Interreligious/Interfaith Studies Defining a New Field

A groundbreaking academic anthology that explores the emerging field of interreligious/interfaith studies

As it is now backed by an impressive number of courses, academic programs and centers, faculty positions, journals and publications, funding, and professional partnerships, there is no longer a question as to whether the interreligious/interfaith field exists. But its meaning and import are still being debated. How is this field distinct from, yet similar to, other fields, such as religious or theological studies? What are its signature pedagogies and methodologies? What are its motivations and key questions? In other words, what is the shape of interfaith and interreligious studies, and what is its distinct contribution? These questions are the driving force behind this anthology.

Eboo Patel is the author of Acts of Faith, Sacred Ground, and Interfaith Leadership: A Primer. Named by US News & World Report as one of America's Best Leaders of 2009, Patel served on President Obama's Inaugural Faith Council. He is a regular contributor to the public conversation around religion in America.
Jennifer Howe Peace is Associate Professor of Interfaith Studies at Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS). Dr. Peace is the founding co-chair of the "Interreligious and Interfaith Studies Group" at the American Academy of Religion. Author of numerous articles and essays on interfaith cooperation, Dr. Peace co-edited My Neighbor's Faith: Stories of Interreligious Encounter, Growth, and Transformation.
Noah J. Silverman serves as Senior Director of Learning and Partnerships at Interfaith Youth Core. He has been involved in interfaith work for over fifteen years on three continents, including work at Auburn Theological Seminary, Religions for Peace at the United Nations, and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in London.

Introduction
–Eboo Patel, Jennifer Howe Peace, Noah J. Silverman

I. CONSTRUCTIONS: MAPPING THE FIELD

(Inter)Religious Studies: Making a Home in the Secular Academy
–Kate McCarthy

From the History of Religions to Interfaith Studies: A Theological Educator’s Exercise in Adaptation
–Deanna Ferree Womack

Common Ground: Imagining Interfaith Studies as an Inclusive, Interdisciplinary Field
–Elizabeth Kubek

Constructing Interreligious Studies: Thinking Critically About Interfaith Studies and the Interfaith Movement
–Amy L. Allocco, Geoffrey D. Claussen, and Brian K. Pennington

Learning from the Field: Six Themes from Interfaith/Interreligious Studies Curricula
–Kristi Del Vecchio and Noah J. Silverman

II. PEDAGOGY AND CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Transforming Introductory Courses in Religion: From World Religions to Interreligious Studies
–Kevin Minister

Using the Case Method in Interfaith Studies Classrooms
–Ellie Pierce

Teaching the “Most Beautiful of Stories”: Narrative Reflection as a Signature Pedagogy for Interfaith Studies
–Matthew Maruggi and Martha E. Stortz

A Pedagogy of Listening: Teaching the Qur’an to Non-Muslims
–Michael Birkel

Meeting Others, Seeing Myself: Experiential Pedagogies in Interfaith Studies
–Wakoh Shannon Hickey and Margarita M. W. Suárez

III. CHALLENGES AND CHOICES

Six Issues That Complicate Interreligious Studies and Engagement
–Rachel S. Mikva

The Promising Practice of Antiracist Approaches to Interfaith Studies
–Jeannine Hill Fletcher

The Possibility of Solidarity: Evangelicals and the Field of Interfaith Studies
–Marion H. Larson and Sara L. H. Shady

Water, Climate, Stars, and Place: Toward an Interspecies Interfaith Belonging
–Lisa E. Dahill

IV. APPLICATIONS BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

The Value of Interreligious Education for Religious Leaders
–Jennifer Howe Peace and Or N. Rose

From Prison Religion to Interfaith Leadership for Institutional Change
–Barbara A. McGraw

Interfaith Studies and the Professions: Could Heightened Religious Understanding Seed Success within Secular Careers?
–Mark E. Hanshaw with Usra Ghazi

Toward an Interreligious City: A Case Study
–Heather Miller Rubens, Homayra Ziad, and Benjamin E. Sax

Acknowledgments
Editor Biographies
Contributor Biographies
Notes
Index