The Religion Department – spearheaded by Dr. Marcia Bunge and Dr. John Cha – is launching a new minor in Fall 2020 focused on Interfaith Leadership.
As Drs. Bunge and Cha write, “Religion is a fact and factor worldwide, and over 80% of human beings on the planet self-affiliate with a religious tradition. Given the rise of challenges and opportunities in the workplace and civic life related to religious diversity, more attention is being given in the academy, various professions, and political life to interfaith understanding and cooperation.”
The proposed minor, tentatively entitled Interreligious Leadership in Civic and Professional Life, aims to help students majoring in various disciplines develop the knowledge and leadership skills needed to negotiate challenges regarding religious diversity in professional and civic contexts. The minor will focus on strengthening religious and interfaith literacy; skills for fostering positive relationships in the workplace and public life; and how to reflect on one’s own ethical and/or religious worldview and core values.
We are living at a time when we are once again realizing how global and interconnected all our lives really are. To that end, the Religion Department is launching this minor, not only to strengthen our students’ knowledge of diverse religious cultures, but also to teach them how to negotiate and understand this diversity as community and professional leaders once they leave Gustavus.