Professor attempts to make
religion 'fun'
By Nate Cross
Staff Writer
Jesus visited a classroom in Stone Hall.
Jim Davidson, the professor of Sociology 367, brought
a plastic Jesus action figure to share with his students.
"I loved the Jesus action figure. It had movable
arms and rolled. Professor Davidson said he brought it into class for
inspiration for our next exam," said Erika Doke, a senior in the
School of Liberal Arts. The action figure is just one way in which professor
Davidson keeps his class "Religion in America" fun.
The class deals with the prominent role religion
plays in American life and religion in the context of American culture.
According to Davidson, the course is made up of three main parts: religiosity
of Americans and the social factors that shape American people; religious
organizations in America (dealing particularly with major faith groups
and subgroups within those categories and their social history); and
the relationships between religion and other aspects of life.
Davidson’s interest in religion dates back
to his college days at Notre Dame as a graduate student. A professor
of his asked if he would be interested in going to Oklahoma to study
different religious groups as a research project. Davidson accepted
the offer even though he hadn’t had any classes that dealt with
religion.
"When I came back with my research and began
to write it up, I just became absolutely fascinated by some of the similarities
between the groups, and more than that, some of the differences between
the groups. So I decided this is the type of research I could do where
some of my personal interests and professional interests could coincide."
Since then, Davidson has worked in the field of
religion. He has taught at Purdue since 1968 in the sociology department.
He has penned half a dozen books on religion, his most recent being
"American Catholics" and has held many titles that deal with
religion as well.
Davidson has been president of the Religious Research
Association, editor of the Review of Religious Research and executive
secretary of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Davidson’s religion studies have led him to
attend almost every church in the Lafayette area so that he can experience
different religions first-hand.
He laughs when asked about visiting so many churches.
"I think I’ve been inside most of them
at one time or another. I went to be aware, to be a part of the different
groups, so that when I’m talking about them I’m talking not
only on the basis of reading and research knowledge, but on some experience
with the group. I find that it helps me ground my observations personally
as well as in research. It gives me a way of being honest about the
groups and being sensitive to the way in which groups conduct their
faith."
One way Davidson delves into his student’s
personal religious backgrounds is with a piece of paper and pen.
"I invite them to use some juicy adjectives
to make their descriptions as vivid as they can. It’s just a way
to get them to think early on about who they are and what their interest
in this course might be. It lets me speak to their experiences and be
sensitive to who they are," he said.
A.J. Jones, a senior is the School of Education,
liked Davidson’s enthusiastic approach in the classroom and the
information he presented on the cards. "You got to see where different
people were coming from," he said. "It makes the class interesting."
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