Course Development Grants

Course Development Grant Catalogue

Our project seeks to encourage research and teaching on science and theology and / or religion. We have found getting students thinking about the relationship between theology and empirical research is a good way to introduce new students to the field, as well as a good way to get advanced students performing at the highest level.

During the St Andrews-based pilot programme, one course we developed turned out to be the largest in our department. Another, aimed for upper-division seminar discussions, was team taught by an expert in science and religion together with a professor in Hebrew Bible; they found it the perfect context for research-led teaching. Since developing any new course will take time away from other research, we have launched this series of Course Development Grants.

What we provide

  • Stipend of up to £2,000

Your new course

  • Develop a new or significantly rework an existing course to incorporate empirical research in some aspect of theology and / or religion.
  • We welcome proposals for any syllabus that engages theology and / or religion with empirical science.
  • We are especially drawn to the pairings of:
    • (1) Moral Theology & Evolutionary Biology,
    • (2) Spiritual Formation & Developmental Psychology, and
    • (3) Ecclesiology & Cognitive Science
  • (For applicants from universities) Courses could be open to any major or limited to theology and / or religion, and would typically be listed in one or more of your departments including: theology, religion, philosophy, liberal studies, interdisciplinary studies, or similar.

Selection criteria & eligibility

  • Courses (classes) can be for lower-division undergraduates, upper-division undergraduates, or for Master’s degrees.
  • Applications are also welcome from high school or senior schools teaching in the academic areas listed above.
  • We welcome applicants from around the world and from all faiths.
  • Overall fit with project vision – see What is Science-Engaged Theology?
    • Our project is somewhat different than the discipline of ‘Science & Religion’.
  • Clear choice of relevant scientific and theological subdisciplines/topics.
  • Course plan reflects innovative ideas within best pedagogical practice and the scholarship of teaching and learning.
  • Because bias gets in the way of good science (and theology), we seek a diverse set of topics and participants. Therefore, we are especially eager to facilitate participation by women and courses that study women’s contributions to science and theology.
  • Open to any scholars worldwide with a PhD who are currently teaching in a high school; college; seminary; or university department of theology, divinity, or religious studies.

How to apply

The Course Development Grant Applications are now CLOSED.

You will be asked to submit:

  • Course description (around 750 words).
    • Please include a brief explanation on how your course plan takes on board insights from the scholarship of teaching and learning.
    • If an existing course course is being reworked, briefly indicate which aspects of the original course you changed to meet the guidance.
  • Details of the subdisciplines you plan to use or use in the course you are redeveloping, both from theology and the relevant science.
  • Why this course is important to the study of science-engaged theology.
  • The intended audience.
  • An indicative reading list or a mock syllabus.
  • Current CVs for all applicants.
  • Letter of support for each applicant from your department chair, dean or similar, indicating that the new or significantly reworked course will be considered for future teaching, included as a .PDF referencing your application.  Alternatively, this can be provided to setheology@st-andrews.ac.uk.

 

If you are selected, you will provide:

    1. Course syllabus/handbook, detailing planned assignments you set, readings, etc.
    2. If and when the new course has been taught, student feedback and your own feedback from a teachers’ perspective

 

Application rounds

8th and final round – applications closed

  • Deadline: 30 April 2022
  • Decisions announced: 31 May 2022

 

Recommended resources

The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion, by Sarah Rose Cavanagh

How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories Behind Effective College Teaching, by Joshua R. Eyler

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck

What the Best College Teachers Do, by Ken Bain

Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning, by James M. Lang

Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel

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