Inclusive Teaching and Learning in HE: Faith

Task 1:
Look at the following resources and respond:
Visit the Religion, Belief and Faith identities UAL website and answer the questions:

• How could you apply the resources to your own teaching practice?
• How could you integrate the research/work your students do on this subject into your teaching/professional practice?
• Can you cite examples? You will share your thoughts within your groups and comment and share further resources you use in your own context. Write a min. 250 word reflection or no more than 10 minute vlog.

Reflection:
Looking at the site it is clear that many academics at UAL have thought very deeply about the relationship between the arts and religion. Despite artists coming from various backgrounds the arts are now considered “secular” (read religiously neutral), but I wonder what that secularity actually means and if it participates in the erasure of artists who make faith-based work. It seems that if artists or creatives are making work about faith, it is very often branded as “controversial” or “challenging” (Dazed, Sinclair 2015) or, perhaps it is only the works that can be labelled as controversial which attract attention.

Thinking about this idea of the supposed neutral/secular religious attitude of the artworld made me think about radical pedagogy and it’s acknowledgement of the inherent biases within teaching and pedagogical frameworks. I think the resources on the site could be used to open up a respectful safe space discussion with students about their ideas around what is controversial and what is secular when it comes to religion/faith in an arts setting. Within the context of the course I teach on, MA Applied Imagination, it could be useful to ask students to use the site as part of their research in order to create their own intervention which would then have the potential to be turned into a case study for the university.

It is important to be as inclusive as possible when it comes to subjects such as belief or faith, if students share their research/feedback with me and reveal that there are areas of sensitivity which need to be discussed or refined regarding the course curriculum or my personal teaching practice I would take this into account and adjust accordingly. For example, if during a lecture I unintentionally used an image offensive to a particular faith and a student informed me of this, I would immediately remove the image from the presentation and ask for greater clarity and context so that I could pass this onto my colleagues and do my own research.

Task 2:
Choose a minimum of 3 headings from the ‘Religion in Britain: Challenges for Higher Education.’ Stimulus paper (Modood & Calhoun, 2015) The PDF can be found on Moodle. Discuss two things you learnt from the text and one question/provocation you have about the text. Write a min. 100 word reflection or no more than 5 minute vlog.

Reflection:

Reading through the ‘Religion in Britain: Challenges for Higher Education.’ Stimulus paper (Modood & Calhoun, 2015) I immediately thought of this scene from the Kevin Smith film Dogma (1999). Chris Rock plays the character Rufus, the 13th apostle who was edited out of the Bible because he is black. In this scene, Rufus and the protagonist Bethany are discussing the concept of absolutism or dogma, versus having ideas or philosophies that can grow and change as we do.

The film is both an irreverent and reverent exploration of Catholic dogma, and it is clear that Smith, as a lapsed Catholic, is attempting to reconcile the beliefs he was raised with, with the ideas he has now. Because my thoughts immediately went to this film while reading the text, I wondered what I would do if a student of mine made a film like this? How do you provide critique of the work without seeming to either critique their exploration of ideas or their religious beliefs? Religious literacy can help with this to a certain degree, but we also have to factor in compassion and discernment as important factors here and take each situation on a case by case basis rather than having a blanket rule for all. If I as a tutor am stifling the creativity of a student due to my own beliefs or biases, that is an issue. It’s also important for me to ask the right questions of the student; in an attempt to direct their line of inquiry, and if I am unfamiliar with their religious practice, to research what I can.

Modood mentions secularism in his text, and hints that secularism has its own bias but presents the illusion of neutrality. I would have liked to see him examine it further, because secularism has its roots in a Utilitarian philosophy, which roots in Christianity. To say that any outlook/philosophy is presented in a “secular” society is completely removed from religious ideology or faith based ideas is erasure of both cultural and historical context. I agree with Modood that this seems to be particularly prevalent in Higher Education but I wonder if religious literacy classes without direct confrontation of racism and/bias is enough?

Task 3:
Listen to the Kwame Anthony Appiah Reith lecture on Creed. Write a min. 100 word reflection or no more than 5 minute vlog.

Reflection:
I really enjoyed this lecture and Appiah’s playful but well researched take on this subject. As a black, gay, man his positionality leant an interesting perspective to the talk. I found it hard to listen to the antagonistic comments from religious people in the audience with regards to his sexuality. Again, I wondered how I would navigate a situation like that if it occurred while I was teaching? How do we as educators practice religious literacy/sensitivity when the beliefs of one student are hostile to the sexuality of another? Could I truly be neutral in that discussion? Hopefully I never have to find out, but I think it’s important to consider these questions because they force me to interrogate my own politics.

Task 4:
Read the terms of reference from SoN around Faith

Reflection:
Reading through the ToR a few things jumped out to me about my own positionality in terms of religion. My mother is white, Jewish and an atheist. My father is Jamaican, was raised as a Christian, and is an atheist. Both were shocked when I showed an interest in religion, and expressed my beliefs around the existence of a higher power. Over the course of my life, I’ve become very interested in theology, practices of belief , philosophy and where they all meet in the middle. Thinking about my own spirituality, I really resonated with to the note from Raman Mundair when they are discussing the increasing popularity of Santeria, Oshun and witchcraft, defining them as: “A practice of faith and higher power that connects the practitioner with a conduit of history, DNA, epigenetics, myth and nature.” I also felt a connection Sahar Amer’s piece, Surah Yusuf for a couple of reasons. The first is that the story of Joseph is also a central pillar of Judaism. The second, which is completely self interested, is that the name of Aziz’s wife – the one who tries to seduce Yusuf and when she is rejected, has him thrown in jail instead – is Zulaikha, my name (Zuleika) being the Anglicised version. There is even a beautiful epic poem, Yusuf and Zulaykha by Jāmï, dedicated to the star-crossed pair.

Bibliography:
https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/28290/1/the-groundbreaking-artists-challenging-religion-through-art

https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/jamis-allegorical-romance-yusuf-and-zulaykha