Humanities/Religious Studies
(Advanced)
I received my Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies from Indiana University (Bloomington). My primary academic interests are teaching comparative religions, introduction to the world's religions, introduction to the study of religion.<br/>I would not say I am an expert in any one religion but I am quite fluent in the basics of all the major religions of the world. My "tag line": "I know a little bit of a lot, rather than a lot of a little bit." One must choose between breadth and depth. I have choose breadth. I feel this allows for the best, most equitable presentation of several religions within a given class focused on an introductory or comparative approach to religious studies.<br/>My personal interests in religion gravitate to generic and comparative mysticism and generic spirituality.
Academic Support Services/Faculty Development/Teaching Strategies/Online Communications
(Intermediate)
I teach a number of classes primarily if not entirely on-line. I consider on-line discussion amongst distance learners to be the number one most important feature in on-line/distance learning teaching strategies. <br/><br/>Not only does such discussion substitute for regular classroom discussion, message boards often provide opportunities for collaborative and constructivist learning that can, if used to fullest advantage, actually EXCEED the kind of discussions that can take place in a physicial classroom.<br/><br/>My own experience with on-line discussion goes back to 1994 when I began using discussion forums on CompuServe. My on-line teaching began in 2000 using primarily the BlackBoard platform.
