Friday, November 16, 1:45 PM–5:00 PM

Sponsored by the Sustainability Task Force and the Transformative Scholarship and Pedagogy Group

Religion and theology increasingly are called upon to contribute their resources to the task of reversing humankind's current path toward ecological disaster. Ecological degradation is linked insidiously with various forms of social injustice based on race/ethnicity, class, gender, nationality, and caste. Those links often are ignored in the mainstream environmental discourse. A religiously-grounded commitment to dismantle oppression, however, calls for holding social justice and ecological well-being as inseparable in the quest for sustainable Earth–human relations. The pedagogical challenges arising from this commitment are profound. This workshop will explore the pedagogical problems and possibilities arising from a commitment — within theology and religious studies — to confront the issues of privilege, power, and difference inherent in ecological issues.

The intent is to provide a supportive and stimulating context for practical and visionary collaborative reflection on such questions as: How do we teach about climate imperialism, ecological debt, or environmental racism in ways that foster a sense of hope and moral agency rather than despair or powerlessness? What are epistemological keys to understanding the exploitation of Earth as the exploitation of people on the margins of privilege and power? What forms of teaching unlock power for confronting systemic domination? How do we prepare students to construct worlds that we have not yet imagined? One panel will uncover and explore key issues concerning the nexus of equity and ecology on local and global scales, highlighting both problems and constructive proposals. A second panel will identify key pedagogical questions and offer pedagogical tools and approaches. Guided discussion will enable participants to delve more deeply into the issues raised, share pedagogical resources, and build collegial networks of support.