Revamping Religious Studies

I have been meaning to write this post for quite some time. I have been thinking about the pedagogy of religious studies and how professors can incorporate new technologies into their classroom that would allow students to actively incorporate their knowledge from class into the outside world. They are quick and easy ways to answer the questions like, "When will I ever use this," or "How is this relevant?"

These are some ideas that might help add a practical element to courses, that can encourage students to become excited about the content of courses, and can serve to beef up conversations in class. They also take advantage of the increasingly digitized world and, gasp!, brings to the fore the public uses of academic inquiry. Here are three ideas.

1. Wikipedia

Yes, I said it. Wikipedia. Before you scoff off and walk away from your computer, hear me out. I remember Mark Goodacre, a former professor of mine, telling his podcast listeners that he encourages his students to not cite Wikipedia, but rather to write Wikipedia.

Now there's an idea. A new kind of assignment: take a Wikipedia article or two on a term/topic that has been covered over the semester and make it better! Keep track of the page changes over time (maybe go back every week and keep track of changes), add citations, fix up broken or missing links, add more substance, etc. Not only would it be a great way to make sure you get your facts right (since the student would present all her/his changes to the professor), but many other people would benefit from these changes.

I think we should all admit: Wikipedia is amazing. As a quick source for an initial glance at a topic, it can be incredibly helpful. And as a start for research papers, it can come in handy. If college students around the country took to making Wikipedia better, with the helpful gaze of professors behind the scenes, imagine how much more robust Wikipedia could be!

2. GoogleReader

Back in undergrad, I remember that students in the introduction to economics class were required to remain abreast of the news in the Wall Street Journal. Although students were not required to purchase the actual paper (since copies were available for free in the library, etc), they were required to read and know content from its pages. Quizzes were given on a weekly basis on big news stories. Other courses, especially in the public policy department, had similar requirements.

Why can't religious studies have something similar?

There are numerous websites dedicated to religion news. In fact, the Religion News Service has it's daily "Religion News Roundup" that it can shoot to you e-mail inbox, for free, every day. But what is more, using GoogleReader (the screenshot of mine is above) you can keep track of all the major news sources and their religion sections. Everyday, you can check the new stories and see which are the big ones that multiple news agencies are covering. At the end of the week, professors can give short quizzes on these subjects.

It is amazing how often I find commonalities between religion news and the subjects I am taking at the moment. And if all the students are at least hearing about the headlines, it could contribute greatly to class discussion, etc. Not to mention, this could increase religious literacy and help connect the classroom to the public sphere. What we need in religious studies is more applicability, more relevance. What we learn is fascinating and worthwhile. But it is also incredibly, vastly, and urgently important.

3. Write and publish

Quickly behind the heels of #2 is the idea of encouraging students to actually write for one of these news outlets. The Washington Post's On Religion is a great starting point. At the last conference of the American Academy of Religion in Atlanta, GA, Sally Quinn spoke on a panel for the Religion and Public Sphere group. She was adamant that good articles would get published. All one had to do was (1) write it and (2) submit it. Easy as that!

The task: Ask students to write an op-ed, or to attend a particular event and report on it. Give the guidelines that real journalists follow: AP style writing, word limits, vocab limits, etc. It is a different kind of writing from the essays that we write in class, but it can be a great exercise in being succinct, clear, and applicable. Trust me: this is hard at first but gets easier over time.

This can also encourage professors to become active in the public sphere, something that I am consistently pushing for. For indeed, the first step to encouraging students to write for the public sphere is to know the means and methods for such writing. What is more, professors can find multiple news outlets that might publish a student's work. Newspapers are strapped for cash: how excited would they be to receive free writing? And these publications can then go into the student's resume!

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These are merely some ideas, but add more in the comments section if/when you think of them!