“The Gospel According to America: Black Demons and the Original Sin of Slavery”– #EtownEngage

In (WCH) REL 226: The New Testament, I gave a talk called “The Gospel According to America- Black Demons and The Original Sin of Slavery?” Our conversation began with a twist on the debate, “Is America a Christian Nation?” Instead, students paired up and named reasons why people argue “yes” and “no.”

Beatdowns and Downbeats: America as a Hip Hop Nation–#EtownEngage

In REL 170: Signifying Religion: An African American Worldview, I gave a talk called “Beatdowns and Downbeats: America as a Hip Hop Nation.” We began with a free association exercise about what could be signified by call America a “Hip Hop nation.”

Academic Teaching and Biblical Studies: The #SBLAAR14 Syllabus

There are a lot of great teaching and pedagogy sessions happening at #SBLAAR14. As you build your schedule, make sure you check out what's happening with the SBL Academic Teaching and Biblical Studies program unit. Yours truly is moderating a pretty awesome panel on Teaching the Bible Visually or Geographically. We have papers on everything from … Continue reading Academic Teaching and Biblical Studies: The #SBLAAR14 Syllabus

“Gradating” Understanding in the Religious Studies Classroom

The idea is to create an environment where students are encouraged to learn from their mistakes and to get help when they can't figure something out on their own.

Teaching Religion 101 –The Old School and the New School

On August 29, 2014, members of the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion shared tweets on what they had been taught as students and what they are teaching now as professors. Thanks to everybody who was a part of it. And a special thanks to the Forum for Theological Exploration, Seminarium, and the … Continue reading Teaching Religion 101 –The Old School and the New School