ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the contours of epistemological anxiety, exploring why and how such anxiety manifests among millennial students who study comparative theology. It explores an account of the "anxiety-mitigating" effects of "reparative" learning. The chapter discusses some of the ways in which this newly imagined classroom space compels people to think beyond the traditional methods of textual analysis toward more embodied forms of knowledge, outlining a vision of what reparative strategies of learning might look like. It suggests that the epistemological anxiety of millennial students is more than an orientation toward knowledge. The chapter also suggests that the feeling of anxiety in the classroom might be connected to the priority given to the acquisition of knowledge in North American education. The inclusion of material objects in comparative theological study can also play an important reparative role in ameliorating the anxiety of millennial students.
