The Pluralism Project at Harvard UniversityNEH Summer Seminar Participants: “World Religions in America”
Led by Dr. Diana L. Eck, Harvard University
June 26–August 4, 2000
Susan Bond Newport Harbor High School, Newport Beach, California
I teach U.S. History and American Democracy at Newport Harbor High School (NHHS) in Southern California. I received my B.A. in History from San Diego State University and my M.A. in History from California State University, Long Beach. Recent summer breaks have included extensive travel through Indonesia and Eastern Europe. These experiences have intensified my understanding of the historical and cultural dimensions of these regions.
I applied to the summer seminar to further discern the dynamic core of our collective humanity. I am eager to collaborate with fellow pedagogues and engage in scholarly research. My goal is to develop course curriculum and to enhance student learning. This year, NHHS was selected by the state of California to be a Digital High School. Technology will be integrated into student learning as they explore the CD-ROM, "On Common Ground." While examining this primary source, students will cultivate respect for the vast diversity that exists in America, thus fostering the sagacious citizens this nation demands in order to flourish. From their research and analysis, students will deliberate the manner in which Constitutional principles are interpreted by our modern multi-religious society.
John Braman Polytechnic School, Pasadena, California
I am a New England native from New Haven, CT. I am the parent of two college students, Justin at Wesleyan University and Carrie at Bennington College. My current work in Pasadena, CA, involves a whole-school (Pre-K through 12) implementation of a "peaceable school" approach incorporating conflict resolution, diversity education, and pro-social applications of knowledge. I was the founding director of the Center for Peaceable Schools at Lesley College, director of education at Thompson Island Outward Bound Center, and director of the Bear Canyon Project at Albuquerque Academy. My degrees are from Brown University and Teachers College.
Josephine Chi Boston Latin School, Boston, Massachusetts
I have been teaching at Boston Latin School for
five years now – mainly World History but also American History as well.
In the course of teaching these courses, I have had to cover a good deal of
world religions. Every time I begin to teach religion, the students get
very concerned that they are not allowed to talk about religion in school, yet
as we get into the discussions, I find that they are quite curious and often
times misled in their preconceptions of religions they are either unfamiliar
with, or think they are familiar with but really are not! I feel it is
necessary for the students to have an outlet to discuss their thoughts on
morality and a history class is one of the best places to do so.
Personally, I was really excited to read about this seminar back in the fall,
because my senior thesis in my undergrad years combined History and East Asian studies, centering on how
Christianity impacted Chinese immigrants coming into the San Francisco area. I had begun to do some
initial research into the Boston area as well and would like to continue to be
challenged and encouraged in this respect.
Finally, as a Christian myself, I was intrigued by Diana Eck's thoughts
regarding the phrase "e pluribus unum" and what that means for religions that have come into America.
As a Christian I am part of the majority culture, but as a Chinese American I am part of a minority culture, so
I know what it is like to feel like an outsider. I feel this seminar will help me to continue to
struggle with this tension; how do I respond to other people coming into America with their religious beliefs?
I see this summer as one of learning, and I am looking forward to meeting all you other participants as well
as diving into the material. (I am also getting married in August so this will
hopefully divert my attention from wedding jitters!).
Francis X. Eells West Philadelphia Catholic High School, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
I am a member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Catholic teaching order, currently teaching at West Philadelphia Catholic High School in Philadelphia. Born in Philadelphia and raised in its suburbs, I went to La Salle University after twelve years of Catholic schooling expecting to become a lawyer. Instead I joined the Brothers who teach at and administer La Salle and embarked on a teaching career. In my third school with the Brothers, I teach English, Morality and chair the Religion Department at West Catholic.
West Philadelphia, where I teach, has increasingly become a melting pot of Asian, African, West Indian immigrants, African-Americans, and urban professionals associated with nearby University of Pennsylvania. This diversity has changed West Catholic from white Catholic to poly-religious and multi-racial, and led me to reevaluate our curriculum.
The NEH seminar advertised is, I believe, a good point for me to reach out beyond the Catholic world I was raised in. I hope that the seminar will broaden my knowledge and appreciation of world religions, and by extension the world view of my Christian students and my colleagues. I also hope the seminar will help me communicate more effectively with our non-Christian students. While augmenting such courses as Morality, Scripture and Life Styles, I hope to lay the foundations for a world religions course at West Catholic.
Carol Winfield Eliot National Cathedral School, Washington,
D.C.
As a teacher of religion in an independent school for girls in Washington, D.C., I
have the challenging task of providing a curriculum that will engage our
students and, perhaps, prepare them to be world citizens. To that end I teach
four one-semester courses: Architecture of the Cathedral, Psychology of Human
Development, Religion: Its Nature and Practice, and Good and Evil: A Study of
Human Behavior and the Holocaust.
Religion: Its Nature and Practice, a one-semester required course, examines world traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. As our student body becomes more diverse, representing many cultures, my goal is to present each tradition respectfully and accurately. I hope that participation in this seminar will allow me to be more effective in working with primary sources and more informed in the outward expressions of the traditions I teach. Having a better understanding of the impact of our culture on these traditions, as they take shape in the American environment, will enable me to appreciate more realistically the experiences of my students and their families. As I have just returned from a three-week trip to China, I look forward, as well, to a better understanding of my experiences there.
I was born in Petersburg, Virginia, and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Richmond. I also hold a Master of Divinity Degree. I live in Bethesda, Maryland, with my husband, a consulting engineer, my dog Maggie, and the shadows of three charming, independent, sons.
Bridgette Hajduk Annie Wright School, Tacoma, Washington
Fredrick Franck, an artist and scholar, wrote "that to live is to be slowly born and that coming to be fully alive is the task of one's lifetime." In seeking opportunities to become more fully alive I have lived in Nepal and Japan, engaged in studying the world's religions and teach at an all girls' high school in Tacoma, Wa. When I learned about the "World Religions in America" seminar, I knew this was an incredible opportunity to pursue my professional and personal passions in yet another way. I am excited to collaborate with other people interested in teaching the world religions at the secondary school level. Educators like us are role models in our students' lives, therefore we have the responsibility to prepare students to meet the challenges of our rapidly changing, complex and culturally diverse world. In short, if we can help our students understand religious diversity they will confront moral and ethical issues in their futures in an educated manner.
I teach a 9th grade cultural geography course and I want to return next fall with specific ideas regarding the connection of religious traditions to our studies of the world and contemporary political issues. I also teach a 12th grade World Religions class and I look forward to developing a more experiential course. I aspire to have my students experience the world's religions through field trips where they can visit different religious sites and observe rituals, so thereby becoming more aware of the diversity in our Northwest community. My dream is to continue developing my curriculum so students actively seek the questions and are enticed by opportunities that allow them to become more alive.
Ronnie Lynn Holley L.F. Raynes Middle School & Crandall High
School, Crandall, Texas
My name is Ronnie Lynn Holley. I am a Texan. Now, before you form that mental picture of me complete with boots and spurs, let me share a few thoughts with you. From the dry western plains with its tumbling tumble weeds and the humid eastern forests with its thick undergrowth, to the rolling green hills along the Red River Valley and the sun drenched beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, Texas is a state of immense variety and striking contrast. Not unlike the geographical characteristics, the population of Texas is also extremely diverse and dynamic. Today's Texans are just as likely to be found sporting a beret, a yarmulke, or a turban as they are the traditional cowboy hat. Today's Texans speak French, Yiddish, Japanese, Farsi, Mandarin and German as well as the traditional English and Spanish. Today's Texans worship in synagogues, temples, mosques, cathedrals and expansive new high-tech sanctuaries as well as in the more traditional small town, rural churches.
With such a rich diversity both in the geography and in the people of Texas, the promise of a bright future in regard to prosperity and liberty provides an excellent foundation upon which educators can motivate students to become their very best. I have both a personal and a professional interest in seeing that the youth of my state obtain the very best education possible. As a parent and as a teacher, being aware of the significant influence cultural aspects have on a person, my goal is the overall physical, emotional, spiritual and academic advancement of all students. To achieve this goal, I strive to enhance my own understanding of the many cultural, religious backgrounds existing not only in my own community, but also all across the state of Texas. I am honored to be selected as a participant in the NEH Summer Seminar titled "World Religions In America." I look forward to working closely with my fellow participants and the seminar directors as we all seek to broaden our understanding of this part of our students' lives. Thus, by becoming more aware and knowledgeable of their various religious backgrounds, I expect to be better equipped as their teacher to prepare all of my students for the opportunities that lie ahead of them here in the great state of Texas.
Ann Maddox Academy of the Sacred Heart, New Orleans, Louisiana
I teach World Religions at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans. Religion has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a small town in Mississippi. Small towns in Mississippi could possibly be minority religions in themselves. I attended Spring Hill College where I received a B.S. in Economics and Philosophy and a M.T.S. in Theology. I am very excited to be a participant in the Summer Seminar for a number of reasons. Our school has really been working hard to diversify our student population and I believe a better understanding of lived religions in America will help promote diversity. We have recently moved to a laptop program in our school and I hope to incorporate the CD-ROM in my course. I very much believe in experiential education and can't wait for our field visits. I also feel I have much to share about religion in New Orleans which is fascinating and unique.
George Mewborn Greene County Middle School, Snow Hill, North
Carolina
I am currently the resource teacher for academically gifted students at
Greene County Middle School in rural Snow Hill, North Carolina.
My interest in the study of religion came early during my undergraduate
years at Wake Forest University, inspired by several fine teachers of
religion and philosophy. Since that time, I have enjoyed a number of
opportunities to continue my studies in religion, particularly a 1994
NEH seminar at Hollins College, "Bhagavadgita: Song of the Lord" and a
1995 NEH institute at the National Humanities Center, "Divining America:
Religion and the National Culture." I have also enjoyed two foreign
study opportunities that provided me the time and resources to pursue my
interest in Asian religions, a 1996 Fulbright-Hays study tour in India
and a 1998 Fulbright Memorial Fund study tour of Japan.
I look forward to the opportunities that this seminar will provide for
my colleagues and me to pursue our mutual interest in world religions. I
anticipate gaining insight into the patterns of social change that will
someday bring Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and other faiths to my area of
eastern North Carolina. I hope that, as I share with my friends and
colleagues, my students and their parents, some of the experiences of
the summer and what I learn about the expanding religious diversity of
our nation, they may open their minds and hearts to people of faith who
seek the same religious freedom that brought so many of our ancestors to
this country.
Dr. Ajile A. Rahman Westlake High School, Atlanta, Georgia
I teach history in Atlanta, Georgia. I received a Fulbright to Morocco in 1998 and have been elected to Who's Who Among America's Teachers for 1996, 1998, and 2000. This election to Who's Who for a third time places me in the top 2% of America's teachers. I have been published by the University of Indianapolis Press and the U.S. Department of Education. My areas of interests include World, United States, African American, and American Islamic history.
As a seminar participant, I plan to use my increased knowledge and understanding of the various emerging faiths in America and the impact of those creeds on American and World history as well as the students who attend the public schools. Thus, I will be better able to plan for the inclusion of these emerging faith perspectives in my curriculum and also act as a resource person for members of the department and faculty as needed. By such inclusion, I believe that we could all become more comfortable accessing and contacting other religious communities for speakers, materials, and resources that may be available to public school students and teachers, as well as plan the curriculum with the needs of all students in mind. This informed and intelligent move on the educator's part would ensure that the religious tenets of America's increasingly diverse faith communities would be objectively taught, correctly understood, and intelligently respected as an important component of the changing fabric of American society and its educational system.
Thomas Ramsey Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire
I teach religion at Phillips Exeter Academy, an independent New England
boarding school. The school's 1000 students comes from 38 countries and 43
states, representing a diversity of religious (and non-religious) experience and
background. The religion department teaches 20 different courses on a wide
range of topics in religion, philosophy, and ethics. Religious diversity is a
natural part of campus life; the Hindu society, the Islamic society, and
Buddhist meditation meet in the same building as Protestant worship and Quaker
meeting, and the Jewish Student Organization meets for Shabbat meal every Friday
evening.
I am interested in what this NEH seminar might bring to my teaching in this
context. First, I want to think about ways of using the school itself as a
laboratory for studying religion. I am also interested in learning more about world religions communities in this area of New England, and making
connections with these communities in my courses. Finally, I am interested in
bringing the course on "Religious Traditions in America" up to date in
terms of diversity; how do you teach ninth and tenth graders about
America's religious diversity and complexity in a single trimester course?
I have been teaching in independent schools for almost twenty years. I
grew up in Maryland, majored in religion at Hamilton College, and received an
M.Div. degree from Yale Divinity School. After graduating, I tried various
things for a few years, and then began teaching at Trinity School in New York
City in 1981. I stayed at Trinity until 1998, doing administrative roles
as well as teaching, and then moved to Exeter.
I am married and have a thirteen year old daughter. When I'm not teaching or
doing any of the many other things in the life of a boarding school faculty
member, I enjoy reading, travel, golf, art, and singing. Over the years, I have
participated in several academic summer programs, and enjoy the combination of
academic liveliness and collegiality that can develop in a seminar like this
one. As Exeter is about an hour and fifteen minutes north of Boston, I'll
be partly in residence and partly commuting. I look forward to meeting everyone in the seminar.
Heng Shun Developing Virtue Boys High School, Talmage, California
I teach in a very small private high school in Northern California (Mendocino
County) to two separate groups of students. One group consists of regular
students from the local community as well as boarding students from other parts
of the U.S. and overseas. The majority of these students are American-born
Chinese. The other group consists of young novice monks, who are pursuing
their high school diploma along with their rather rigorous monastic training
program at our home, the City of 10,000 Buddhas. I myself have been donning the
garb of a traditionally ordained Buddhist monk for over 20 years. I
specialize in the translation of ancient Chinese Buddhist texts into English
along with explanations by my late teacher, the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua.
I teach courses in World's Religions, Buddhist Studies, Translation of Sacred
Texts and U.S. Government.
We've recently decided to make my one-year survey course on World's Religions a
requisite for graduation. I'm just fascinated at how the various religions
are presently becoming modified by and assimilated to our diverse American
culture. The seminar offers a wonderful opportunity to increase our
knowledge in this exciting field. After the seminar I plan to completely
restructure my present syllabus to focus more on looking at each of the major
religious traditions in the context of what's happening now in America. I cannot think of anything more important than making sure our
students have a significant understanding and genuine empathy for the various
religious beliefs and practices followed by those of other religions than their
own.
James Stallman Washington Middle School, Aurora, Illinois
For as long as I can remember I have been interested in religious ideas, the truly "big ideas" of humanities' existence. Growing up in a very religiously conservative home, school, and church these ideas were shackled to a great extent. In my late teens, however, I experienced a sort of renaissance as I took off the cloak of my earlier religious training and began to look at these ideas with a fresh, unbounded perspective. My studies since that time have taken me to many places: temples and ashrams in both the U.S. and India and pyramids and churches in Mexico, to name a few. What an interesting, enlightening, and exhilarating journey it has been. My other great love is teaching. I've taught in elementary schools for 20 years, and am now teaching and coaching in middle school. I coach basketball and track, and also study and teach Tai Chi. I have also taught meditation in maximum security prisons for a number of years. I have been teaching students informally about the religions of the world for years. Since coming to middle school two years ago as a social studies teacher I have included the teaching of the world's wisdom traditions as part of our exploration of ancient world cultures. I'm confident that my time in the summer seminar will greatly enhance my ability to facilitate that exploration more effectively.
Kevin Williams Davis Senior High School, Davis, California
I've been married for a little over three years. My wife Stacey and I have a daughter, Moira, and another child on the way (due in the middle of November). We taught for 2+ years in South Korea, and used this opportunity to travel throughout Southeast Asia. During this trip, we developed a keen sense/appreciation of the significance of religion in the lives of these people. Whether Buddhism or the enigmatic Cao Dai in Vietnam, religion seemed to play a significant role in their lives. I applied to the seminar because I hope to find out more about these religions as they are practiced in Asia, but also how much these religions change when they come (if they come) to the U.S. Being from California affords me the opportunity to deal directly with students from Southeast Asia. Also, Northern California has become a destination for many immigrants from Southeast Asia. I'd like to use the approaches and methods I learn in the seminar to teach my students to analyze how immigration affects religion transference from one area to another. It would be interesting to take the knowledge gained from the seminar and apply it to other immigration periods and see what commonalities exist.