Incorporating Spirituality into the MPA Curriculum: Framing the Discussion

Abstract

Traditionally, public affairs education has avoided the discussion of spirituality and religion. Perhaps this has been in deference to the tradition of separation of church and state, or perhaps it represented a belief that this was the best approach to ensuring tolerance of religious diversity. However, the result of this silence may be that public affairs professionals lack a basic understanding of spiritual practices and religious differences and are ill-prepared when these manifest themselves in public policy or in the public workplace. If we are to prepare the public affairs leaders and managers of the future to address such issues, educators need to develop a framework of understanding within which a discussion of these topics can take place. The purpose of this paper is three-fold: first, to identify some of the tensions and dilemmas inherent in discussing the incorporation of spirituality into the MPA curriculum; second, to briefly share some curricular and pedagogical examples from the literature; and, third, to articulate a framework for moving this conversation forward.