Interested in broadening your perspective about religious leadership?

In 2009 and 2010, Auburn offered a unique tuition-free minimester for seminary students in the New York region, "Religious Leadership in a Multifaith World" which featured contemporary case studies of religious leadership in a religiously diverse world.

Students from Yeshiva University, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, Hebrew Union College, Jewish Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary have participated in the minimester. Auburn anticipates offering the minimester again in the fall of 2011.

At each session, students discuss a real-life case study of religious leadership dealing with the challenges of leading in a multifaith context. Students  analyze each scenario with colleagues from different faith backgrounds, and then reflect on what kind of leadership they hope to offer in such a situation. Most cases were prepared by the Case Study Initiative at the Pluralism Project of Harvard University.

The 2010 minimester featured the following cases:

1. Removing the cross, removing the president: the case of the Wren Chapel at the College of William and Mary
2. Sign of Division: should the rabbi hide the 'We Support Israel' sign at the synagogue during a major interfaith teen program?
3. Trouble in Troy: National Day of Prayer advocates go head-to-head with a Hindu lay leader over issues of religious freedom
4. Mosque Siting Part 1: the Mosque in Palos Heights, IL
5. Mosque Siting Part 2: Park51
6. Presbyterians and Jews, Israel and Palestine: preparing for the 2010 PC(USA) General Assembly

Comments about the minimester from students:

"Thank you for preparing me for meeting some of the most important - yet generally neglected - aspects of religious leadership. My home institution does not prepare me to consider how I will co-exist with other faith communities. This program at Auburn opened my eyes and my definition of what it means to be a current and future religious leader."

"These classes with Jewish and Christian seminarians discussing case studies of interfaith encounters was one of the most unique and meaningful seminary experiences, and it will definitely shape the way I approach both my congregation and the members of congregations of other faiths."

"My curiostiy has been piqued and I am participating in another dialogue this spring. I don't know where this will lead, but my curiosity about other faiths and our interaction in a multifaith world continues to grow."

Additional details:

• The course is non-credit. Participating seminarians are required to prepare each case but have no additional academic obligations. Seminarians requiring credit are encouraged to discuss earning independent study credit with their institution.
• The course is offered free of charge.