World religion and fake news: A pedagogical response in an age of post‐truth

Abstract

This article describes a pedagogical response to teaching world religions courses in a post‐truth age. The course assignment and its application, utilized in both online and in‐person formats, bridge student academic pursuits with religious traditions, require students to engage with source‐based journalism, and extend beyond the classroom into many of the contemporary politics encroaching upon the humanities fields. Related to the first, the objective of the assignment is for students to discover that religiosity permeates multiple sectors, both private and public, corresponding with student career paths. As a result, students discover that religion is relevant to their academic pursuits and that they must consider the possibilities of how religion might integrate with their career choices. Regarding the second objective, the assignment develops student digital media literacy skills as a form of civic education that challenges the current political attacks on journalism and factuality. Last, this exercise acknowledges the realities facing many humanities programs across the country and offers this assignment as a way of engaging with those issues within the classroom. See as well, published in this issue of the journal, three short companion essays by Sarah L. Schwarz, Jonathan R. Herman, and Harshita Mruthinti Kamath, each of which analyzes this pedagogical strategy for their particular teaching contexts.

Don't know, don't care: Harnessing the power of prior knowledge and motivation to create an effective assignment in an introductory religious studies course

“…While this instrumental approach to education can be limiting, I think we need to be empathetic to students for many reasons – not the least of which is that the freedom to pursue academic interests wholly separate from career concerns seems highly correlated to class privilege. In this context, it is refreshing to read about Terry Shoemaker's () assignment, which meets students where they are, acknowledging the academic and career paths they are already on, and inviting them to find connections between these seemingly disparate arenas and the academic study of religion.…”

“…Shoemaker's () assignment invites students to find the connections between topics in their main areas of academic and/or career interest and the study of religion, and to rigorously analyze the ways religion is interwoven with many aspects of contemporary life. More specifically, students are tasked with finding contemporary news articles related to both their academic or career interests and to the study of religion and write brief summaries reflecting on the points of connection they observe.…”

Religious studies and fake scholarship: An experimental approach to constructing theory

“…I read Terry Shoemaker's () article with great interest, as I have also recently completed teaching a course that depended almost entirely on students locating “source‐based journalism” as material for discussion and analysis. However, my course, which I have offered twice so far, varied from Shoemaker's in two important ways.…”

Lived religious practices: Response to Terry Shoemaker's “World religion and fake news”

“…“World Religions” is probably one of the most challenging courses that any religious studies instructor might offer in their teaching careers. As Terry Shoemaker () notes, there are varied approaches to teaching such a course, including requiring students to complete visits to local religious sites. However, as Shoemaker observes, there are real drawbacks to the site visit approach: “For many institutions the site visit is less of an option due to the lack of nearby religious diversity or the tedious logistical planning required for an off‐campus visit” (2019, 282).…”

“…As an alternative to the site visit, Shoemaker () outlines the “Contemporary Article Discussion Assignment.” This assignment requires that students find online articles related to specific religious traditions and their own academic interests. Depending on the course size, students can sign up for one or two traditions and present their articles in small groups to their peers.…”