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Poster for event "From Ms. Marvel to the Smithsonian: Teaching Religious Literacy through Arts and Popular Culture"

Video: From Ms. Marvel to the Smithsonian: Teaching Religious Literacy through Arts and Popular Culture

November 27, 2023

This event took place October, 24, 2023. In this conversation, hosted by Religion and Public Life, Dr. Rashid discussed his work and its uses in the classroom, with a particular focus on the Children’s Museum of Manhattan exhibit "America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far?"

Dr. Hussein Rashid is the new Assistant Dean for Religion and Public Life and brought to RPL with a wealth of experience as an educator in public and classroom settings. He has particular expertise in integrating the arts into the study of religion. From work with museums to film, documentary, and comics, Rashid has long engaged the power of images and art to highlight complexity and captivate learners when teaching religious literacy. Among other projects Dr. Rashid executive produced the Times Op-Doc "The Secret History of Muslims in the US" and co-edited a volume on Ms. Marvel, the first Muslim to have her own comic series with Marvel Comics.... Read more about Video: From Ms. Marvel to the Smithsonian: Teaching Religious Literacy through Arts and Popular Culture

Faith in Action event participants Diane L. Moore, Mae Elise Cannon, Hussein Rashid, and Atalia Omer

Video: Faith in Action: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Solidarity for Just Peace in Times of Conflict

November 27, 2023

This event took place October 18, 2023. Religion and Public Life hosted a dialogue between three scholar-practitioners who drew inspiration from their respective faiths in order to advocate for a just peace. This talk provided an opportunity for a deep discussion of faith-based activism, liberatory readings of theological texts, and the complex and, at times, controversial role of multi-faith and international solidarity in the Palestinian liberation movement during times of crisis.... Read more about Video: Faith in Action: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Solidarity for Just Peace in Times of Conflict

Zachary Zumwalt, MRPL '23, US Navy Chaplain

From Land to Sea, HDS Alum Centers Religion in Context through Navy Chaplaincy

November 9, 2023

Zachary Zumwalt, MRPL ’23, is an active-duty Navy chaplain (20 years) who has served in Korea, Japan, and around the United States. As a member of the second MRPL cohort, he explored religious literacy in the context of the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps—specifically how it could inform emerging work in conflict prevention within the Indo-Pacific region.

Zachary Zumwalt has led worship services on land, on ships, and under the sea. Prior to becoming a Navy chaplain, he was an enlisted sailor assigned to work on submarines, which do not have chaplain crew members. While...

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National Public Radio (NPR) logo

RPL in the News: "Biden wants a two-state solution for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Is it still possible?"

October 30, 2023

NPR reporter Rachel Treisman covers the history, continued plausibility, and alternatives to the two-state solution. Atalia Omer, professor of religion, conflict and peace studies at the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, as well as the T. J. Dermot Dunphy Visiting Professor of Religion, Violence, and Peacebuilding and Senior Fellow in Conflict and Peace at Religion and Public Life, was one of the experts asked to provide context and commentary for this issue.

Israel continues to respond to Hamas' unprecedented...

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United States Institute of Peace logo

RPL in the News: "Myanmar: Religion, Peace and Conflict Country Profile"

September 25, 2023

This primer was drafted for the United States Institute of Peace in June 2023 by Susan Hayward, RPL Associate Director for the Religious Literacy and the Professions Initiative, and Htay Wai Naing, recent HDS graduate, Certificate in Religion and Public Life student, and RPL graduate assistant.

"Appreciating the religious dimensions of society, state and politics in Myanmar is essential to understanding the country’s conflicts. This is not easy, as religions in Myanmar are deeply entangled with a complex array of ethnic identities and shaped by dynamic...

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Kenneth Moales III, MDiv '24, gesturing in center of circle, speaks to attendees at a unity walk at Harambee Park in Boston this summer.

At HDS, New Certificate Leads to Community Contributions

September 7, 2023

"When Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School launched three years ago, it engendered a new Certificate in Religion and Public Life, providing students the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills, and networks to leverage their master of theological studies and master of divinity degrees across a range of professional contexts, including in journalism, government, humanitarianism, and organizing.

In addition to coursework and a capstone project...

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Ailih Weeldreyer, MTS '24, at the United States Institute of Peace / Courtesy image

Summer Internship Furthers International Peacebuilding Efforts

August 30, 2023

"Conflicts are driven by a number of complicated factors, but are often mislabeled as religious. This experience showed me that religious literacy is necessary in peacebuilding to appropriately address the ambivalent and complex religious dimensions of conflict, and how best to channel the power of religious peacebuilders in the creation of just and peaceful societies."—Ailih Weeldreyer, MTS candidate

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Going into her second year in the Master of Theological Studies program at Harvard Divinity School, Ailih Weeldreyer is no...

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Climate Justice Week

Video: Examining the Religious and Spiritual Implications of Climate Change

July 24, 2023

On April 14, 2023, Religion and Public Life hosted a conversation featuring Terry Tempest Williams, Matt Ichihashi Potts, Rev. Vernon K. Walker, and Anna Del Castillo who examined the religious and spiritual implications of climate change. What role does religion play in the movement for climate justice? How can religious communities serve as sites of organizing and activism? Panelists discussed these questions through the lenses of religious literacy, climate grief, climate ministry, and practices to guide communities through the perils of climate catastrophe.... Read more about Video: Examining the Religious and Spiritual Implications of Climate Change

Speakers Professor Aprilfaye Manalang, Jeanne Shin-Cooper, and Shin-Cooper's student Audrey Ro for the Educator Webinar: Religious Literacy and Nurses' Stories in the Age of COVID and Anti-Asian Hate

Video: Educator Webinar: Religious Literacy and Nurses' Stories in the Age of COVID and Anti-Asian Hate

July 24, 2023

On May 8, 2023, Religion and Public Life program at Harvard Divinity School hosted a conversation with Professor Aprilfaye Manalang of Norfolk State University to learn about her ongoing research on religious identity, grief, and COVID with Filipina-American nurses, as well as Jeanne Shin-Cooper of Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois whose students are taking part in this critical interview project. Prof. Manalang discussed her pedagogical practice of promoting Asian-American understanding at a Historically Black University, and the process of communicating this research to a public audience via podcast.... Read more about Video: Educator Webinar: Religious Literacy and Nurses' Stories in the Age of COVID and Anti-Asian Hate

Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart, RPL Government Fellow

A Slippery Slope: What the Supreme Court's Recent Rulings Mean for Religion in the U.S.

July 21, 2023

This summer, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued two major decisions with religion at the center of the cases. In Groff v. DeJoy, the court bolstered protections for workers asking for religious accommodations, and in 303 Creative v. Elenis, SCOTUS sided with a Colorado web designer who did not want to provide services to same-sex couples.... Read more about A Slippery Slope: What the Supreme Court's Recent Rulings Mean for Religion in the U.S.

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