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:
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- Course syllabus/handbook, detailing planned assignments you set, readings, etc.
- 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