World Religions and Culture
The Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance hosted its annual Online Educator Professional Development series for secondary Social Studies educators and student-facing professionals. Participants received training in religious literacy and TEKS-aligned resources ready for classroom deployment. The 2024 conference on "World Religions and Culture" was intended to create awareness of religion's role in a global context and to enable educators to confidently include and address religion in classroom subject matter. "My students know very little about any religion..., so it's part of my job to educate them," said one participating World Geography, World History, and Sociology teacher.
Boniuk Institute conference scholars presented a foundational course on religious literacy, overviews of the Buddhist, Islamic, and Hindu traditions, and Christianity and Judaism in global contexts. Specialty topics included sessions on religion as it relates to the state and science, and how religion is lived in and contributing to current events in Africa, Europe, Russia, and Ukraine. "I have a diverse population that needs e to understand them more," said a 10th grade World History teacher. "There was so much that I thought I knew with modern religions that was not current, and seeing them as living, breathing religions is very enlightening."