Dave Barnhart's Academic Portfolio

November, 2001

I see two main critical skills which higher education should seek to develop. The first is an analytical or deconstructive skill; students should be able to take apart an idea into its component pieces. The other is a synthetic or constructive skill; students should learn how use knowledge and techniques they learn from one field in another. They should be able to apply these skills in so-called "real-world" situations as well as in their academic discipline.

Religion is an excellent field in which to try out those critical thinking skills. The student of religion can find relevant contributions to her studies from psychology, sociology, economics, cosmology, history, physics, and so on. The religion student can engage this kind of interdisciplinary discourse on a regular basis. This is what I refer to as the "breadth" element of education in religion.

But religion, and ethics in particular, has a "depth" element as well. We have deeply held beliefs about the world, about society, and those things that are desirable for our flourishing. Coming to a discussion of religion with diverse viewpoints, members of a religion class will almost invariably find nearly irreconcilable differences in personal philosophy and faith. These viewpoints provide valuable opportunities for learning from each other, but they must be presented in such a way that the deeply held beliefs and the deep emotional commitments of all students are respected.

In order to exploit this depth aspect in the classroom, the instructor must approach sensitive topics in a way that allows students to present for critique ideas and beliefs in which they have some stake, without a hostile response from others. The few educators who enjoy the "disabusing" aspect of their job without regard for civil discourse create misconceptions of academic education and impede the flow of ideas. While I think it is important to challenge prejudices and assumptions, I also would like to model for students in the classroom the kind of civil argument that is far too rare in public social discourse.

With the depth and breadth of the study of religion in mind, I have tried to design classes which move students gradually toward public discussion. I may begin a class by delivering a lecture, then move to instructor-led discussion, then to open student-directed (and instructor-moderated) debate. The goal of this process is to address both the breadth and depth aspects of religious study. By being personally involved in articulating a moral position, students challenge their own beliefs. By participating in discussions and engaging lectures, they also experience the breadth and the detail of the subject.

I have taught children, youth, and adults in church settings, and I have taught my peers and students in academic settings. What is constant in these different environments is my desire to help people find new ways of understanding and of relating to the world. I have a few role models - teachers and professors who were important in formulating not only my attitude toward education, but my philosophy of life in general - from whom I have borrowed ideas and styles.

Far too few people in the world enjoy learning for learning's sake. If someone decides to study Irish Gaelic, for example, most people ask why. It is, after all, fairly "use-less" unless you have business in Ireland. Yet exploring a language, a philosophy, a concept to the extent that it begins to change the way you see the world around you - that is the essence of learning.

In order to encourage this kind of attitude in students, it is important to make time for individual attention and exhortation. In helping students develop sermons, I have found it extremely helpful to meet with them to discuss exegetical and rhetorical strategy and to give them an in-depth analysis of their sermons. I have received positive feedback from students about this kind of attention, and I have seen a corresponding increase in their ability to compose ideas within a medium that requires a different kind of "oral" logic than the written kind with which they are familiar. I believe concepts in ethics and theology may benefit from the same kind of deep, step-by-step involvement.

I hope in my teaching to exploit both the breadth and depth elements of the study of religion. I think it is a marvelous field in which to give students the opportunity to stretch their critical thinking skills, to engage the thinking traditions that make up our academic heritage, and to help them acquire ways of looking at the world that will contribute to their own flourishing.

Teaching experience and training

In addition to working as a teaching assistant for Susan Bond's Introduction to Homiletics and David Buttrick's Preaching the Parables classes, I have also participated in the Graduate Department of Religion's two-semester course in the Teaching of Religion. In this class we examined various teaching methodologies, designed courses, composed syllabi, and heard from professors from a variety of different fields explain their pedagogy. We received peer critiques of our teaching styles, and collaborated on creating assignments and tests. I am now facillitating the second semester of that same course for a new group of graduate students as a Master Teaching Fellow. I have also participated in two TA workshops offered by the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching, and have since become a Master Teaching Fellow in order to develop and lead more workshops dealing with teaching and professional issues.

I have been involved in peer education since my undergraduate years in tutoring and in co-teaching Freshman seminar at Oglethorpe University. I led a discussion section of the Introduction to Christian Thought at Candler School of Theology. I have served two churches as Youth Minister, and have participated in various mentoring programs. I feel that I have a sound pedagogy that will continue to develop with input from my colleagues and other educational opportunities.

Teaching responsibilities and goals

In my work with Professor Bond's and Buttrick's classes, I have assisted small groups in collaborative homiletics exercises, graded papers, lectured, critiqued sermons, and led discussions for a section of the class. In my previous teaching roles at Candler and Oglethorpe, I also led discussion groups, gave mini-lectures, graded papers, and assisted students with writing and study skills.

In the coming semester, I hope to gain more lecture experience and to use the course web page not just as an online syllabus, but a source for additional student learning. I plan to add to it as the semester progresses. I hope to keep such a page current in order to assist students and receive help from my colleagues.

I also plan to receive at least one evaluation from the other MTFs in the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching, who will sit in on a class and critique my style and method of teaching. I will also continue to refine my pedagogical approach based on student and professor evaluations.

Syllabi

I have included several syllabi and one exam in this portfolio. They can also be accessed from my academic web page. These are prospective courses which I hope to teach at some point in the future. I believe they reflect my interest in student contribution to the course and in taking advantage of both the depth and breadth of the material. I hope to design several more classes and include both smaller seminar and larger lecture-style formats.

In my course goals section, I almost always include five kinds of goals which reflect the pedagogy I have mentioned above:

Explore: This is the "content" goal, the information I hope to pass on. It includes the facts or the material part of learning, but implies that there may also be tangents and unexpected surprises along the way.

Critically examine: This is how the student "takes" the content. We evaluate the information in light of what we already know. We determine how it fits within a larger context.

Apply: This is the use of the new knowledge we have gained, and may address several questions. How can we use it in the "real" world? What are its implications? How does it change the context into which we have fit it?

Formulate a personal position: This is the the "depth" element at its most obvious. Though not all learning will require a radical rethinking of our opinions, it should change us in some way. I believe this is one of the most important, most subtle, and most overlooked aspects of education. I believe it both requires and helps to develop emotional and philosophical literacy.

Practice public and civil discourse: As I mention above, I would like to move students toward a point where they are able to speak publicly about what they have learned. I also believe that our public life is impoverished because we are not intentionally taught these kinds of skills. Since most of the classes I hope to teach deal with matters of public interest, this is an important goal for me.

Philosophy of Teaching