Abstract
There is something odd about teaching religious history in collegiate classrooms. Most academic historians agree that religion is central to the history of any society, yet discussions of religious history or even religious culture are strikingly peripheral to historical narratives taught in college classrooms. Instructors frequently sidestep religion, deeming it too personal and divisive for an objective, scientific study so frequently associated with the academic field of history.
I argue that a more deliberate approach, one of relational pedagogy, overcomes these obstacles while recognizing the legitimacy of such concerns. This approach serves students well and can cover a breadth of American religious history in a manner that is academically rigorous, analytically driven, and student informed. It allows students to gain new perspectives on religion and religious culture without requiring them to defend a personal religious affiliation or any lack thereof while drawing attention both to content knowledge and to the study of history itself, tasks central to any task of any college history professor.
Recommended Citation
Young, Pearl
(2025)
"Relational Pedagogy for Teaching the History of American Religion in Collegiate Classrooms,"
The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community: Vol. 7:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/jfec/vol7/iss1/3
Included in
History of Christianity Commons, History of Religion Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons, United States History Commons
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