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I passed out a number of articles in class today, most pertaining to religion in schools. If you snagged one, read over it. Our goal in this section is to gain a solid understanding of this issue. By the end, we should all have a solid understanding of the nuances of this issue, the rationale behind many sides of the argument, and a much clearer view of our own opinions. Simply, in a few weeks we all should be able to hold an intelligent conversation about religion’s place in the public school system.
As with all of our discussions, we are not striving for consensus ((Remember “groupthink†from psychology? If not, ask your teacher.)), nor are we looking to establish a two-sided, pro/con debate; this is a complex issue ((Overview from ReligiousTolerance.org)) ((Overview from Pew Forum)), and I expect each of you to do enough research so you can thoughtfully contribute to our discussions. This means some independent study: confine your article analyses ((Here’s a non-argumentative article about headscarves in Belgium schools. While our focus will be on the American system, this is a very recent addition to the debate.)) to this subject, talk with family members, religious leaders, teachers, and such about their thoughts, read up on important court cases ((Scopes Trial)) ((Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District)), etc.
We will continue our discussion of rhetorical devices, logical arguments and fallacies, and appeals throughout this session.
If you come across any resources, please post them below or print them out. Bring all information to class; share the wealth!
September 19, 2009 at 12:52 pm
hmmmmmm…. don’t pick a big subject or anything. 😉
one idea: removing religion from public life is like removing free thought from consciousness. a religious view is only one way to perceive life. suppressing it is as ignorant as the inquisition’s suppressing secular thought. it just isn’t smart.
logic isn’t king of any universe. neither is intuition.
but you’ve never heard these ideas from me before. 😉
September 25, 2009 at 12:15 pm
For the record, I’m indifferent about religion being “officially” recognized in school because I don’t think you can remove it, whether or not it is “official” is beside the point. But if this holiday is the substition, then we need to put it back in.
Holiday?