2025 Religious Literacy Series: Global Religion & Public Life

professional development workshop

Global Religion & Public Life

The 2025 Boniuk Institute Religious Literacy Series:Global Religion and Public Life provides foundational courses on religious literacy, various religious traditions, and includes special segments on religion and faith in the workplace.

This one-day conference is aimed towards both educators (secondary school teachers) and professionals in other industries (including nonprofit, health, technology, energy, etc.). Participants will deepen content knowledge of different religious traditions, receive tools for the successful incorporation of the role of religion in the classroom subject matter, and explore different faith traditions and religious literacy in the context of the workplace.

Participants will earn 7 hours of continuing education credit at the end of this course.

Details

Date: June 10, 2025
Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Registration and breakfast will be in 130 Kraft Hall; The series content will take place in 110 Kraft Hall, Rice University (#80 on the Campus Map)
Cost: $20 (breakfast, lunch, and parking are included)
Registration Deadline: June 3, 2025

Scholars and Topics

Aishwarya Lakshmi Judith Ellen Brunton Elaine Howard Ecklund

Aishwarya Lakshmi, Facilitator

Religious Worldviews and the Environment

Judith Brunton

Faith in the Workplace

Elaine Howard Ecklund

Gregory Han Brenton Kalinowski Mendel Kranz

Religious Literacy: Understanding and Application

Gregory Han

Hinduism: A Global Religion

Brenton Kalinowski

Entangled Otherings: Rethinking

Antisemitism and Islamophobia, 1492-Today

Mendel Kranz

Sana Patel Sarah Reynolds Josiah Taru

Islam in the Digital World

Sana Patel

Vodun and African Indigenous Religion in Everyday Life

Sara Reynolds

Indigenous African Religion and Public Life in Zimbabwe

Josiah Taru

Akpan Ubong-Abasi

Framing Belonging: African Immigrants and Religion in Public Life

Akpan Ubong-Abasi

Schedule

9:00-9:20am: Coffee and Pastries
9:20-9:30am: Welcome and Overview
9:30-10:10am: "Faith in the Workplace" (Elaine Howard Ecklund)
10:10-10:40am: "Religious Literacy: Information, Experience, Formation" (Gregory Han)

10:40-11:00am: BREAK

11:00-11:30am: "Entangled Otherings: Rethinking Antisemitism and Islamophobia, 1492 to today" (Mendel Kranz)
11:30-12:00pm: "Hinduism: A Global Religion" (Brenton Kalinowski)
12:00-12:30pm: "Vodun and African Indigenous Religion in Everyday Life" (Sarah Reynolds)

12:30-1:20pm: LUNCH

1:20-1:50pm: "Religious Worldviews and the Environment" (Judith Brunton)
1:50-2:20pm: "Framing Belonging: African Immigrants and Religion in Public Life" (Akpan Ubong-Abasi)

2:20-2:30pm: BREAK

2:30-3:00pm: "African Indigenous Religion and Public Life in Zimbabwe" (Josiah Taru)
3:00-3:30pm: "Islam in the Digital World" (Sana Patel)
3:30-4:00pm: REVIEW

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Mailing Address

Boniuk Institute
6100 Main Street, MS350
Houston, TX 77005
boniukinstitute@rice.edu
rplc.rice.edu

Press Inquiries

Avery Franklin 
Senior Media Relations Specialist 
averyrf@rice.edu