The Wabash Center's Dialogue On Teaching

Dr. Steed Davidson is the Executive Director of the Society of Biblical Literature.

Data show that the kinds of persons we bring into doctoral programs and hire onto faculty remain relatively unchanged. In what ways can directors of graduate divisions of religion attend to atrophying doctoral programs? What is the future of religious scholarship if our formation pipelines are stagnant? 

Roger S. Nam is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Emory University Candler School of Theology. 

When at the dawn of your career, how do you learn the institutional power dynamics, the unspoken social and professional obligations, the ways conflict is resolved or left open? How do you acquire agency, get accurate information, and gain the trust of colleagues? Who do you approach? How do you ask for help when you are an inexperienced beginner and need support?

Dr. Steed Davidson is the Executive Director of the Society of Biblical Literature.

What does it mean to examen the influences of the bible upon contemporary society? In what ways can classrooms encourage understandings of the bible's complex roles in culture, now and into the future? 

Phillis Sheppard is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Religion, Psychology, Culture and Womanist Thought, and Executive Director of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at Vanderbilt University. 

Our careers will have disappointments, injustices, events which are unfair and, even shaming. How do we avoid boundary crossing, blaming, isolation, and personal ruin? What are communal and personal habits of coping, survival and collegiality in moments of unexpected professional grief and unmanageable career debacles? 

Roger S. Nam is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Emory University Candler School of Theology. 

What makes for mediocre, good, and exceptional administrators? Who should consider administration as an occupation, and who should remain on faculty? How do you balance the call for transparency in communication and the need for confidentiality? What kinds of assistance might be beneficial to those in administrative duties?

Dr. Steed Davidson is the Executive Director of the Society of Biblical Literature.

In what ways do faculty positions prepare you for administrative jobs? What kind of professional formation is needed to be an administrator? How important is your team to achieving an organizational vision?  What if imagination is the best skill of an administrator?

Phillis Sheppard is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Religion, Psychology, Culture and Womanist Thought, and Executive Director of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at Vanderbilt University. 

Life is a series of transitions. Transitions of an academic career can leave one feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or agitated and angry. How might life transitions be negotiated for wellness, mental health, and thriving? 

Philip Butler is Assistant Professor of Theology and Black Post-Human Artificial Intelligence Systems at Iliff School of Theology. 

What if teaching had the audacity to pose questions which disrupts reality? What if the disruption was generative, imaginative, and healing? This conversation grapples with what it means to teach at the intersection of neuroscience, technology, spirituality, and Blackness to prepare futures and reimagine leaders.

Phillis Sheppard is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Religion, Psychology, Culture and Womanist Thought, and Executive Director of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at Vanderbilt University. 

When adult learners have learning styles and processes which are not expected, what is the role of the Academic Dean, the role of the faculty person, the role of the student? What pedagogical innovations are needed to support learning? When you receive an "accommodation letter" - what should be done? 

Angela Parker, PhD is Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek with Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology.

Adult students sometimes feel confronted or disrespected when their personal faith is disrupted in bible and theological courses. In what ways does a professor prepare students for deeper learning? How do professors cope with belligerent students? What does it take to build trust between teacher and students? What happens when no trust is to be found?