HU Credits: 2

Degree/Cycle: 1st degree (Bachelor)

Responsible Department: Education

Semester: 2nd Semester

Teaching Languages: English

Campus: Mt. Scopus

Course/Module Coordinator: Dr Michael Gillis

Coordinator Email: michael.gillis@mail.huji.ac.il

Coordinator Office Hours: Mon 10.00-11.00

Teaching Staff:
Dr. Michael Gillis

Course/Module description:
The course examines some of the central issues that arise with respect to teaching religions in different cultural contexts and educational systems. We will see how the field of religious education confronts secularism and pluralism on the one hand, and fundamentalist trends, on the other. The course will also look at the rivalry and dialogue between the so-called Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and their expression in education. This will be done by studying the complex cases of Jesus and Abraham as potential bridging figures between faiths as well as the educational significance of changes in Christian attitudes to Judaism since the Second World War. The course will included two field activities held outside the hours of the course.

Course/Module aims:
The course aims to provide students with a grasp of the central issues of the field of religious education. It seeks to cultivate a depth of understanding of the meaning of other religious traditions and their relationship with Jews and Judaism. It will provide conceptual tools that can serve educational practice in religious education.

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
Course outcomes are that participants will be able to:
• Participate in an informed manner in discussion on the relationship between Judaism and other religious traditions.
• Reflect deeply on the educational challenges of teaching about other religions in Jewish education.
• To develop their own educational approach to the issues raised in the course.

Attendance requirements(%):
85

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: The sessions of the course combine discussion of substantial reading assignments as well as some lecturing. The course will also require occasional participation in course forums on the course website.

Course/Module Content:
1. What is “Religious Education”?
2. From Religious Instruction to Religious Education – secularism and multiculturalism
3. Religious pluralism and religious education
4. Religious Education – The case of the UK
5. Religious Education in Europe
6. Religious Education – The case of the United States
7. Religious Education the Case of Israel
8. “Abrahamic Religions” – rivalry, dialogue and education
9. Teaching Islam and Judaism
10. Modern Changes in the Church’s Relationship to Judaism

Required Reading:
Ephraim Elimelech Urbach from “The religious ideal in Judaism” from “On Judaism and Education” (Hebrew) Jerusalem 1967


Abraham Joshua Heschel, “No Religion is an Island” in Jewish Perspectives on Christianity edited Fritz Rothschild, New York 1990
Joseph B. Soloveitchik, "Confrontation" Tradition 6:1 1964 pages 5-29
Alan Brill, Judaism and Other Religions: Models of Understanding, New York, 2010 pp. 15-30, 129-149.
Will Kymlica, Multicultural states and intercultural
Citizens, Theory and Research in Education, vol 1(2) 147–169 (2003)
Peter Berger, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v&eq;wMc4Jip2Smo
Rodney Stark Source: Sociology of Religion, Vol. 60, No. 3, (Autumn, 1999), pp. 249-273
Robert Jackson, Rethinking Religious Education and Plurality,London, 2004, pp. 4-21



Liam Gearon, “MasterClass in Religious Education: transmitting teaching and learning”, London, 2013, pp. 104 -143

John Hull Religion in the Service of the Child, in Michael Grimmit ed., Pedagogies of Religious Education, Great Wakering, 2000, 112-129








Robert Jackson, Signposts - Policy and practice for teaching about religions and non-religious world views in intercultural education, Council of Europe 2014, pp. 21-26, 33-46 https://docplayer.net/13123346-Robert-jackson-signposts-policy-and-practice-for-teaching-about-religions-and-non-religious-world-views-in-intercultural-education.html
Nel Noddings, Educating for Intelligent Belief or Unbelief,, New York, 1993, 115-144.
Diane Moore “How to Teach About Religion in the Schools” in Overcoming Religious Illiteracy, New York 2007, pp.53-88Paula Fredriksen, "What You See is What You Get: Context and Content in Current Research on the Historical Jesus", Theology Today
Amy Jill Levine, The Misunderstood Jew, New York, 2006 pp. 17-52
Jon Levenson, Abraham Among Jews Christians and Muslims: Monotheism
Exegesis, and Religious Diversity, ARC, The Journal of the Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill, 26, 1998, 5-29
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v&eq;PQHE9Fuo0zQ

Bruce Feiler, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v&eq;sEFi-KzVRd8


Nostra Aetate
The Catholic Church and the Jewish people : recent reflections from Rome / edited by Philip A. Cunningham et al.
New York : Fordham University Press, 2007
Notes on the correct way to present the Jews and Judaism in preaching and catechesis in the Roman Catholic Church, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/relations-jews-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_19820306_jews-judaism_en.html
Dabru Emet: A Jewish Statement on Christians And Christianity
http://www.jcrelations.net/Dabru_Emet_-_A_Jewish_Statement_on_Christians_and_Christianity.2395.0.html

Jon Levenson, How Not to Conduct Jewish Christian Dialogue, Commentary, December 2001, pp. 31-37.
https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/how-not-to-conduct-jewish-christian-dialogue/
Jewish-Christian Dialogue: Jon Levenson and His Critics, Readers’ Letters, Commentary April 2002, pp. 8-21

Annemarie Schimmel, Islam: An Introduction, Albany, 1992, pp.29-58
Malise Ruthven, Islam A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2012 pp.1-26.
Hava Lazarus-Yafeh, “Judaism and Islam: Some Aspects of Mutual Cultural Influences”, in Some Religious Aspects of Islam, Leiden, 1981, pp.72-89
Khalid Duran,
"Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Islam for Jews” New York 2001, pages 99-114
Reuven Firestone, An Introduction to Islam for Jews pp.3-5, 33-42, 235-239.
Reuven Firestone, Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims, Hoboken 2001 pp.44-54, 125-142

Additional Reading Material:
N/A

Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 0 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 20 %
Project work 20 %
Assignments 45 %
Reports 15 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %

Additional information:
N/A