ABSTRACT

Religious Education as a Dialogue with Difference addresses current issues over the study of religion in publicly maintained schools. Are liberal, inclusive approaches to the study of religion suited to the aims of education in a democracy? Do liberal democratic aims offer the right framework for the study of religion? By presenting research on English secondary school pupils' motivation in religious education, this volume argues that religious education is best understood as a democratic dialogue with difference. The book offers empirical evidence for this claim, and it demonstrates how learners gain in religious literacy, both through the exercise of democratic citizenship in the classroom and towards the goal of life-long democratic citizenship.

chapter |14 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|18 pages

Motivation in RE

Beginnings

chapter 2|22 pages

RE, Adolescence and Creativity

chapter 4|45 pages

RE as a Dialogue with Difference

chapter 6|16 pages

Dialogue and Conflict in RE

chapter 7|17 pages

Democratic Citizenship and RE Revisited

chapter 8|19 pages

Does RE Work?