I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again. ~attributed to Etienne de Grellet~
Last week, Asbury University, a nondenominational Christian university, and Brigham Young University, owned by the Church of Latter-day Saints, made headlines for their policies around queer students. Righting America (Subscribe, friends--it's a terrific source for commentary on the Religious Right) invited me to reflect. Here is some of what I shared: But for conservative Christians who oppose... Continue Reading →
Thanks to the many of you who reached out to share that this post helped you through last spring's sudden transition to emergency remote teaching. If you are just now coming to this article, note that this was published in March 2020. It's original audience is for educators, especially college professors, with little or no... Continue Reading →
A tear-jerker in my inbox recently (shared with permission from the student): I am not sure if you remember me but I wanted to thank you! Hopefully, I am down to my last class and will graduate this December. When I started on this college journey (for the 2nd time in 2016- at the age... Continue Reading →
I spent about a decade teaching composition at the college level (a job commonly known as being "in the trenches"), and that experience, more than the many pedagogy classes I took, taught me how to be an effective, efficient teacher. (The alternative is not to finish your graduate work.) One of the most useful tools... Continue Reading →
I recently got to work with journalist Allie Clouse at the Knoxville News Sentinel on her report on how hate groups use social media to promote themselves. Her story was prompted by a sermon by a Tennessee pastor and sheriff who called for the execution of queer people. How did such a nasty argument enter the world... Continue Reading →
Central Pennsylvanians, if you are looking for a Palm Sunday service, please join me this Sunday at 9:30 am at University Baptist & Brethren Church in State College. I'll be preaching on the topics of love and hate, and I'd love to see you there! Rebecca
Friends in the Pittsburgh area–come out for a good, hard, encouraging conversation. Please share the invitation with friends who you think might be interested. Not in Pittsburgh? Invite me to where you are!
I have found that the more structure I provide for students, the more confident they feel in engaging difficult ideas, the deeper they dive into the material, and the more prepared they are for class discussions. Here is the guide I'm currently using in my Soc of Religion class to yield that. Each week, students... Continue Reading →
I find the Teaching Statement/Teaching Philosophy one of the hardest pieces of writing ever. I've never written one that I found to be really satisfactory, nor have I read many that have impressed me. I think this is a problem inherent in the genre: a teaching statement is to be a short (1 page, single... Continue Reading →
Rebecca Barrett-Fox 