Developing your Curriculum
This section is for educators who are looking to enhance their curriculum in terms of informed student engagement, increased practical experience, and overall student satisfaction. Keep checking for additional updates!
Creating Benchmarks for Master’s Level Study Using the chart and other curriculum information from the six programs, as well as the ATS standards, I have developed a set of ‘benchmarks’ that appear to be integral to a quality Master’s program in Christian-Muslim Relations. Cross-Cultural Education Component Can one really be said to have ‘mastered’ the study of Islam without having experienced the religion in one of its dominant settings? I ask this question because I struggle with it. It is similarly a reality that Master of Divinity students preparing for ordination are not (and perhaps cannot be) required to visit and study in the Holy Land prior to graduation. However, many opportunities for travel do exist, and I believe it is possible to create a culture in which such study is strongly encouraged, if even only available as an independent study. A variety of ‘alternative tour’ programs offer trips to the Middle East and other Muslim-dominant areas, and have systems in place to arrange for independent study credit. Global Exchange is one such program, through which a student may travel to Israel/Palestine, Iran, or Afghanistan, among others. Including the Role of Women If it is not possible to arrange for full courses that examine the role of women in each tradition, then it would be important to devote time within other courses to the role of women, such as women in the lives of Jesus and Muhammed; Muslim women thinkers; women in contemporary Islamic contexts; as well as the real issues of discrimination against women in both religions throughout history and including today. Diversity of Perspectives Many of the programs surveyed do include an emphasis on the diversity of perspectives within Islam. In my own program, the rationale for presenting only the Sunni perspective within the curriculum is that Shi’a Muslims make up only 15% of the population of Muslims overall. I respectfully disagree that this is sufficient reason. The Shi’a/Sunni conflict traces back to the origin of Islam itself, and though a small minority, world events of the past three decades have made Shi’a a media reference as well as a target of numerous stereotypes. Fortunately, and I believe due to the cooperation agreement with the Niagara Foundation, the LSTC program has benefited from more exposure to Sufi Islam (via visiting stage presentations). Islam is not a monopraxological religion; interpretations of hijab and piety vary considerably among countries, regions, and sects. Our current program benefits from the presence of Muslim female students from Albania, Indonesia, and Turkey, each with distinct differences in faith practices. Language Study As noted under the section on ATS standards, the study of Arabic or another language predominant in the Muslim world would be integral to a quality program on Christian-Muslim Relations. Qur’anic literacy in the original Arabic is highly useful in a politically-charged environment such as ours today where many claims are made by polemicists about what is and is not in the Qur’an. My experience has been that this happens regularly at the congregational and local level, and seeks a response at the same level. Supervised Field Studies and Internships The ATS standards, as described above, call for contextual education opportunities for students preparing for specialized ministries, as I have argued Christian-Muslim Relations would qualify. Fortunately, each of the programs surveyed above is located in an area where several organizations and other institutions exist, with which internship arrangements could be made. A supervisory relationship (according to ATS standards) needs to include methods and criteria for selecting, training, (and if necessary) terminating a relationship with a supervision site. An individualized learning plan or ‘contract’ can be developed between student and on-site supervisor using a form and process developed by the institution suitable for the program. Generally, M.Div. students work at a field site 10-15 hours per week during the school year. A potentially more feasible option for students in Christian-Muslim Relations programs may be to limit the field site requirement to one semester, although the student could have the option of expanding into the summer or another semester. This field site would take the place of one course in the regular semester schedule. A monthly colloquy meeting to discuss issues which arise in the practice of interfaith work may be extremely helpful as part of the program. The development of formal structures for this to be offered would of course depend on faculty availability and student demand. Students could also in developing their individualized learning contract plan a project to implement at the site that would tie in to their other course-work for the semester, such as incorporating learnings from the field work into academic papers and presentations.
Pre-Requisites:
If you offer a variety of Christian-Muslim relations classes and want to have informed dialogue in each class while concerned about students not taking / not being able to take multiple courses, you can tie prerequisites to other parts of the seminary curriculum. The following are my recommendations for my own program at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, based on my experience in the program weighed against my experiences in the Middle East and in other theological education programs.
Bible and Qur’an prerequisite: Pentateuch, or an Old Testament Bible course covering the role and narrative of Abraham, the Patriarchs, and Jewish law
History of Christian-Muslim Relations prereq: Church History I, or covering up to the time of the Reformation, including the Crusades
Jesus and Muhammed Gospels, or covering the person and nature of Jesus as he lived and taught and as the church understands his role in the faith based on the Biblical texts.
Arabic I and II One year of Arabic, with equal emphases on reading, writing, and speaking, should be offered as part of a quality program in Christian-Muslim Relations. A helpful prerequisite is at least one semester of Biblical Hebrew. Many students find that the study of one semitic language makes the study of the other much easier.