Teaching the Critical Comparative Study of Religion as Engaged Global Citizenship

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this article, I make a case for bridging what I see as the competing demands faced by teacher‐scholars in higher education: our institutional orientations, our students' motivations, and our aspirations as scholars and educators. I contend that teaching about religion, broadly understood, regardless of theoretical and methodological orientation (be it within religious studies, for example, or theology, or philosophy of religion, or ethics, etc.) can be an impactful experience in the practice and cultivation of engaged global citizenship. Drawing from my own courses, and my use of the Reacting to the Past (RTTP) roleplay pedagogy, I show how a critically self‐aware practice is foundational to this goal, and how an integrated cross‐cultural comparative and collaborative method provides a powerful tool to accomplish this in dynamic and equitable ways.