RPS) Unit focuses on the global relationship between religion and education (RE) across diverse historical, geographical, cultural, political, and pedagogical settings.
Exploring the Intersection of Religious Education and Other Disciplines
This session seeks to examine approaches to teaching religion in intersection with other subjects, including:
- Art
- Literature
- History
- Civics, Citizenship, and Government
- Sciences
- Social Sciences
We welcome proposals that explore the integration of religion education into these disciplines, as well as those that use these subjects as thematic entry points within religion education courses. Submissions might consider how such intersections enhance pedagogical methods, deepen students' understanding of religion, and foster critical thinking about the role of religion in broader societal contexts and explore the integration of the study of religion into other disciplines and subjects in the absence of stand-alone religion courses.
We particularly encourage proposals that engage with the Presidential Theme and align with the focus of our unit. Additionally, we welcome submissions outside these themes, including pre-arranged sessions offering global perspectives on religion education.
We value sessions that embrace diversity across genders, racial/ethnic backgrounds, and a spectrum of fields, methodologies, and scholarly levels.
This Program Unit promotes the global and comparative study of "religion education" in public schools around the world. By encouraging interdisciplinary research on the ethical, legal, political, pedagogical, and theological issues that arise with the study of religion in elementary and secondary schools, we seek to deepen our understanding of alternative approaches to religion as an academic subject. We also hope to find new ways of responding to the increasing religious diversity in schools and societies and to study the relationship between religious education and citizenship education in pluralistic democratic societies.