This summer, 25 CIC faculty members in the humanities and social sciences participated in a seminar designed to strengthen the teaching of interfaith understanding and develop new courses and resources on the subject. CIC and Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) hosted the sixth Teaching Interfaith Understanding seminar June 18–22, at DePaul University (IL) in Chicago, with generous support from the Henry Luce Foundation.

Laurie Patton, president of Middlebury College (VT), and Eboo Patel, founder and president of IFYC, led the seminar. After a welcoming dinner hosted by IFYC, participants broke into small groups to discuss narrative case studies that they had submitted in advance of the seminar and that would serve as the foundation of the plenary discussions throughout the week. These case studies offered a powerful tool to explore methodologies and pedagogies for teaching interfaith topics. The studies typically identified a central challenge or question encountered while teaching interfaith understanding, including: How can faculty members create a classroom atmosphere that enables diverse faith perspectives and experiences to be heard and respected? And were there times when a faculty member was unsure about how to respond to an interfaith issue in the classroom?

Participants in the 2017 Teaching Interfaith Understanding seminar visited the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), where they were welcomed by executive director Rami Nashashibi. IMAN is a community organization in Chicago’s southwest side that fosters health, wellness, and healing in the inner-city by organizing for social change, cultivating the arts, and operating a holistic health center.

One case study came from a biologist whose students discussed Ramadan throughout her summer limnology course (the biological study of freshwater lakes) because a Muslim student started to fast mid-way through the course. This led to a discussion about the “spaces” that lead to comfortable and productive interfaith exchange, which the biology professor helped create.

Other case studies addressed some of the challenges interfaith advocates face given the nation’s current, politically charged atmosphere. In one study, a Christian institution created a prayer room for non-Christian students—a demographic that was increasing on campus. While most constituents on campus were happy to see this new space, others in the surrounding community expressed disapproval that a Christian college would accommodate non-Christians. This led to a productive discussion during the seminar about religious accommodation, as well as the role of campus-community relationships and partnerships in interfaith spaces.
In addition to sharing and learning from case studies, during the week participants also developed syllabi, discussed questions of inclusivity and freedom of expression on campuses, explored the Teaching Interfaith Understanding resource library developed with CIC, and heard about Patton’s experiences using case studies and teaching Patel’s 2016 book, Interfaith Leadership: A Primer, in an international context.

The week included special events such as a site visit to the Inner-City Muslim Action Network in Chicago. Participants also heard from Katie Brick, director of the Office of Religious Diversity at DePaul University, who led participants on a tour of the university’s interfaith space that includes prayer, meditation, and worship locations to accommodate Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist practices on campus.

The seminar concluded with an interactive session to help participants identify assets, challenges, and opportunities for advancing interfaith efforts on their own campuses. At the end of the seminar Laurie Patton reflected, “This seminar is always an inspiration. The participants are doing critical work creating new models for rigorous interfaith collaboration in the 21st century. Liberal arts colleges are continuing to take the lead.”

CIC will announce the 2018 Teaching Interfaith Understanding seminar this fall. For more information, visit the program page.

2017 Teaching Interfaith Understanding Seminar Participants

​Albright College (PA) Samira Mehta Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Bennett College (NC) Annette Wilson Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Centenary College of Louisiana Christopher Ciocchetti Associate Professor of Philosophy Columbia College (SC) Robin Rosenthal Professor of Psychology Culver-Stockton College (MO) Andrew Walsh Professor of Religion and Philosophy Dakota Wesleyan University (SD) Jesse Weins Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Drake University (IA) Timothy Knepper Professor of Philosophy and Religion Goucher College (MD) Ann Duncan Associate Professor of Religion Hope College (MI) Lynn Japinga Professor of Religion Lewis University (IL) Clare Rothschild Professor of Theology Lindenwood University (MO) Nichole Torbitzky Assistant Professor of Religion Lyon College (AR) Martha Beck Professor of Philosophy Madonna University (MI) Veronica Riha Professor of Biology

​McMurry University (TX) Mark Waters Professor of Religion and Servant Leadership Millsaps College (MS) James Bowley Professor of Religious Studies Muskingum University (OH) Melissa Conroy Associate Professor Religion Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Valerie Edwards Robeson Associate Professor of Social Science Spring Hill College (AL) Demetrius Semien Assistant Professor of Sociology Springfield College (MA) Katherine Dugan Assistant Professor of Religion St. Olaf College (MN) Jason Ripley Associate Professor of Religion Thomas More College (KY) Catherine Sherron Professor of Philosophy University of Evansville (IN) Tamara Gieselman Faculty in Residence, Religion, Law, Politics, and Society University of Redlands (CA) Lillian Larsen Associate Professor of Religion University of the Incarnate Word (TX) Tanja Stampfl Associate Professor of English Westminster College (PA) Bryan Rennie Professor of Social Sciences and Humanities