Curricular Framework

The 2023 Institute on Teaching and Learning for Campus-wide Interfaith Excellence is intended for both public and private colleges and universities interested in developing faculty and staff leadership to advance interfaith cooperation across the campus environment. Running concurrently with the Institute on Engaged and Integrative Learning (IEIL), attendees are welcomed and encouraged to attend sessions in both Institutes. The curriculum for the Institute on Teaching and Learning for Campus-wide Interfaith Excellence is organized around four themes.

Theme 1: Religious Diversity and Interfaith Studies in the Curriculum

This theme focuses on pedagogies, content, and methods for teaching interfaith topics in engaged and interdisciplinary ways. In past years, sessions have discussed interfaith studies pedagogies, integrating interfaith and religious diversity components into general education and the core curriculum, the professional relevance of interfaith competencies, and building interfaith studies concentrations and programs.

Theme 2: Religious Identity and Campus Diversity Priorities

This theme focuses on integrating religious identity into campus diversity commitments. In past years, sessions have discussed models for integrating religious identity into diversity initiatives, the unique challenges and opportunities that religious diversity presents for inclusion work in higher education, creating a welcoming campus for all religious and non-religious students, and how intersecting identities can shape interfaith cooperation.

Theme 3: Interfaith Competence and Literacy Among Faculty and Staff

This theme focuses on developing faculty and staff competencies to facilitate interfaith cooperation and engage religious diversity. In past years, sessions have covered institutional capacity development for interfaith cooperation, addressing challenging issues and conversations related to religious identity inside and outside the classroom, and equipping faculty and staff to engage religious diversity and facilitate interfaith cooperation.

Theme 4: Cross-Curricular and Campus-wide Strategic Planning for Interfaith Cooperation

This theme focuses on creating an integrated cross-curricular and campus-wide strategy for prioritizing interfaith cooperation in sustainable ways. Previous session topics will have included best practices for interfaith strategic planning, connecting campus mission and identity to interfaith cooperation, building support and cultivating buy-in across campus, and asset mapping and strategizing for effective curricular and co-curricular prioritization of interfaith cooperation.