Religius Wrlds f New Yrk Curriculum Develpment Prject Dear Mr./Ms. President... Stephen Arbgast, The Natinal Cathedral Schl, Washingtn, DC Abstract This assignment is the cumulative written assessment fr a semester lng (13 week) seminar in Religin & Plitics that fcuses n U.S. dmestic public plicy issues with a religius element. The seminar is designed fr 12 junirs r senirs in academically rigrus secndary schls in majr urban centers in fur chrts f three students each in cities such as New Yrk, Washingtn, Chicag, Bstn, L.A, Hustn, Miami, Atlanta, Hustn, Denver, San Francisc, r Seattle. The curse is a hybrid with an nline cmpnent as well a weekly face-t-face tutrial fr three students and a lcal instructr at each schl. This assignment will frm the basis f a final series f nline seminars abut fur public plicy issues. The assignment cmes after three previus assignments: 1) interviewing a wise persn in the student s life abut what the infrmant believes are the mst imprtant dmestic public plicy issues with a religius element, 2) interviewing a clergy persn r fficial representative f a religius rganizatin r cmmunity abut that religius grup s public plicy issues, and 3) interviewing an elected public fficial r an elected public fficial s plicy assistant abut issues in that fficial s district that have religius elements. Pedaggical Gals The curse begins with a survey f religin, in general, and religin in America, in particular, with an emphasis n the applied scial ethical psitins f religius cmmunities and rganizatins with respect t dmestic public plicy issues. Althugh the curse will tuch upn a variety f religius perspectives, the main fcus will be n thse idelgies that mst significantly impact n America tday: Rman Cathlic Christianity, Evangelical Prtestant Christianity, and Eurpean Secular Humanism. Depending n the particular issue being discussed, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Mainline Prtestantism, Mrmnism, Native American indigenus religin, and thers may be featured insfar as they help t infrm debates n the larger public plicy issues.
The list f dmestic public plicy issues with religius aspects is large: marriage laws (frm the legality f divrce t same-sex marriage t plygamy); teaching f evlutin and creatinism in public schl science curses; just war and religius exemptins frm the draft; prhibitins n religius riented clthing in public, in general, and fr gvernment emplyees, in particular; the use f public funds fr religius charities and scial service agencies; euthanasia; abrtin; the use f religius symbls n public prperty and in gvernment spnsred events; and many thers. In shrt, the curse will prvide students with an pprtunity t: 1) understand the variety f public plicy issues with religius aspects faced in the United States tday, 2) understand the diverse range f religius respnses t these issues, 3) understand the justificatins fr the religius respnses t plitical issues, and 4) articulate and defend their wn persnal psitins n these issues. Brader Curricular Gals The academic study f Religin, Philsphy, & Culture assists students in develping literacy in religius, philsphical, & cultural wrldviews and in aiding students in frmulating, in cmmunity, their wn persnal ethical psitins and existential identities. This study presents the academic and schlarly disciplines f Religin, Philsphy, & Cultural Studies as well as helps students with skills necessary t becme mature, respnsible leaders f the glbal cmmunity. Students are taught t thughtfully cnsider sacred literature, histrical prblems, and ethical prblems in thinking with sphisticatin abut the variety f different ways that peple arund the wrld imagine what is f ultimate value in human life. Students learn hw different wrldviews impact upn plitical and public plicy decisins as well as at pints f persnal crisis and human develpment. Practical & Pedaggical Details There are several assumptins that underlie this study. This apprach twards the study f idelgical netwrks is nt fr every student and fr every academic cntext. One assumptin that underlies this curse is that the students wh will prsper the mst frm this methd already have strng academic skills and strng mtivatin fr prfessinal success. In additin, this apprach is fr students wh are planning t assume leadership rles in the glbal sciety rather than merely participate as general citizens. Lastly, this apprach is primarily fr use in academic curses f religin r philsphy rather than fr use as units in academic curses f histry r literature.
Each week s activities: Bi-weekly nline and Skype cnversatins f all instructrs Research assignment using web-based resurces fr students Three Face-t-Face Tutrials with Lcal Instructr fr students Weekly nline asynchrnus discussins facilitated by Curse Lead Instructr fr students Weekly nline reading quiz fr students Weekly nline videtaped Lecture fr students Weekly reading assignment fr students Weekly wiki pstings (beynd n-line discussin) in study grups fr students Weekly written assignment f 250-500 wrds that will eventually be part f the final paper fr students Institutinal Curricular Standards As the target schl fr this prpsal prepares students fr the cmplex challenges that they will face as adults in a cmplex sciety, the schl strives t ffer a wrld-class educatin in the disciplines f science, mathematics, histry, religin, language, literature, and the arts. There is rm fr imprvement. Pedaggy changes ver time, and the knwledge base f many fields f inquiry is altering rapidly in the 21st century. All excellent schls must wrk t keep pace with that change. The schl s missin requires its faculty t increase [ur students ] capacity fr mutual and selfrespect...ask ur yung peple what they believe in s they can knw themselves in the wrld... shw ur students hw t be clleagues and friends s they can act ut f respect and lve...lead them t distinguish right frm wrng and then d what is right s they can be persuasive and curageus citizens...engage the larger cmmunities f city, natin, and wrld f which we are a part...serve ur neighbrs...live fully in ur city... T meet these mandates, the schl s teachers, staff, students, and prgrams must engage the glbe, mving ut int the wrld and actively drawing the wrld int the schl. Fr infrmatin abut the Religius Wrlds f New Yrk summer institute fr teachers, and many mre resurces t enrich yur teaching n religius diversity, see: www.religiuswrldsnyc.rg
Written Assignment 1,500 t 2,500 wrds Advice n a Dmestic Public Plicy Issue Of a Religius Organizatin r Cmmunity T an Elected Public Official Yu are representing a religius rganizatin r religius cmmunity t a gvernment fficial abut a dmestic public plicy issue f yur chice. Present yur argument t the public fficial abut why he r she ught t d what yu recmmend. Yu may chse t address yur recmmendatin either t an elected public fficial r t an appinted directr f an executive branch administrative department n the natinal, reginal, r lcal level. Befre yu begin, yu need t decide: Which religius rganizatin r religius cmmunity d yu want t represent? T which gvernment fficial d yu want t speak? Fr example,... Yur New Yrk City Cuncil Member The Mayr f New Yrk Yur New Yrk State Assembly representative The Gvernr f the State f New Yrk Yur Representative r Senatr in Cngress The President f the United States Abut what dmestic public plicy issue d yu want t discuss? Assume yur audience is a grup f prfessinal r managerial adults in New Yrk, Washingtn, r LA. Imagine the tne f the New Yrk Review f Bks, the Ecnmist, r the Wall Street Jurnal. Present a summary f yur research in yur title, e.g. Representing the Old Order Amish Cmmunity f Unin Cunty, Pennsylvania T the Gvernr f Pennsylvania requesting that the Cmmnwealth f Pennsylvania Exempt Amish children frm state-mandated medical examinatins By Katherine Chang 5 January 2013
Write yur paper using whatever style and apprach as yu see fit. Include as much f the fllwing as yu think imprtant: Recmmendatin Detailed descriptin f the issue, including 3-6 mst imprtant ptins Detailed descriptin f the rganizatin r cmmunity that yu are representing, as well as brief summaries f the 3-6 ther mst imprtant religius stakehlders Intellectual assumptins (epistemlgical, metaphysical, & ethical) Definitins f terms Argument, i.e., yur reasning & evidence Limits t the recmmendatin (see guidelines fr writing White Papers) Qualificatins t the argument (see guidelines fr writing White Papers) This is a cmplicated assignment. Yu need t use what yu have learned abut a religius rganizatin r cmmunity t accurately and sympathetically represent the grup (regardless f yur persnal pinin n the issue) but t d s in a way that will be cnvincing t a public fficial wh will have different values and cncerns than the religius grup. The tw tughest parts f this assignment will be: 1) t help yur plitical target bth understand and empathize with the psitin f the religius grup yu represent and 2) t demnstrate that yu, i.e., yur religius rganizatin r cmmunity, is sphisticated and nt naïve in yur analysis f the issue, i.e., yu als understand and empathize with the psitins f the ther significant stakehlders cncerned abut the issue. These last tw sectins wuld nt nrmally be part f a frmal, academic treatment f the subject, but if yu were writing a light, feature article with a mre persnal apprach expected, these sectins might prvide yu with details f a mre casual style. Required Supplementary Persnal Respnse Paragraph # 1 On a separate page and labeled Supplementary Persnal Respnse # 1 This is nt assessed and is nt included in the wrd cunt requirement. Disclse yur wn perspective, including 1) yur experience with the tpic, the religius grup, r the elected public fficial, 2) yur emtinal respnse t any f the previus, and 3) a descriptin f yur idelgical backgrund. Required Supplementary Persnal Respnse Paragraph # 2 On a separate page and labeled Supplementary Persnal Respnse # 2 This is nt assessed and is nt included in the wrd cunt requirement. Yu dn t need t answer all these questins. Chse as many as yu think apprpriate t explain what yu learned in ding the assignment. This is the time fr yu t sit back, think abut the entire prcess, and figure ut what yu ve gained frm the experience. Reread yur ntes and yur reprt. Which questin was the mst interesting, the mst difficult, the mst imprtant, r the mst intractable? What was easiest r hardest: chsing yur tpic? the religius rganizatin? the plitical unit yu wish t influence? The bttm line here is t ask yurself what the key feature f the entire prcess was that best gives insight int what is fundamental t the experience f being a living human being. And n a persnal nte, what did yu learn frm this prcess f analysis?