Religion in the Classroom

Having listened to critiques made of religion by the makers of "Religulous," consider how volatile a subject religion can be and how your future students' various feelings about religion might affect your experiences as a teacher someday.

In the United States, the principle of separation between church and state set out in the First Amendment of the national constitution prohibits public school educators from propagating their religious views in the classroom, and there is currently wide debate concerning the extent to which the history of religion or religious cosmology should be allowed to enter class curricula. What is the law in Chile concerning this subject? If you teach in public schools, how will you negotiate your role as a model and mentor, balancing your personal beliefs with your desire to promote autonomy and critical thinking in your students?

Using the New York Times article and the NPR interview we reviewed in class, plus one other source you find online yourself, write a 350-word essay on acceptable and unacceptable forms of dealing with differences of opinion regarding religion. Say how you believe the topic should be handled if it arises in class, and explain how teachers should respond to students' whose views differ radically from their own.

Consider all the features of academic style we discussed previously as you write this post. Include a brief works cited at the end of your essay, and use parenthetical documentation when appropriate.


Citing Sources in a Text
Review these guidelines for in-text citation.


Review: Creating a Works Cited Using MLA Style
General guidelines for MLA style
Citing an online newspaper.
Citing an interview. (Don't forget to add citation information for the website, if the interview was posted on a website.)

Intro and 1st Task: Defining Academic Style

Hello, All!
Welcome to our class blog. We will use this page to publish assignments and tips for blogging in English. I suspect many of you already have experience blogging, and if you would like to add your own tips to this page, just comment below.

Should I comment on others' blogs? Yes!
Once you have completed your own blog post, take several minutes to look at the posts your classmates have made. Link to each other's blogs for easy access.

First Blog Assignment:

1. First, get into pairs and go to http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm
2. Click on the link relevant to the feature of academic writing you have been assigned to present (complex, formal, etc.)
3. With your partner, take notes about your topic. Pay attention to good examples. Do the exercises.
4. On one of your blogs, write a brief description of your topic (150 words) and publish any helpful examples.
5. Open the document "Art and Technology" and find examples of your assigned feature of academic writing in the first few paragraphs.


Once everyone has critically studied their assigned topic and found examples of it in the sample text, each group will present its findings to the class. Feel free to direct your classmates to your blog to read your explanation and see good examples of your topic during your presentation.