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

FAIN: ES-256853-17

Interfaith Center of New York (New York, NY 10115-0081)
Henry Goldschmidt (Project Director: February 2017 to March 2021)

A three-week institute for twenty-five school teachers on religious diversity in New York City neighborhoods.

This three week institute will offer school teachers an advanced introduction to the religious diversity of the United States, through a rigorous engagement with both religious studies scholarship and 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, and conduct field research to trace the presence of religion in a New York neighborhood. In addition to these community-based pedagogies, they will also explore a range of classroom strategies for teaching about religious life, including the use of literature and film. The institute will thus give participants the pedagogic tools they need to teach their students about the everyday lives of their fellow Americans from diverse faith traditions.