Connections Quarterly Winter 2018 - World Religions | Page 28

L I TERAT URE IN RE VIE W Continued from page 25 c. Islam through Its Scriptures e. Hinduism through Its Scriptures d. Buddhism through Its Scriptures f. Sikhism through its Scriptures These courses are rich in visual and multimedia material, and also lay out the principles of the study of religions. Deeper looks into some seminal scriptures are available: • Introduction to the Quran: The Scripture of Islam (Notre Dame) edX • The Talmud: A Methodological Introduction (Northwestern) Coursera • Introduction to Kabbalah, (Ben-Gurion University, Negev) edX For a Peace Studies course, again from Harvard (edX): • Religion, Conflict and Peace This is a truly exceptional offering, showing what technology and great teaching can do when they come together. The course covers conflicts around the world in which religion plays a part, from the United States to Ireland, Nigeria to Myanmar, and beyond. The course uses video, articles from world publications, lectures, and primary sources to ex- pand the classroom walls. There is a strong emphasis on diversity, womens’ issues, and the role of the arts in peacebuilding that goes beyond the bounds of dialogue and debate. Social Justice and Ethics courses: • Justice (Harvard) edX • Moralities of Everyday Life (Yale) Coursera • Effective Altruism (Princeton) Coursera Michael Sandel Paul Bloom Peter Singer Before MOOCs, you would have to enroll at all three of these universities to hear these varied stars of ethical thought. Now of the three, Sandel is the most interactive, so stu- dents can imagine themselves answering his probing questions. The other two are sound lectures courses, with Singer adding interviews with a variety of activists who explain their approaches to measuring and refining the impact of their efforts. Richard (Dick) Barbieri “retired” after 40 years in independent schools only to take up a new career in conflict resolution and mediation. He mediates between parties and facilitates discussions in a broad range of circumstances, from family and court cases to cross-cultural dialogue between students from universities around the world. In addition to Connections Quarterly, he writes regularly for Independent School, and online at www.mediate.com. He has just been named editor of ACResolution, the quarterly of the Association for Conflict Resolution. Contact him at [email protected]. Page 26 Winter 2018 CSEE Connections