Teaching the Mission
Since the Fall 2016 issue of Conversations in Jesuit Higher Education, faculty members have been offering reflections from their own experiences of teaching at Jesuit colleges and universities.
Given our highly polarized political climate, how can we dialogue to decrease intolerance and foster better understanding and still take principled stands against our political opponents through activism and advocacy?
Since the pandemic has pushed students to their limits in recent semesters, how might Jesuit higher education faculty operate now that they have seen the truth of what it takes to be a student today?
What particular resources do Jesuit colleges and universities bring to the table as they communicate the distinctive value of their educational program to students and their families?
How might an educational pedagogy rooted in intellectual humility and radical vulnerability help students learn to love themselves and their language as well as the rich history of pain and beauty that comes along with it?
How might the Ignatian examen be harnessed to help students reflect on failure in chemistry research?
How might Thich Nhat Hanh’s accessible teachings on mindfulness as well as his peace activism and work in Engaged Buddhism help all stakeholders in Jesuit higher education transform their suffering and nourish peace in the midst of chaos, unpredictability, and exhaustion?
How might community-engagement courses integrate community voices as co-learners alongside traditional students?
How can you create space for discussions of race/racism and systemic oppression that don’t reinscribe white supremacy? How can you teach service-learning for racial justice? How do you teach service-learning so white people stop killing Black people?
How might principles of Ignatian spirituality inform how we respond to interruption and crisis, faculty and students alike?
How does teaching a course that bridges psychology and literature offer our students insights into exclusion?