U. offers class on diversity

History has shown how viewing the world through the lenses of religious and spiritual beliefs can result in violence or, at the very least, a lack of accepting differences between faiths.

While not claiming to solve the world's problems with one class, a University of Utah College of Social Work professor has found a context in which to tackle the subject of communication between divergent denominations.

David Derezotes and three others are preparing to offer a new class called "Dialogues of Diversity, Learning How to Create Communities of Spiritual and Religious Diversity." The class will be available to undergraduates and at-large students for spring 2004.

"Religiosity is on everyone's mind," Derezotes said.

Among the topics the class will address:

• The Middle East.

• People directing anger at a particular faith or people dealing with anger directed at their religion.

• Faith-based terrorism.

The grant-funded course is being offered through the U. College of Social Work in part because the college mandates that its students take a certain number of diversity-related classes.

Outside of student requirements, "I think they want more information," said assistant professor Christine TenBarge. These are, after all, largely students from a prevalent culture.

Coming from a predominantly Southern Baptist portion of Texas, TenBarge knows how religion can dominate the tenor of everyday life. Utah comes with its own brand of students living in a religious bubble, "but they appreciate different perspectives," TenBarge said.

One goal is to bring representatives of various belief systems to give presentations to the class. Possible presenters include shamans, Catholic priests, LDS leaders, even the Dalai Lama's niece Khando Chazotsang, who lives in Sandy.

And the main idea is to find nonviolent ways to bridge gaps between different faiths in a society full of discordant viewpoints.

"If we can't do it in a classroom," Derezotes said, "then we're in a sorry state globally."

---

E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com