IU School of Liberal Arts

National Religious History Institute a First for Liberal Arts

News Categories: Centers | Civic Engagement | Grants | Religious Studies

This July twenty-five teachers assembled from all over the nation to participate in a three-week National Endowment of the Humanities summer institute entitled, "The Many and the One: Religion, Pluralism, and American History." The institute focused on religion’s interaction with American history and every day life. The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture (CSRAC), an IUPUI Signature Center, hosted the institute. It was funded with a $144,637 NEH grant.

"Our [visiting] teachers ran the gamut from elementary to high school, though most are high school teachers," says Arthur Farnsley II, Associate Director of CSRAC. "And of course, some of them teach AP in private high schools and some teach general courses in large public schools, so their experiences are incredibly varied."

A typical institute day was divided into four sessions with a lunch in between. The institute’s core faculty-Farnsley, and his Religious Studies colleagues, Professor and CRSAC Director Philip Goff, and Associate Professor Rachel Wheeler-provided context and continuity during the sessions. Special guests, all top experts in their fields, visited from IU Bloomington, Purdue, Harvard, Richmond, Florida State, and Clemson to cover particular topics during the institute.

Field trips were also arranged to the Eiteljorg, Conner Prairie, the Indiana Historical Society, the Islamic Society of North America, the Frederick Douglass Papers, and a Buddhist temple.

Teachers presented unit plans at the end of the institute that ranged from the role religion and race played in the lead-up to the Civil War to how religious ideas are expressed in history and literature, says Farnsley.

Farnsley believes religious history needs to be better implemented in high school classrooms and says there are three reasons why it isn’t: concerns sectarian parents will object, uncertainty about what the law allows in terms of teaching about religion, and the teacher may come from an educational background where religion’s role in history or literature, for example, was not emphasized.

"We hope people will see religion as an important part of American culture and American history," Farnsley says. "We’re not arguing that everything is all about religion-religion exists alongside other kinds of ideas and institutions. We’re just stating it’s part of the story and telling that full story has to begin somewhere, so we’re making our small contribution by helping these teachers do a better job."

This is the first NEH Summer Institute held at IUPUI. "This is a major national program held annually, so we’re very excited," he says.

Farnsley says the program is another example of the national recognition and financial support the School of Liberal Arts is receiving across its many disciplines. "[The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture is] by no means unique in this regard," he says. "But we hope NEH recognition shines a light on the many things going on at the school."

The summer institute was designated a "We The People" program by the NEH. "We The People" initially focused on programs about the Constitution, but now has expanded for programs that demonstrate strength in teaching, understanding, and the study of American culture, Farnsley says, adding, "That’s really what we’re all about."

Published on: August 24, 2010