When two worldviews meet: promoting mutual understanding between ‘secular’ and religious students of Islamic studies in Russia and the United States

Abstract

The authors discuss results from two co-taught courses in Islamic studies shared as a virtual exchange between the University of Michigan (U-M), USA, and Saint Petersburg State University (SPbU), Russia. These courses were shared with the intent of expanding the range of perspectives to which the students were exposed and to provide an opportunity to experience the approach to education and to the subject studied in the partner country. The SPbU student cohort included graduates of Islamic religious colleges from across Russia who studied along with non-religious students specializing in Islamic studies. The U-M cohort included students of diverse religious, ethnic, and national backgrounds. International teams met outside class to prepare questions for the weekly synchronous whole-class discussions and to create a final group presentation. 1. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States and Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia; alknysh@umich.edu; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2791-8976 2. Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia; anna-matochkina@yandex.ru 3. Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia; d.ulanova@spbu.ru 4. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States; phili@umich.edu 5. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States; laustin@umich.edu; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0717-3759 How to cite this chapter: Knysh, A., Matochkina, A., Ulanova, D., Meechan, P., & Austin, T. (2019). When two worldviews meet: promoting mutual understanding between ‘secular’ and religious students of Islamic studies in Russia and the United States. In A. Turula, M. Kurek & T. Lewis (Eds), Telecollaboration and virtual exchange across disciplines: in service of social inclusion and global citizenship (pp. 57-64). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2019.35.940