This week I’ve been working on a new project that weds the best of religious documentary film to more traditional topics in education – like, for example, figuring out what films on Buddhism or Hinduism to watch alongside reading Hesse’s Siddhartha, or what films on Judaism to watch while reading Elie Weisel’s Night or Islam & Reading Lolita in Teheran. I’d love to hear folks ideas about curricula – and we do have a budget to pay teachers $500 to write curricular pieces.

I’ve posted the ad copy below.

Multifaith Media Project Seeks Submissions on Teaching about Religion

Great teachers, whether in secondary school classrooms or universities, supplement their required reading with films that bring subjects alive for their students. The Auburn Theological Seminary and The Hartley Film Foundation are looking to create film-based resources for teachers who want to help their students to understand America’s religious diversity.

Are You a Teacher Who Has Thought About Religion and Film?
If you are a Social Studies, English, History, Civics, or Comparative Religion Teacher who thinks creatively about film and religion, we’d love to hear from you. Have you used a film on Buddhism to explore Siddhartha, or Mohammed: Legacy of the Prophet to teach world history? Or even Groundhog Day to explore Hinduism? The Multifaith Media Project looks to draw upon the wisdom of current teachers to write 500-1500 words as part of comprehensive website for teachers interested in addressing the topic of religion in their classroom. Submissions should meet the following criteria:
Relate to a specific department (Social Studies, Literature, History, etc.)
Reference National and State standards
Refer to select clips of films when possible
If possible, use a combination of fiction and documentary films – especially films from the Hartley Film Archive
Honorarium: Each submission will be reviewed by the panel. All accepted submissions will receive a $500 honorarium and will be published in a web-based curricula resource. Ideas for submissions should be emailed to Josh Borkin at mailto:jbb@aumurnsem.org no later than September 15th 2006.