Dr. Patrice Brodeur and Faculty from the Department of Religious Studies

Connecticut College
The Pluralism Project at Connecticut College

 

Project Description

The nature of the PPCC (Pluralism Project at Connecticut College) is twofold: to implement the Pluralism Project goals of mapping the religious landscape of the New London area and to enhance collaboration between the greater New London inhabitants and the Connecticut College community, in particular through the Center for Community Challenges (CCC).

The first goal of mapping the religious landscape of the New London area is concomitant with The Harvard University Pluralism Project's goal to "develop and enhance our understanding of contemporary American religious communities, especially those of post-1965 immigrants." This goal is best achieved through studying the background demographic, economic, and political changes that have affected the nature and composition of religious communities in the New London area over the last fifty years. Histories of respective communities and institutions such as the Interfaith Council of New London need to be recorded with the help of their members. Scientific methods of ethnographic survey will be used in which the researchers (our students) locate community members (informants) who become partners in writing their own histories.

The second goal is to enhance collaboration between religious inhabitants of the New London area and those of Connecticut College, especially through the Center for Community Challenges (CCC) which focuses on local community issues and offers a certificate in the Program in Community Action (PICA). The CCC is a multi-disciplinary academic center which supports innovative curriculum development, pedagogy and research in the areas of service learning and community building/conflict management. The PICA Program engages students in exploring the meaning of a "good society," distinguishing the qualities of exemplary leaders, defining the roles and responsibilities of citizens in a democratic society, and determining what promotes and what inhibits effective communication and collaboration in communities. Building on a large and successful student volunteer program that was recognized by the White House as a Point of Light, the Center is the nexus of community and college interaction that seeks to prepare students for community leadership around the world.

The PPCC is an unique project that requires a close relationship between the College and New London communities. By getting students to discover the links between the local histories and contemporary descriptions of constantly changing religious communities, especially those of recent immigrants, the student researchers will discover the interrelationship between local and global issues. Such research will help students root their service-learning experiences into the local fabric of New London society with a historical depth that broadens their understanding of how to sustain human communities and personal commitments of service.

The PPCC affects students in four ways. First, students engage diverse religious communities on a human level through their ethnographies. Second, they explore the intellectual challenges of writing histories and mapping out fluid contemporary realities. Third, they discover the intellectual, emotional and spiritual factors that motivate and sustain religious individuals and communities in their quest to achieve their respective ideals and visions. Finally, students also gain understanding of their own roles at the various interstices of local and global issues that influence the various religious communities in the New London area. The PPCC can become a transformative agent for our students as well as an integrational force among local New London community members as well as both the members of our department of religious studies as well as the Connecticut College faculty involved in CCC.

Scope:

The geographical scope of PPCC covers the city of New London and the surrounding towns of Waterford and Groton, as well as the two Native American reservations of Mashantucket-Pequot and Mohegan.

The chronological scope of PPCC covers two and a half years, beginning in January 1999 and ending in September 2001. This period is divided into six phases:

  1. Jan-May 1999: Case study of the history of the New London mosque and reorganization of the Religion 101 course
  2. June-Aug 1999: Set up data-base of Rel 101 results with help of student interns
  3. Sept 1999-May 2000: Implementation of Rel 101 and various 400 level case-studies
  4. June-Aug 2000: Revision of Rel 101 and early draft of New London multi-media religious map
  5. Sept 2000-May 2001: Implementation of Rel 101 and various 400 level case-studies
  6. June-Aug 2001: Production of final version of New London multi-media religious map
  7. Sept. 2001: Public presentation of map and final evaluation of PPCC

 

The members of the PPCC affiliate team are:

Prof. Garrett Green, Chair of the Department: Christian communities

Prof. Eugene Gallagher: Christian communities, Afro-Caribbean and new religious movements

Prof. Roger Brooks: Jewish communities

Associate-Prof. Lindsey Harlan: Mashantucket-Pequot and Mohegan Native American as well as Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain communities

Assistant Professor Patrice Brodeur: Muslim communities and interreligious/interfaith organizations, as well as coordination of PPCC.


To contact the Pluralism Project, email staff@pluralism.org. Please write to us with suggestions about new books, articles, or sites to include, with announcements of conferences or special events, or with corrections.

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President and Fellows of Harvard College and Diana Eck. All rights reserved.