Interfaith Engagement and Religious Pluralism
REL 380 A
Fall 2015
Wofford College
Old Main 206
T/Th 1:00-2:20PM
Instructors: Dr. Trina Janiec Jones and Rev. Dr. Ron Robinson
E-mail Address: joneskj@wofford.edu and robinsonrr@wofford.edu
Office: Old Main 203 and Chaplain’s Office, Main Building
Office Phone: 597-4638 and 597-4051
Office Hours: by appointment
Texts:
Francis Clooney
Diana Eck
Linda Mercadante
Eboo Patel
Chris Stedman
Comparative Theology: Deep Learning Across
Religious Borders
Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Benares (excerpts)
Belief without Borders: Inside the Minds of the Spiritual but not Religious
Sacred Ground: Pluralism, Prejudice, and the Promise of America
Faithiest: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious
Course Description:
This course explores the civic, theological, and philosophical challenges and opportunities involved with religious
pluralism. What does it mean for groups with different religious commitments to share the same civic space? What
might it mean to move beyond religious tolerance toward civic engagement among people of many faiths and those
of no faith?
We will also consider more overarching questions related to the field of religious studies in general. For example:
(1) What does it mean to study “religion”?
(2) What does it mean to study one particular religious tradition?
(3) What is the difference between studying religion (or pluralism) in an academic context,
as opposed to a faith-based context, as opposed to the context of the civic sphere?
(4) What is the difference between “religious studies” and “theology”? Does it matter?
(5) Is human flourishing affected by interreligious and/or interfaith engagement?
Goals of the course:
This course begins with two assumptions: (1) that liberal learning is, in large part, predicated on the goal of
facilitating civically-engaged learning, and (2) that civic engagement, in turn, is predicated largely on helping
students learn how to engage meaningfully and productively with difference.
The learning objectives for this course involve students’ acquiring a more nuanced understanding of the following:

What we mean when we speak of “diversity” and “(religious) pluralism”

What we mean when we talk about “religiousness,” “religion,” and “religious identity.” What assumptions
underpin our use of these words?

The philosophical challenges entailed in theologies of religious pluralism, as well as the difference between
a theology of religious pluralism and comparative theology

A history of religious pluralism in the United States, focusing on specific challenges and areas of positive
engagement

Various notions of religious belonging, including “none,” “spiritual but not religious,” and other hybridities

More general questions related to the field of religious studies (the history of the academic field, which has
changed and grown in response to religious pluralism) and its lexicon (for example, what have various
scholars meant when they have used the typology of “exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism”?)
Course Requirements:
You will be asked to complete one outside project (this project includes a presentation and final paper; see details
below); you will also have two in-class tests, a reflection paper, a few group activities, and writing assignments on
Moodle. And, finally, we will have an opportunity to travel to Washington D.C during the month of March to
explore some of the pathways toward interfaith engagement that are available at this point in our nation’s history.
quizzes -You will have unannounced quizzes on the reading and on prior lectures. These quizzes will allow us to
make sure both that you’re keeping up with the reading and that you’ve understood what you’ve read and
heard in class. (We will drop each student’s lowest quiz grade at the end of the semester if we have more
than three quizzes. Missed quizzes cannot be made up. If we have more than three quizzes but a student
misses enough quizzes such that she or he only has three on record, that student’s lowest quiz grade will not
be dropped.) In addition, you will have several writing assignments: these might include out-of-class
essays (announced in class); discussion and analysis of the reading, lectures and class discussions; and
personal reflection papers. Assignments will be due at the beginning of the class period.
Attendance, Late Work, and Class Participation:
It is our feeling that your final grade should reflect your participation in class and your commitment to taking
responsibility for your own education outside of class.
Attendance –
Attendance and preparation are, clearly, integral not only to effective participation, but also to your ability
to learn and reflect on the material. Any more than one unexcused absence will result in a lowered
participation grade, and any more than two unexcused absences will result in a lowered final grade. Keep
in mind the likelihood that you will not feel well at least once during the semester and might, therefore,
have to miss class due to illness. Our advice is to “bank” your absences. (Ideally, you won’t have to miss
at all; we need your input.) If you do miss class, however, you are still responsible for any assignments
made or collected that day.
Late Work –
If you should have to miss a class on a day that we have a quiz, you will not be allowed to make up that
quiz. Should you miss on a day when we have an in-class writing assignment, in most cases you will not be
able to make up that in-class writing assignment. Should you have a writing assignment due at the
beginning of class on a day that you miss, you must turn that assignment in by the beginning of the next
class session. We will not chase you down in order to get these assignments; remembering to get them
to us is your responsibility. Not turning in work will negatively impact your final grade. (You will get a
zero on that assignment.)
Writing -All writing assignments, except those that we do in class, must be typed unless otherwise stipulated.
A note on informal writing: informal is not synonymous with haphazard. We are all pressed for time
throughout the semester; even so, you should make every effort to be sure that your informal writing is in
keeping with the standards for proper written English (this means, among other things, avoiding errors like
sentence fragments, comma splices, run-on sentences, pronouns with unclear or nonexistent antecedents,
etc.), and that your ideas are fully and clearly developed. Your thoughts are, of course, the most important
thing; the clarity and elegance with which you express those thoughts, however, does matter.
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Participation –
Many students express concern over participation requirements, especially if they are shy. We understand
that not everyone feels comfortable speaking up in class. For this reason, it is vital that we establish an
understanding early on: the classroom is a safe place in which to analyze, evaluate, and question ideas. We
must all be sensitive to and thoughtful about the comments of others, and each of us has the right to expect
the same with regard to our own comments and questions.
It is also important to point out that both the degree to which you keep up with the reading and the level at
which you respond thoughtfully and responsibly to it also reflect your level of participation.
Keep in mind that there are different modes via which one can be present in class: two of these are (1) being
present in body only, and (2) being present in body and mind. Active and thoughtful engagement in class
will, of course, add to the level and quality of your participation.
Communication: E-mail and Moodle
We frequently communicate with my classes via e-mail. Please be sure to check your Wofford email account regularly. We will also be using Moodle in this course. Please check it frequently.
If there is a difference between the schedule on the syllabus and the schedule on Moodle, go with the
updated schedule on Moodle.
A word about cell phones: We are as addicted to my cell phone as you might be, so we can understand the urge to have
it by you at all times. That being said, please turn your phone off (or to vibrate) during class, and put it away. If we see
you texting or messing around with your phone, we might take it for the remainder of class. Nobody wants that. Please,
especially, do not whip out your phone if you’ve finished a quiz but others are still working.
We haven’t had problems with phones so far in any of my classes … let’s not start now.
Grading:
Tests: 30% (15% each)
Reflection Paper: 7.5%
Quizzes: 7.5%
Group Projects/Discussion Leading/Informal Writing: 5%
Project: 50% (imagined topics assignment - 5%; annotated bibliography - 10%; topic analysis - 10%;
presentation - 10%; final paper - 15%)

You must turn in all out-of-class writing assignments and take all of the tests (not including quizzes)
in order to receive a passing grade in the class.

We do not e-mail grades.
Important Note: If you have questions or do not understand something, please ask us for clarification. If you do
not ask, we will assume that you have read and understand all stipulations on the syllabus.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is central to the mission of this institution and this course. Without honest effort, a learning
community has no substance or validity. All students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic
honesty. No excuses will be accepted for plagiarism, cheating, or any other act that suggests you have not fulfilled
your academic responsibilities in this course.
It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty on this campus. We consider the main
component of your fulfilling that responsibility to be asking us if you are in doubt as to whether or not something
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constitutes a breach of academic integrity. We are operating under the assumption that you have read the Wofford
Honor Code.
You are expected to abide by the rules and regulations of the Wofford College Honor Code. Any infractions will be
pursued as outlined in the Code (which is linked on the Moodle page for this course).
See also (http://www.wofford.edu/library/avoid-plagiarism.aspx)
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Schedule of Readings:
The date indicates when the given assignment is due. We reserve the right to alter the schedule and/or assignment should
class discussion suggest that this would be helpful.
The Civic Grounds for Religious Pluralism
Week One: Introducing the Concepts
T
2/3
Introduction – What is “religious pluralism”? What is “the
flourishing scale”? What is The Pluralism and Worldview Engagement Rubric?
A few words on the UN’s Interfaith Harmony Week.
http://www.un.org/en/events/interfaithharmonyweek/
Th
2/5
Syllabus Quiz; Pew data and PRRI (con’t)
Cassie Meyer, “Engaging Interfaith Studies Across the Curriculum: From Niche to Norm”
http://irdialogue.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/meyer-01.pdf
Allie Grasgreen, “Beyond Tolerance” (aka, “College Officials Discuss Religious Pluralism at
AACU Meeting”)
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/01/31/college-officials-discuss-religiouspluralism-aacu-meeting
Allie Grasgreen, “Atheist, Secular Students Becoming Established on Religious Campuses”
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/03/19/atheist-secular-students-becomingestablished-religious-campuses
Week Two:
T
2/10
Th
2/12
Eboo Patel, excerpt from Acts of Faith: The Story of an American
Muslim, in the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation (Excerpts on Moodle)
Eboo Patel, Sacred Ground: Pluralism, Prejudice, and the Promise of America, Part I
Sacred Ground, Part II
Week Three:
T
Th
2/17
2/19
Sacred Ground, Part III
An example of interfaith engagement: “Ravel/Unravel”
introduction and explanation
Week Four:
T
Th
2/24
2/26
Week Five:
T
3/3
Th
3/5
Week Six:
T
3/10
Th
3/12
“Ravel/Unravel” – con’t.
Eck – Encountering God, chs. 7 &8 (available on Moodle)
Work with examples from Eck’s Pluralism Project in class;
Imagine Topics Assignment due
Test
Excerpt from The Cambridge Guide to American Islam
Edward Curtis, “The Study of American Muslims: A History”
TRIP TO DC
The Theological and Philosophical Challenges of Religious Pluralism
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Week Seven:
T
3/17
Th
3/19
Week Eight:
T
3/24
W
Th
3/25
3/26
Debrief from DC trip
William E. Connolly, Why I Am Not a Secularist (excerpts available on
Moodle)
“Suffering, Justice, and the Politics of Becoming”
“An Ethos of Engagement”
Francis Clooney, Comparative Theology: Deep Learning Across
Religious Borders (Part I)
Annotated Bibliography Due
Clooney, Part II
Week Nine:
T
3/31
Th
4/2
Clooney, Part III
Scriptural Reasoning (introduction)
Week Ten:
T
4/7
Th
4/9
spring break (it would be a good idea to get started on Mercadante while relaxing)
spring break
Week Eleven:
T
4/14
Th
4/16
Week Twelve:
T
4/21
Th
4/23
Week Thirteen:
T
4/28
Th
4/30
Scriptural Reasoning
Scriptural Reasoning (keep reading Mercadante)
Topic Analysis Due
Linda Mercadante, Belief Beyond Borders: Inside the Minds of the
Spiritual but not Religious
Mercadante (con’t)
Mercadante (con’t)
Christ Stedman, Faithiest: How and Athiest Found Common Ground
with the Religious
Week Thirteen:
T
5/5
Th
5/7
Stedman (con’t)
presentations
Exam period
presentations
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