The Religious Educational Policy Specialization

This area of specialization is developed in conjunction with the Department of Religion in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Its purpose is to provide educators with a deep understanding of the variety of religious traditions in modern societies, of the ways in which the process of modernization challenges and alters religious beliefs and practices, and the relation between religion and public institutions. It provides an opportunity to study specific religious traditions, the ways in which they influence each other, and the issues raised for public and religious education by a pluralistic religious context.

This area of specialization should be of interest to educators in schools that are associated with specific religious traditions, public school teachers and administrators concerned with religious issues in the schools, and policy makers and scholars who wish to understand the role of religion in education. In our pluralistic society, educators increasingly confront situations that require an understanding of religion in general as well as of specific religious traditions. Yet many educators are unprepared to address the issues that arise from these situations. Students who wish to pursue this specialty should apply to one of the major fields of study in the Department of Educational Policy Studies, such as philosophy, history, and social foundations. Applicants should indicate in their personal statement or on the application that they are interested in the religious educational policy specialization. For example, an applicant might indicate on the application that his/her major field of specialization is philosophy/religious educational policy, or sociology of education/religious educational policy. Finally, applicants should make use of the personal statement component of the application to elaborate their particular interests in religious educational policy.

Religious Educational Policy Area of Specialization

EPS Graduate Programs

The Department of Educational Policy Studies offers graduate programs for preparing scholars, teachers, and educational policy analysts. The programs provide a basis for informed analysis and evaluation of educational theory, practice, and policy within the intellectual and empirical contexts of history, philosophy, and the social sciences. The department is composed of three divisions: (1) History of Education, (2) Philosophy of Education, and (3) Social Foundations. Students specializing in the Religious Educational Policy area of specialization are required to apply to, and be accepted into, one of these divisions within the Department. For a student in the Religious Educational Policy area of specialization whose interests cut across these divisions, there is latitude to design an appropriate course of study.

Outline of the Specialization

Students in the Ph.D. program must satisfy all the requirements of the College of Education and of the Educational Policy Studies Program. Students in the Religious Educational Policy area of specialization are normally required to take a minimum of 80 credits after completion of a Master's degree. These credits are distributed as follows:

The EPS proseminar (4 credits)

Three courses from the Religion Core (Section A below) (12 credits)

Four electives, 3 from section B and one from C or D. (16 credits)

Four courses of Research Specialization (16 credits)

Thesis (32 credits)

(The courses in Religion will normally include work in more than one religious tradition.)

A. Core Courses

EPS 523 Religious Educational Policy: The aim of this course is threefold: 1. to familiarize students with the claims made for religious and non religious education, and with the literature that addresses these claims. 2. To develop and apply the analytical skills required to conduct sustained research around the topics of religious educational policy. 3. To critically appraise different arguments involving the relevance of religious instruction to other educational aims such as moral development, parental or children's rights, citizenship education, assimilation, nationhood, etc.

EITHER EPS 516 Social Theories and Education OR EPS 528 Liberalism and Western Education: EPS 516 examines philosophical issues in social and political theory as they pertain to educational problems. The course includes topics such as autonomy, democratic education, educational reform, and social change. EPS 528 will examine different liberal texts and their implication for the conduct of education. It will begin with classical liberalism and then compare it to more contemporary models. It will also examine new modes of liberal thinking that place greater emphasis on the importance of cultural, and religious affiliation. The course will also examine examine some of the critics of liberal ideas.

RLST 562 Religious Diversity: Intensive study of some responses to the phenomenon of religious diversity. Topics such as these will be discussed: (a) pluralism, exclusivism, and inclusivism as attitudes to both the truth and the salvific efficacy of religious traditions other than one's own; (b) the varieties of relativism; (c) forms of tolerance; (d) forms of syncretism; (e) the possibility of developing criteria by which religious traditions can be compared and evaluated; (f) the issue of whether religious traditions can be understood from the outside; and (g) political and institutional responses to competing religious claims.

B. Additional Courses in Religion

• RLST 403 Women in Muslim Societies
• RLST 408 Islam and Modern Society
• RLST 415 Intro Readings of the Talmud
• RLST 416 Readings in Rabbinic Midrash
• RLST 429 Language of Religion
• RLST 440 Early Christian Thought
• RLST 442 History of Early Judaism
• RLST 443 Ancient Near Eastern Cultures
• RLST 482 Islam, Christians and the West
• RLST 484 Buddhist Meditation
• RLST 488 History of Chinese Buddhism

In addition, each of the following courses is available and may be repeated. In the case of these courses students are encouraged to develop an individually tailored plan of study with a faculty member, perhaps in conjunction with a course that is being taught by the faculty member. Intensive study of any of the major traditions can be incorporated under one or other of these rubrics.

• RLST 494 Topics in Religious Thought
• RLST 495 Topics in Asian Religions
• RLST 496 Topics in History of Judaism
• RLST 498 Topics in Biblical Studies
• RLST 590 Independent Study

C. Additional Courses in Educational Policy Studies

• EPS 403 European Education to 1600
• EPS 404 European Education since 1600
• EPS 426 Comparative Education
• EPS 502 Education in the 20th Century
• EPS 503 Seminar in the History of Education
• EPS 510 Traditions in Philosophy of Education
• EPS 511 Contemporary Philosophy of Education
• EPS 513 Modern Theories of Education
• EPS 514 John Dewey's Philosophy
• EPS 516 Social Theories and Education
• EPS 517 Ethics and Education
• EPS 518 Theories of Knowledge
• EPS 519 Philosophy of Language and Education
• EPS 520 Foundations of Aesthetic Education
• EPS 522 Ethics and Educational Policy
• EPS 590 Religion and Postmodernity

Additional courses in Education or Educational Policy Studies may be recommended for substitution for those on list C, depending on the backgrounds of individual students. Such substitutions are to be negotiated with an advisor.

D. Other Relevant Courses

• RLST 368/HIST 302 Religious and Messianic Movements
• RLST 345/HIST 345 Medieval Civilization
• RLST 346/HIST 346 The Age of the Renaissance
• RLST 347/HIST 347 Protestant and Catholic Reformations
• HIST 445 Medieval England
• HIST 446 England under Tudors 1485-1603
  

ASSOCIATED FACULTY

A. Educational Policy Studies faculty

B. Religion faculty

For additional information, contact:
Walter Feinberg (Professor Emeritus, Educational Policy Studies) (wfeinber@illinois.edu) or
Robert McKim (Head, Department of Religion; Professor, Religion and Philosophy) (rmckim@illinois.edu)