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There’s no proselytizing in Jonathan Couchman’s comparative religion course at Modesto High School.
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In the Modesto City High School District, academic freedom includes bringing religion into the classroom for the purpose of comparative study. It’s the only school district in California where ninth-graders are required to take a course on world religions and religious liberty.
Even before Sept. 11, the diverse community of Modesto was looking for ways to increase tolerance, understanding and respect for people of all religions. Many believed that the course would also help students comprehend more in the way of history, literature, art and current events in their other classes.
Most members of the Modesto school community have reacted positively to the course, which was implemented in 2000. Students can opt out at the request of parents, but few have. Teachers are careful to keep curriculum strictly academic and observe the legal separation between church and state. So far guest speakers have not been allowed, out of concern that they may proselytize students.
“We have to walk a fine line teaching this class,” says Modesto Teachers Association member Jonathan Couchman. “We teach in an unbiased manner, avoid controversial issues (such as religious wars) and don’t identify members of any religion as the ‘chosen people’ because every religion has chosen people.”
In a recent class session, Couchman’s Modesto High School students learned that members of the Sikh faith wear a steel bracelet to symbolize strength, believe in arranged marriages, donate a tenth of their income to charity and never cut their hair.
“I don’t want to be mean, but compared to Americans, they give more food to the hungry and seem much nicer,” offered student Nimita Kishore.
“That’s a good point,” replied Couchman. “They might be considered poor, but they give a higher percentage of their income to charity than Americans do.”
Students begin the course by studying the First and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, then segue into the study of religious freedom in America. After that, students study several religions, spending a week on each.
“I wish we had a whole semester to do this instead of one quarter,” says Couchman. “This class is fun to teach and an excellent way to overturn stereotypes.”
Couchman’s students include Christians of many denominations as well as Jews, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims. “The more students learn about other cultures, the less fear there is,” he says. “The same is true with religion. A survey showed that our students increased their level of tolerance after taking the course, as well as their willingness to stand up for someone else’s religion if it is being insulted.”
“It’s nice to know about different religions and how different people live,” says student Jesse Hacker. “Now I know why some people dress a certain way or act in a certain way.”
Kishore, who is Hindu, thinks the class has made Modesto High a nicer campus. “There is a lot of diversity here and a lot of judging going on, but this class makes people less judgmental,” she says. “And after taking this class, other students might see that their religion has something in common with mine.”
