APU Online Learning Original

How to Teach Controversial Subjects Such as Religion

By Robert J. King
Faculty Training Developer and Faculty Member, Religious Studies, American Public University

In my dual university roles as a faculty training developer and a religious studies faculty member for American Public University, the question of what constitutes bias arises from time to time. Is a given resource, internal to the university or imported from another source, objective enough to use as a classroom model? Is each demographic group either adequately represented or is a general level of inclusion and respect given to all viewpoints, at least?

In some cases, these decisions about what resources are biased are clear-cut. Due to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Quality Matters (QM), issues of accessibility are always first and foremost in mind when our faculty members develop, revise, or teach any course.

But what about usually taboo topics, such as politics, race, gender identity and religion? How can we fairly treat these topics in a way that is non-prejudicial, yet open enough to still generate meaningful and interesting conversations?

Teaching Controversial Religious Subjects Covered at a Recent Conference

Some of these questions regarding the teaching of controversial religious subject matter were raised and discussed at a recent statewide academic conference in Florida. It was the annual meeting of the Florida Theological Librarians Association, held on November 19, 2020 (via Zoom) at St. Leo’s University.

I was one of the keynote speakers at this conference and spoke about my experiences teaching an undergraduate course on religious cults. In my speech, I examined the question of religious epistemology, referring to Michel Foucault, James Lewis and various religious movements.

But what exactly does this mean concerning religion as related to historiography and epistemology? Aren’t we free to believe what we will, provided we harm no one else? Ironically, this is a central claim of the Wiccan religion. 

How Do Educators Simultaneously Promote Academic Freedom and Respect for All Religions?

Bracketing any discussions of “normative truth” (i.e., one person’s prophet is another person’s cult leader), how are university faculty and staff — including librarians, course designers, faculty members and the Provost — supposed to promote both full academic freedom and also respect for all religious beliefs? This question is obviously as ancient as humanity itself, but certain key points arose from both my presentation and its subsequent discussion of how religious groups are to be analyzed academically.

First, total objectivity cannot be achieved. Rather than seeking an ephemeral ideal of objectivity, the goal when instructors are assembling class materials and teaching should be a fair, proportional, and unbiased presentation of the major perspectives on a specific topic.

Second, one person’s religious revulsion might be another person’s greatest source for meaning. For example, the international headquarters for the Church of Scientology is in Clearwater, Florida, and many Scientologists live and work as professionals throughout the Tampa Bay area. area. The ‘cult member’ whom you are uncomfortable around might be your real estate agent sitting right next to you or even a famous personality such as Tom Cruise or John Travolta.

Third, as the demographics of the U.S. shift towards greater diversity, specific religious groups very often might not fit broader societal classifications, e.g., a simple binary “liberal vs. conservative.” An example of such a new religious movement is the African American Muslim liberationist group, The Nation of Islam.

This religion is both supportive of liberal politics such as racial justice and also represents a traditional, patriarchal family structure. Given such asymmetrical non-reductionism, the more pluralistic we become as a society, the less such labels will matter simply due to inadequacy of the description.

Finally, how might such accuracy in reading a religion according to its own beliefs first (and secondary sources about such groups second) not only promote greater academic objectivity, but a truer sense of citizenship in service to the common good of society? How can our children be taught to avoid the labels perpetuated by the media (and sometimes even by textbooks) that might inadvertently instill prejudice? The answers to these questions remain to be seen.

But at least in approaching each religious group according to its own self-reported claims (ethnographic research at its finest!), then perhaps seemingly arcane academic debates such as historiography will demonstrate their practical relevance after all. For the education of our children and our children’s children, let us hope that will be the case.

About the Author

Robert J. King is a Stuart Scholar and a Duke Scholar. He holds a B.A. in religion from Davidson College and a M.Div. in Christian ministry and leadership studies and a Th.M. in theology and ethics from Duke University. Dr. King has also studied in the Ph.D. Program in Moral Theology at the University of Notre Dame. He has taught religion, philosophy, and ethics since 2004, including at the University of Phoenix and American Public University.

Dr. King has received grants from N.E.H. in 2010 and 2011, Excellence Awards from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) during 2011 and 2012, and an Excellence in Publishing Award (2012). He has presented as a guest lecturer at Barry University (2012), the Global Active Learning Summit, Tokyo, Japan (2017) and Harvard University (2016 and 2018). His research interests specialize in U.S. religious and labor history, historiography, and Aristotelian virtue ethics.

Comments are closed.