Religious Worlds of New York: Teaching the Everyday Life of American Religious Diversity

FAIN: ES-272474-20

Interfaith Center of New York (New York, NY 10115-0081)
Henry Goldschmidt (Project Director: March 2020 to present)

A three-week institute for 25 teachers on the diversity of religions in the U.S. by way of examining the lived experience of six religions in New York City.

This three week institute offers K-12 teachers an advanced introduction to the religious diversity of the United States, through a rigorous engagement with religious studies scholarship, and with the religious life of New York City. Participants will explore six major religious traditions. They will discuss the constitutional and pedagogic issues surrounding the study of religion in public and private schools. They will meet with diverse religious leaders, visit local houses of worship, participate in a walking tour exploring local religious history, and conduct field research to trace the meanings of “religion” in a diverse New York neighborhood. In addition to these community-based pedagogies, they will also explore classroom strategies for teaching about everyday religious life, including the use of literature and case-study texts. The institute will thus help participants teach their students about the everyday lives of their fellow Americans from diverse faith traditions.

Associated Products

What do K-12 Students Need to Learn about Religious Diversity? (Blog Post)
Title: What do K-12 Students Need to Learn about Religious Diversity?
Author: Henry Goldschmidt
Abstract: short article written for "Interfaith America" website, arguing for importance teaching and learning about lived religion in K-12 schools
Date: 01/24/2022
Primary URL: http://www.interfaithamerica.org/what-do-k-12-students-need-to-learn-about-religious-diversity/
Blog Title: Interfaith America
Website: Interfaith America

Teaching Critical Religious Studies in the World Religions Public Sphere (Book Section)
Title: Teaching Critical Religious Studies in the World Religions Public Sphere
Author: Henry Goldschmidt
Editor: Jenna Gray-Hildenbrand
Editor: Beverley McGuire
Editor: Hussein Rashid
Abstract: This essay explores a tension in the Interfaith Center of New York’s religious diversity education programs for K-12 teachers, social workers, and police officers. These programs work to subvert and exceed the limitations of “world religions” pedagogy, while nevertheless meeting the needs of partner organizations and professional audiences who tend to think about religion in such terms—helping these professionals work effectively in the world religions public sphere. The essay outlines the theoretical frameworks, pedagogic principles, and teaching tactics that have helped the author navigate this tension. It discusses Michel Foucault’s arguments about power and knowledge. It stresses the importance of teaching about the diversity within all faith traditions, as well as the personal stories and political projects that connect those traditions to people’s lives. It argues that one way to do so is by facilitating panel discussions with diverse religious leaders, and suggests guidelines for structuring such conversations.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/teaching-critical-religious-studies-9781350228412/
Primary URL Description: link to book on publisher's website
Secondary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Goldschmidt-Teaching-Critical-RS-in-WR-Public-Sphere.pdf
Secondary URL Description: link to essay, downloadable from institute website
Access Model: for sale and e-book
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Book Title: Teaching Critical Religious Studies: Pedagogy and Critique in the Classroom
ISBN: 1350228419

Expanding a Pedagogy of Identity (Book Section)
Title: Expanding a Pedagogy of Identity
Author: Gillian Steinberg
Editor: Mara Lee Grayson
Editor: Judith Chriqui Benchimol
Abstract: Challenging Antisemitism: Lessons from Literacy Classrooms provides theoretical framing and historical context for understanding contemporary antisemitism and offers teachers curricular ideas and practical strategies to address antisemitism and amplify Jewish voices in secondary and post-secondary literacy classrooms.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://www.amazon.com/Challenging-Antisemitism-Lessons-Literacy-Classrooms/dp/1475864833/ref=sr_1_1?crid=GGRX9HZPSGOT&keywords=judith+benchimol&qid=1685241580&sprefix=judith+benchimol%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-1
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Book Title: Challenging Antisemitism: Lessons from Literacy Classrooms

Building Bridges Together (Blog Post)
Title: Building Bridges Together
Author: Gillian Steinberg
Abstract: Part of a set of four brief essays and personal reflections by religiously diverse K-12 religion teachers.
Date: 04/07/2023
Primary URL: https://www.aprilonline.org/gillian-steinberg-on-jewish-education-and-building-bridges
Blog Title: The Commons
Website: Association for Public Religion and Intellectual Life

Faith Erasure, Lived Religion, and My Journey to Wholeness (Blog Post)
Title: Faith Erasure, Lived Religion, and My Journey to Wholeness
Author: Ami Chander
Abstract: Part of a set of four brief essays and personal reflections by religiously diverse K-12 religion teachers.
Date: 04/07/2023
Primary URL: https://www.aprilonline.org/faith-erasure-lived-religion
Blog Title: The Commons
Website: Association for Public Religion and Intellectual Life

Being a Good Neighbor: Religious Literacy, Democracy, and Catholic Education (Blog Post)
Title: Being a Good Neighbor: Religious Literacy, Democracy, and Catholic Education
Author: Rebecca Collins Jordan
Abstract: Part of a set of four brief essays and personal reflections by religiously diverse K-12 religion teachers.
Date: 04/07/2023
Primary URL: https://www.aprilonline.org/rebecca-collins-jordan-on-religious-literacy-democracy-and-catholic-education
Blog Title: The Commons
Website: Association for Public Religion and Intellectual Life

Through a Glass Darkly: Encountering Others in their Full Humanity (Blog Post)
Title: Through a Glass Darkly: Encountering Others in their Full Humanity
Author: Corey Wozniak
Abstract: Part of a set of four brief essays and personal reflections by religiously diverse K-12 religion teachers.
Date: 04/07/2023
Primary URL: https://www.aprilonline.org/encountering-others-in-their-full-humanity
Blog Title: The Commons
Website: Association for Public Religion and Intellectual Life

Got More Than One Religion? - Curriculum Guide (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Got More Than One Religion? - Curriculum Guide
Author: Susan Katz Miller
Author: Tim Hall
Abstract: curriculum guide accompanying a set of three brief videos on multiple religious belonging and the experiences of interfaith or multifaith families
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Got-More-Than-One-Religion-A-Toolkit-for-Educators.pdf
Audience: K - 12

Got More Than One Religion? - Videos (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Got More Than One Religion? - Videos
Writer: Susan Katz Miller
Director: Susan Katz Miller
Producer: Susan Katz Miller
Abstract: set of three brief videos (with accompanying curriculum guide) on multiple religious belonging and the experiences of interfaith or multifaith families
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMElf0CokMnsBxcvfH3DqxuLBh2sn5ccX
Format: Web

Religion in K-12 Education: A First Amendment Framework (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Religion in K-12 Education: A First Amendment Framework
Writer: Henry Goldschmidt
Director: Henry Goldschmidt
Producer: Kevin Childress
Abstract: Excerpts from seminars with Dr. Charles Haynes, founder of the Freedom Forum’s Religious Freedom Center, and a leading voice in policy debates about the role of religion in America’s public schools.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/resources/videos
Secondary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kaRQfM31RX77wEx_omYc0InpUrQRJdW
Access Model: open
Format: Web

Muslim Women’s Perspectives on Hijab (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Muslim Women’s Perspectives on Hijab
Writer: Henry Goldschmidt
Director: Henry Goldschmidt
Producer: Kevin Childress
Abstract: Muslim community leaders reflect on their choices to wear or not wear hijab. Contrary to stereotypes of veiling as a form of oppression, their reflections show how hijab can be a powerful form of personal expression.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/resources/videos
Secondary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kaRQfM31RX77wEx_omYc0InpUrQRJdW
Access Model: open
Format: Web

Relationships with Gods and Spirits (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Relationships with Gods and Spirits
Writer: Henry Goldschmidt
Director: Henry Goldschmidt
Producer: Kevin Childress
Abstract: Christian, Lukumi, and Hindu religious leaders discuss their relationships with diverse deities. Their reflections on gods and spirits will help students understand the deeply human realities of religious life.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/resources/videos
Secondary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kaRQfM31RX77wEx_omYc0InpUrQRJdW
Access Model: open
Format: Web

Diversity Within Faith Traditions and Communities (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Diversity Within Faith Traditions and Communities
Writer: Henry Goldschmidt
Director: Henry Goldschmidt
Producer: Kevin Childress
Abstract: Religious leaders discuss the diversity within their faith traditions and communities. Their reflections show that there’s no one way to be a Jew, a Buddhist, a Muslim, or a member of any other religious tradition.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/resources/videos
Secondary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kaRQfM31RX77wEx_omYc0InpUrQRJdW
Access Model: open
Format: Web

Faith-Based Civic Engagement and Community Service (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Faith-Based Civic Engagement and Community Service
Writer: Henry Goldschmidt
Director: Henry Goldschmidt
Producer: Kevin Childress
Abstract: Jewish, Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist religious leaders reflect on the importance of civic engagement and community service, sharing faith-based perspectives on pressing social issues.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/resources/videos
Secondary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kaRQfM31RX77wEx_omYc0InpUrQRJdW
Access Model: open
Format: Web

Conversion and Spiritual Transformation (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Conversion and Spiritual Transformation
Writer: Henry Goldschmidt
Director: Henry Goldschmidt
Producer: Kevin Childress
Abstract: Stories of spiritual transformation, from an Episcopal priest raised Southern Baptist, a Reform rabbi raised Lutheran, a Kali devotee raised as a Vaishnavite Hindu, and a Lukumi priest raised Catholic.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/resources/videos
Secondary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kaRQfM31RX77wEx_omYc0InpUrQRJdW
Access Model: open
Format: Web

How Does Interfaith Dialogue Impact Religious Identity? (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: How Does Interfaith Dialogue Impact Religious Identity?
Writer: Henry Goldschmidt
Director: Henry Goldschmidt
Producer: Kevin Childress
Abstract: Catholic and Muslim interfaith activists discuss the ways their relationships with members of other faith communities have shaped their personal faith and religious identity.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/resources/videos
Secondary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kaRQfM31RX77wEx_omYc0InpUrQRJdW
Access Model: open
Format: Web

New York City Religious Leaders Reflect on the 9/11 Attack (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: New York City Religious Leaders Reflect on the 9/11 Attack
Writer: Henry Goldschmidt
Director: Henry Goldschmidt
Producer: Kevin Childress
Abstract: In a press conference held by the Interfaith Center of New York on September 13, 2001, diverse NYC religious leaders respond to the 9/11 attack — giving voice to the city’s trauma, and standing together against Islamophobia.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/resources/videos
Secondary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kaRQfM31RX77wEx_omYc0InpUrQRJdW
Access Model: open
Format: Web

Brooklyn Vodou: Where the Spirits Reside (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Brooklyn Vodou: Where the Spirits Reside
Writer: Henry Goldschmidt
Director: Henry Goldschmidt
Producer: Kevin Childress
Abstract: Join a group of K-12 teachers as they visit a Haitian-American Vodou temple in Brooklyn. Includes excerpts from a symposium with faith leaders and a Vodou ceremony.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/resources/videos
Secondary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kaRQfM31RX77wEx_omYc0InpUrQRJdW
Access Model: open
Format: Web

Veve for Erzulie: Drawing Down Spirits in Vodou (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Veve for Erzulie: Drawing Down Spirits in Vodou
Writer: Henry Goldschmidt
Director: Henry Goldschmidt
Producer: Kevin Childress
Abstract: Leading NYC Vodou priest Houngan Gran Bwa draws a veve for Erzulie Freda – spirit of love and feminine power, and one of the most beloved deities in the Vodou pantheon.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/resources/videos
Secondary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kaRQfM31RX77wEx_omYc0InpUrQRJdW
Access Model: open
Format: Web

Ganesh Chaturthi: Celebrating Ganesh’s Birthday at the Hindu Temple Society of North America (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Ganesh Chaturthi: Celebrating Ganesh’s Birthday at the Hindu Temple Society of North America
Writer: Kevin Childress
Director: Kevin Childress
Producer: Kevin Childress
Abstract: Visit the annual Ganesh Chaturthi procession at New York City’s oldest and largest Hindu temple.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/resources/videos
Secondary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kaRQfM31RX77wEx_omYc0InpUrQRJdW
Access Model: open
Format: Web

Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
Writer: Kevin Childress
Director: Kevin Childress
Producer: Kevin Childress
Abstract: Visit the annual Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://religiousworldsnyc.org/resources/videos
Secondary URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kaRQfM31RX77wEx_omYc0InpUrQRJdW
Access Model: open
Format: Web

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