In 2015, Dr. Jane Webster participated in a Teaching Interfaith Understanding faculty development seminar, run in partnership between the Council of Independent Colleges and Interfaith Interfaith America, and generously funded by the Henry Luce Foundation. For information on future seminars, and to access more resources created by seminar alumni, visit The Council of Independent Colleges.

Course Description

In this course, you will develop your ability to interact with people of other religious and cultural traditions. You will do this by reading about, participating in, and observing various healing methods through a wide range of cultures. You will identify religious features such as meaning-making, ritual, pilgrimage, and sacrifice, as well as ways that healers build confidence in those they heal. These religious features appear overtly in some religious contexts, and covertly in “non-religious” modern medical and psychological contexts. You will be asked to compare and contrast these features across cultures and to reflect upon their implications for health care in America today. You will also reflect on your own response to interfaith understanding, its value, and its implications for your future career.

Because this is a “critical thinking” course, specific attention will be given to synthesizing big ideas that shape cultural understanding. This course fulfills the requirements of the religion major, the Health Promotions major, a General Education critical thinking course, and/or an exploration course.