Attention: Education & Religion Journalists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 7, 2014
Media are invited to join K-12 teachers from throughout the United States as they explore the religious diversity of New York – and contribute to pressing debates over the study of religion in American public schools.
Religious Worlds of New York:
Teaching the Everyday Life of American Religious Diversity
Beginning on July 14th, a three-week institute funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities will bring 25 public, private, and parochial school teachers from throughout the United States to New York City, where they will work with academic scholars of religion, and a wide range of local religious leaders. Media are invited to join us as we introduce these educators to American religious diversity, help them distinguish between academic and devotional approaches to the study of religion, and offer them the pedagogic tools they need to enrich the conventional “world religions” curriculum.
Journalists covering the Religious Worlds institute will be able to attend seminars with scholars, panel discussions with religious leaders, and site visits to local houses of worship. They will have opportunities to interview institute participants, including teachers, faith leaders, and Interfaith Center staff. The institute will provide a unique opportunity to explore the role of religion in America’s public schools. How, we will ask, can K-12 teachers best help young Americans understand the religious lives of their diverse neighbors, while respecting the secular character of our public schools? How can we create truly inclusive school communities that embrace students of all faiths and none at all? Please join us at Union Theological Seminary to discuss these important questions with teachers from throughout the United States.
The Religious Worlds institute grows out of a rich history of collaboration between The Interfaith Center of New York and Union Theological Seminary. Founded in 1997, the Interfaith Center is a secular nonprofit organization that works to foster cooperation among New York’s religious communities and civic institutions, and to educate the public about the city’s religious diversity. Established in 1836, Union Theological Seminary is an independent, multi-denominational seminary that seeks to educate leaders for ministry in churches and related organizations, extend the work of social justice, and enrich the academy through teaching and research.
For more information about the institute see www.religiousworldsnyc.org, and for selections from the overwhelmingly positive participant evaluations of the 2012 summer institute, see www.religiousworldsnyc.org/about-page/participant-evaluations.
CONTACT: Kevin Childress, Social Media Manager, Interfaith Center of New York,
