This panel investigates the evolving role of religion in education, focusing on how religious literacy, representation, and sensitivity intersect with citizenship education and pedagogical professionalism. Drawing on diverse theoretical and empirical approaches, the panel highlights both challenges and opportunities in addressing religious diversity in contemporary classrooms. The discussion aims to foster critical reflection on educational practices that promote democratic engagement and intercultural understanding in increasingly pluralistic societies.
This study critically examines how religion is represented in U.S. high school social studies standards, focusing on the dynamics of power, particularly the dominance of Christianity. Building on Critical Religious Pluralism Theory (CRPT), which challenges hegemonic Christian narratives in higher education, this study explores how different religious groups and events are included in state standards and analyzes how power structures are reinforced or contested. Using a qualitative approach and grounded theory methodology, the study codes state social studies standards to identify instances where religion intersects with systems of power—such as consolidation, legitimization, or resistance. Preliminary findings indicate a continuing privileging of Christian perspectives, often in the form of historicized or anachronistic portrayals of non-Christian religions. This research aims to inform broader discussions about equity in religious education and curriculum development at the secondary level.
This paper argues for a revised account of religious literacy and reveals its implications for teaching in the public school system. I begin by exploring religious pluralism to show that 21st century students are learning in a diverse, multi-religious society. I highlight religion's role in conflicts to stress the need for cross-cultural literacy. Section 2 defines the term ‘covenantal pluralism’. Section 3 reviews previous approaches to religious literacy, focusing on the knowledge-based approach, the analytic-based approach, and the skills-based approach. In Section 4, I highlight the shortcomings of these accounts and in Section 5, I offer a revised approach to religious literacy. Specifically, I argue for an attentiveness-based approach to religious literacy. Ultimately, I argue that combining my revised account of religious literacy with key virtues can enable covenantal pluralism. Achieving this, however, requires rethinking how we cultivate religious literacy in students.
This paper explores how Danish teachers deal with controversial issues in religious education (RE). The study uses a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both survey data and observational data collected from workshops with teachers across eight public schools. The analysis will examine which issues teachers consider controversial in RE and the specific challenges they face when addressing these topics in the classroom. Furthermore, it will explore characteristics with the student talks on controversial issues in two RE-classes.
The findings of this study underscore the importance of recognizing contextual factors, related to societal, school, and classroom contexts, when dealing with controversial issues in RE. It illustrates how national and transnational discourses on controversies can manifest within the classroom setting and influence students' attitudes toward particular religions or religious practices.
Finally, the paper will explore teaching strategies that create an environment in which the classroom can function as a “community of disagreement”.
This paper examines the role of religious sensitivity as an educational resource in migrant societies, focusing on pedagogical professionalism in multi-faith schools. Schools are central social spaces for negotiating migration-related pluralism, in which teachers must navigate religious and cultural diversity. Based on a qualitative study in German schools, the necessary skills for religiously and culturally sensitive teaching are analyzed. The study shows that religious affiliation is often perceived as a marker of difference that influences participation in education and identity formation. It also highlights the tension between individual religious freedom and school neutrality. The paper argues that religious sensitivity is a key competence for contemporary education, enabling teachers to use religious plurality as an opportunity for intercultural learning. The findings contribute to current debates about the role of religion in democratic societies and educational policy in increasingly diverse school environments.