Teaching Religion through Health Care Case Studies

This workshop will introduce religious studies instructors to a collection of case studies for classroom use, curated by Interfaith America. These twenty-seven case studies present real-life scenarios from health care settings. In this interactive workshop, participants will practice using these case studies and will leave more equipped to incorporate them into their classrooms. Sample case studies feature a Sikh patient with head trauma, a Buddhist patient resisting pain medicine, a Hindu patient self-administering Ayurvedic cleansing, a Native American patient requesting a smudging ceremony in hospice care, a Haredi Jewish patient concerned about radiation tattoos, and Muslim parents concerned about hospital food and insulin therapy for their diabetic child. These case studies raise issues of religious literacy, intercultural competency, diversity accommodations, and ethics. The case studies also immerse students in practical applications of their knowledge. Workshop facilitators include case study authors and faculty who use these case studies in their teaching.