Teaching Religion Unit and Transformative Scholarship and Pedagogy Unit

Engaging a Fragmented Public Sphere: Teaching the Utility and Limitation of Religion in Public Discourse

While political polarization in the public sphere is not a new phenomenon, the proliferation of alternative facts and ad hominem attacks has often left scholars of religion unsure how to productively navigate conflict in public discourse. Religion can speak to many of the issues that are at the center of public debate, but what value does it have in the public sphere in this current environment? Moreover, what are innovative approaches deployed in theological and religious studies classrooms that effectively prompt students to think through these challenges while considering the utility and limitations of religion in public debate? We invite proposals that identify or illustrate effective pedagogical approaches that effectively engage theological and religious studies students in conversations about the relevance of religion (and theology) in the public sphere.