The Wabash Center's Dialogue On Teaching

What is embodied teaching? What is the politics of body in on-line classrooms? What is a professional online face? How do I provide the best of my public self?  Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Melanie C. Jones (Union Presbyterian Seminary). 

What does it take to orient yourself and students to on-line conversations? Meeting the complexity of remote teaching takes imagination, time and struggle. Walking along-side students during social upheaval and pandemic quarantine requires commitment and conversation partners. Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Eric Barreto (Princeton Theological Seminary). 

Taking time to breathe, calm and focus is critical to effective teaching. How does one avoid the pitfall of adding to the CV at the expense of personal health and wellness? In what ways can course planning encourage student attention to health and wholeness?

What is white rage? What does it mean that racism so permeates school ecologies that white rage is not noticed by anyone other than its victims? What is the loss to the institution for white rage? How can white rage be counterbalanced? Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Melanie Harris (Texas Christian University) and Dr. Jennifer Harvey (Drake University).

Rekindling engagement of the unknown, the unsure, the uncertain can happen in on-line teaching. What does it mean not to shame, blame, or cringe while making mistakes in front of students? Practicing adaptation, nimbleness, flexible is key to kindling passion for teaching.  Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Carol B. Duncan (Wilfrid Laurier University).

What obstacles hinder faculty of color from being successful? What institutional strategies might remove unnecessary obstacles? How do creative and committed faculty survive with their hearts intact? Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Miguel De La Torre (Iliff School of Theology).

What does it mean to honor a call to scholarship when tenure-track is not an option? What would it mean for senior scholars to assist contingency faculty? Communities of accountability are needed in every season of scholarship. Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Edwin Aponte (Louisville Institute). 

How are people who are alive doing theology? What does it mean to be Catholic given the surge of Hispanic members? Teaching the Catholic religious experience as a Latino scholar? Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Hosffman Ospino (Boston College). 

Society needs scholars who are curious about right now and the coming future. The production of knowledge includes creativity and imagination. In these moments of pandemics, consider your responsibility to the people. Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Leah Gunning Francis (Christian Theological Seminary).

This podcast was originally featured as a webinar with Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield, Dr. Melanie Harris (Texas Christian University), and Dr. Jennifer Harvey (Drake University). White America must challenge its high capacity to tolerate racism, to overlook racist acts, and to look past racist behaviors. Personal agency is required to become anti-racist. Disrupting systemic racism requires a shift in...

What does it take to ready schools for diversity? What is the evidence of the shift to anti-racist culture? Hear the story of a seminary who is making the commitment to diversity and cultural humility. Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Boyung Lee (Iliff School of Theology).   

What is the freedom that language provides? Speaking in the dialect of the people honors the people and makes scholarship accessible. Who is the self who dares wield the power of voice for social change? Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Pamela Lightsey (Meadville Lombard Theological School). 

What does it mean to mentor and be mentored? Who is the person(s) who will nurture, affirm, encourage, listen and support vocational decisions? Who is the person who will allow themselves to be mentored? Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Kimberly Russaw (Christian Theological Seminary).

Hispanic Theological Initiative (HTI) has been supporting Latinx scholarship for 25 years. Hear the story of this timely and much needed project; gain insights about ways racially particular projects strengthen all of theological education. 

Since theological education has many starting points, how do we include encounters with our grandmothers?  In what ways might theological education restructure in order to honor our ancestors and babies yet to be born?  What would student formation become with a focus on healing, holiness, wisdom and love – traditions of our grandmothers?  Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Patrick Reyes, Forum f...

What does it mean to create virtual community…when you are new to teaching? Creating healthy intimacy and appropriate vulnerability in online courses takes planning. Give yourself permission to be slow. Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfields hosts Dr. Rachelle Green (Fordham University). 

What could it mean to seize this moment as a time for creativity and opportunity to rethink teaching? In what ways can data driven decisions impact design of new educational paradigms? What are the new set of skills needed by professors in this digital age? Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Frank Yamada (Association of Theological Schools).

Kwok Pui Lan (Candler School of Theology at Emory University) and Tat-siong Benny Liew (Holy Cross College) interviewed Dr. Sarah Bogue of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University . They discussed ways for building community in virtual teaching and online learning. Creative ways of using Zoom and other technologies in online learning are explored. Incentivizing student interaction both w...

Kwok Pui Lan (Candler School of Theology - Emory University) and Tat-siong Benny Liew (Holy Cross College) interviewed Dr. Kristina Reardon, Director of the Writer’s Workshop at the College of the Holy Cross. They discussed the challenges of turning a class into a community while teaching remotely. Strategies for supporting and resourcing student learning needs, especially for college students, ar...

What does it mean to teach for the honoring of body? Insights on approaches which disrupt “neck-up” teaching; encouragement toward classrooms for mutual experiences of one another.  What if the scholarly production of knowledge included body, spirit and community?  Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Courtney Bryant (Manhattan College).  

What does it mean to teach students with unexamined biases against immigrant faculty? What happens to faculty when “fitting in” requires loss of cultural identity? In what ways can skills of translation assist with the wounds of assimilation? Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Jin Young Choi (Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School).

Teaching to help one another become ourselves requires a different model of education.  Nurturing the curiosity of teacher and learner would need new forms and new functions.  Daring to be creative might help shift the paradigm of theological education. Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Brian Bantum (Garrett-Evangelical Theological)

Even for the seasoned scholar, understanding the digital mindset as well as navigating educational platforms is a necessity for effective teaching.  Incorporating new collaborations and resources is a key to effective classroom experiences and learner success. Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Gay L. Byron (Howard University School of Divinity). 

The courses and conversations needed to teach away from white supremacy and toward equity, freedom and humility require new conversation partners, creating new kinds of courses, and bravery. Such a conversation emerged when Dr. Smith (Columbia Theological Seminary) welcomed Dr. Ulrich (Bethany Theological Seminary & Earlham School of Religion) and students from their respective schools into a...

Nurturing sensibilities and sensitivities for the pluralism of identities is a challenge to teaching and learning, alike. Teaching what you know is only the starting point.