Tag: elester

Emile Lester, assistant professor of political science and international affairs, will present at a forum on Tuesday, November 1 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The forum, “God in the Classroom: Exploring the Place of Religion in Public Schools,” is presented by the Religious Freedom Project at the Newseum and Wesley Theological Seminary and begins at 6 p.m.

During the presentation, Lester will discuss his book, “Teaching about Religions: A Democratic Approach for Public Schools.” The evening also will include the Washington D.C. premiere of the documentary film “In God We Teach.”

For more information about the forum, visit http://www.freedomforum.org/e-vite/godinclassroom/e-vite.html or email elester@umw.edu.

Emile Lester, assistant professor of political science and international affairs, wrote a March 21 guest blog post for the Washington Post about whether religion can be taught in public schools. He finds hope for improving civil discourse on religion through an innovative course offered in the Modesto, Calif., public school system. Check out Lester’s blog post at http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/political-bookworm/post/a-path-to-religion-in-the-classroom/2011/03/08/ABwNKy7_blog.html.

In addition, Lester has the forthcoming book “Teaching about Religions: A Democratic Approach for Public Schools,” which is due for release soon by the University of Michigan Press. Visit  http://press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do;jsessionid=96706B2E5A1D7240FDFF52E73627E189?id=2180004 to learn more.

The publisher’s summary of Lester’s book says, “Frequent news stories about the debates waged between secularists and religious conservatives have convinced most Americans that public schools must choose between promoting respect for religious minorities and respecting the interests of conservative Christians. As a result, public schools fail to teach students about the meaning and value of protecting religious liberty and consequently perpetuate mistrust across the cultural divide, further empower extremists, and obscure the fact that most Americans of all religious backgrounds share a commitment to basic democratic principles.”

“In response, the public schools in the religiously diverse and divided community of Modesto, California, have introduced a widely acclaimed required world religions course. Drawing on groundbreaking research on the creation of and response to the Modesto course as well as on political philosophy, Emile Lester advocates a civic approach to teaching about religion in public schools that at once emphasizes respect for all views about religion and provides a special recognition of conservative Christian beliefs.”

Charles C. Haynes, the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center senior scholar, writes in an endorsement, “This provocative and timely book challenges Americans to rethink what it means to take democracy and religious freedom seriously in public education. Emile Lester takes the reader beyond culture war conflicts rooted in religious divisions and offers bold, new solutions for addressing our differences with fairness and robust toleration. Instead of battlegrounds, he argues, public schools can and should be places that include all voices in ways that prepare citizens to engage one another with civility and respect. “Teaching about Religions” is essential reading for all who care about the future of public schools—and the health of American democracy.”

Emile Lester, assistant professor of political science and international affairs, will participate in a national symposium at Roberts Wesleyan College to promote conversation on how public schools, religion and the First Amendment intersect. The symposium will be held October 10-11 at the New York college. The audience — school practitioners, academics, attorneys, school board members, community, religious and student leaders — will be invited to join the conversation with 10 authorities in the field. Other scheduled participants are Richard T. Foltin, director of the National and Legislative Affairs for the American Jewish Committee;  Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief; Colby May, senior counsel with the American Center for Law and Justice; David Scott, director of Project PATCH, Northport School District, Long Island; Muhammad Shafiq, executive director of the Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue, professor of Islamic and religious studies at Nazareth College and Imam of the Islamic Center of Rochester; Stephen Solomon, professor, New York University; Kathy Wildman, World Religions teacher, Fairfax, Va.; and Jay Worona, general counsel, New York State School Boards Association.

For more information or to register, visit www.roberts.edu/symposium or call 585/ 594-6562.