In This Lesson
- Muslim-Hindu Conflict in India – Background
Students investigate the causes and consequences of the deep-rooted conflict between Muslims and Hindus in India -- particularly in the province of Gujarat. Students will consider the larger questions of whether religious beliefs can ever legitimize violence or whether religious conflict is an inevitable human experience. - Stem Cell Research – Background
Students gain an understanding of the controversy surrounding stem cell research, exploring the positions taken by religious leaders and communities, as well as by those in the medical profession. - Islam and Terrorism – Background
Students will explore the teachings and values of Islam and of the Muslim community in their own area. Through research and exposure to members of the Muslim community, students will understand how the teachings and values of Islam have been used by terrorists for their own political purposes. - AIDS: Responding to a Health Crisis – Background
n this lesson, students discover how the attitudes and values of different cultures affect their approaches to treating HIV and AIDS. - Immigration: U.S. Policy in the New Millennium – Background
What rights can immigrants to the U.S. expect? In this lesson, students will explore the complex ethical and policy questions of immigration in the post-9/11 U.S. - Politics of Death: The Right to Live, the Right to Die – Background
This lesson looks at end-of-life issues and examines the political and religious forces behind the decision to let a person live or die. - Religion and Politics: The Battle Over the Judiciary – Background
In this lesson students will explore how particular religious blocs voted in the 2004 presidential election and how the hopes and/or expectations of these religious voters are impacting the second term of George W. Bush. - Interpreting Women in Islam – Background
The lesson will help students understand the complicated role of women in Islam and become familiar with the current movement by "progressive" Muslim women to gain more access to the mosque. - Trafficking in Humans – Background
In this lesson, students will explore the grim reality of human trafficking. They will define human trafficking and examine how people might be led by their desperation for a better life into a world of slavery. - Religion and Peace – Background
In this lesson, students examine what and who drives various peacemaking efforts, as well as the nature and impact of those efforts. - Religion and Immigration: Muslims in the United States and Europe – Background
In this lesson, students will examine the connection between religion and immigration as they explore the Muslim immigrant experience in the United States and Europe. - Living the “Good” Life – Background
In this lesson, student explore the core of their happiness, pleasure, peace and life purpose, while learning about individuals who repurposed their lives in ways that bring them great happiness and meaning. - Ethical Issues Around Cell Phone Use – Background
In this lesson, students will consider the ways they use cell phones at school, in public, and in their private life, and they will complete activities that allow them to discover how cell phone usage affects those around them. - Branding and Marketing Religion – Background
In this lesson, students examine the outreach strategies and tools some religious entities use to meet their participants' spiritual needs and to recruit and retain new members. - Internet and Right-to-Privacy Issues – Background
In this lesson, students will explore right-to-privacy issues related to Internet use. They will take a close look at the privacy policies that exist on their favorite websites, and they will identify the ways these policies protect their personal information. - Evolution vs. Intelligent Design – Background
In this lesson, students will explore the ways the arguments surrounding evolution versus intelligent design have affected relationships among people of different religious backgrounds. - Death and Dying – Background
It is likely that some students have had the misfortune of losing a grandparent, parent, sibling, or even a friend at a very young age. - Rites of Passage – Background
In this lesson, students explore various traditional children's and adolescent faith-based rites of passage. They examine modern coming of age ceremonies - ones that are more secular in nature - and create a rite of passage that best reflects their personal life journeys. - Religion and the Civil Rights Movement – Background
Many of the most prominent figures of the civil rights movement drew their motivation to fight for freedom and equality from their religious faith. - Spirit and Nature – Background
Is the environment a religious issue? Across many religious faiths, nature's beauty and value are embraced. - Recreating Marriage: The Same-Sex Union Debate – Background
What are the visions typically associated with marriage? Happy couples composed of a man and a woman -- well, at least, from a traditional perspective. - The Sunni/Shia Split in Iraq: What Does the Future Hold? – Background
The rift between the Sunnis and Shiites is over 1,300 years old. Despite the factions' shared beliefs, their differences are great enough to sustain an ongoing sectarian schism. - Opening Communication Lines: Interfaith Dialogue – Background
In a world torn by religious violence, and in America, where there is terrific religious diversity, is it possible for varied faith communities to come together to discuss commonalties and differences? - Service Learning: Gaining Knowledge Through Giving – Background
Many factors motivate people to "do good" for others or to rally behind a cause. Service, such as volunteering, is common and considered valuable to all involved. - Illness and Treatment: Ethics and the World of Medicine – Background
Medical decision making is complex, wrought with personal, professional, societal, institutional, and, most of all, ethical implications.
