I am excited to be on the faculty of a wonderful new Institute funded by National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), which will be held on the campus of Union Theological Seminary in New York City for the first time this coming Summer (July 16-August 3, 2012). Please spread the word to educators you think might be interested - applications for this year's Summer Institute are due on March 1. What follows is an introduction and a link to the project's website.
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Explore the Religious Worlds of New York, and the Religious Lives of Your Diverse Neighbors
The religious landscape of the United States has shifted dramatically in recent years, with the arrival of new Americans from every corner of the globe and every faith tradition. If America's K-12 students are to become truly educated, fully engaged citizens of our multicultural democracy, they need to understand this rich religious diversity. The Religious Worlds of New York summer institute will contribute to such understanding by helping public, private, and parochial school teachers teach more effectively about the everyday lives of American religious communities.
The institute is a project of the Interfaith Center of New York and Union Theological Seminary, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. In July of 2012, it will bring thirty teachers from throughout the United States to New York City, where they will engage with leading scholars of religious studies and a wide range of local religious leaders. The institute will introduce these teachers to six religious traditions that are part of the fabric of American life. It will help them distinguish between academic and devotional approaches to the study of religion. And it will give them the pedagogic tools they need to teach their students about "lived religion," in addition to the conventional "world religions" curriculum. This website will introduce K-12 teachers to the Religious Worlds institute, and offer them a range of resources to enrich their teaching on American religious diversity.
To apply and/or find out more about the Institute, go to: Religious Worlds of New York
http://religiousworldsnyc.org/