Transformations: The World Religions Survey through an Adjunct Feminist Lens

Abstract

This essay describes a transformation in my experience as an adjunct teaching underprepared students from one of shame toward a desire to assert the value of this work. Insights from my feminist theological training helped me to affirm the importance of encouraging transformative learning in teaching the academically marginalized and prompted my analysis of student writing in an introductory World Religions course, in order to determine whether or not the course was a site of transformative learning. I argue that despite many contextual limitations, the movement toward deepening self‐awareness and increasing openness to religious diversity seen in student writing demonstrates that transformative learning began in this course, and that is valuable for students' lives whether or not they are academically successful.

Educational models of spiritual formation in theological education: Introspection‐based spiritual formation

“…Downie (2015) presented a world religion survey course design with required frequent credit/no credit written responses to essays written by diverse authors from different faith traditions. This created a learning opportunity where students could engage and reflect personally on their writings.…”