The study concludes that most Islamic sciences courses in schools and universities adopt a dogmatic or indoctrinatory approach combined with little room for dialogue and discussion. The study recommends reconsidering Islamic science textbooks through including additional higher-order thinking skills and reconsidering Sharia faculties' syllabi.

For decades researchers assessed sense of community (SOC), inclusion, and pluralism within academic settings. In the present study, 2,220 undergraduate students (1,442 women, 778 men; M age = 23.42 years; SD = 7.84) at two Catholic universities responded to perceived levels of school sense of community, inclusion, and religious pluralism. Analyses…

Educators employed in devoutly religious institutions often teach students who view even their secular higher education through a uniquely religious lens. Based on his own experiences teaching psychological science at a Jewish university, the author suggests enhancing student interest and enthusiasm by wedding secular curricula with religious…

This article reports some of the results of interviews with 120 Israeli Druze, 60 middle-aged adults and 60 young adults, regarding values, views of the Druze community, and personal identity. All participants expressed commitment to and love for traditional Druze values of familial respect, respect for others, modesty in dress and behavior, and…

Islamic education has always recognized spiritual and moral values as significant elements in developing a "balanced" human being. One way of demonstrating spiritual and moral concepts is through effective teaching methods that integrate and forefront these values. This article offers an investigation of how the authors' teaching…

This article discusses what kinds of religious education led to the improvement of women's status and the realization of higher education for women in modern Japan, by reconsidering the educational views of Jinzo Naruse (1859-1919), both a pioneer of Japanese women's education and a promoter of the Concordia movement (1912-1941), within…

Since 2008 the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has launched investigations into five Canadian faith-based universities to determine if they violate CAUT's particular understanding of academic freedom. The source of the violation concerns the universities' faith-based hiring requirements, which CAUT maintains violates the…

Clergy often begin their ministerial careers unprepared to handle issues of professional power, sexuality and intimacy, and interpersonal boundaries. In response, denominational bodies and theological schools are seeking together ways to enhance the teaching of "professional sexual ethics"--referring to the integration of professional ethics,…

The article identifies international cases--from the United States, Europe, and the United Nations--of an emergent interface of religion, education, and security. This is manifest in the uses of religion in education to counter religious extremism, the notional "counter terrorist classroom." To avoid an over-association of extremism with religion,…

Comparative Religion is seen as an important curricula because it could serve as a mechanism for enhancing cross-cultural religious communication. The authors seek to examine the role of Comparative Religion as an important science for enhancing dialogue skills. Such a communication skill, however, must be developed from both intra- and…

Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. (aka "Father Ted") is one of the leading living figures in the philosophy of Catholic higher education in the United States. He is not only recognized for a long and impressive tenure as president of the University of Notre Dame, but also revered as a priest whose intellectual and critical leadership blends a practical…

In the ten years following 9/11 there was unprecedented interest in, and commitment to, religious education in the school curriculum in England. Politicians, academics, and professionals all argued that learning about religion could foster "social cohesion" and even prevent terrorism. Accordingly there were a number of national and international…

In this article, the emerging field of youth ministry research is presented and interpreted through the lens of practical theology. International developments are described and compared as local responses to the ongoing global dynamics of youth culture. After an overview of four different contexts in which youth ministry research can be situated,…

The author begins by sharing two experiences that made her begin to ask questions about her own teaching. After these two experiences, she began to look for resources that would "fill the holes" in her own education and that might be helpful for students as they prepared to lead churches and ministries. In this article, the author describes five…

"Foundations of Jewish Education" is a required course for masters degree students in Jewish Education offered by the William S. Davidson School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. As an introduction to the theory and practice of Jewish education, it seeks to integrate theory from a wide range of fields as a way of…