Description

Building on a growing network of religion scholars invested in extending the public reach of their work, the independent Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement trains and supports scholars seeking to communicate their research to the broader public through established and emerging media  channels. A grant from the Luce Foundation will fund the recently launched Institute’s efforts to create and produce  three new research-based podcasts designed to advance public knowledge about religion. Each thematically driven podcast will develop five to eight episodes. One podcast will analyze  media figures and campaigns that draw on religious authority to disseminate conspiracy theories, while two others will explore the ways religious communities serve as spaces of inclusion, hospitality, and justice in the context of debates over immigration, reproductive rights, school curricula, and 145 same-sex marriage. This grant would advance Religion and Theology’s Goal 1(b), to promote more curious and civil conversations about faith and religion among diverse knowledge makers, communities, and publics.