Course Design in Religious Studies

Abstract

Metacognitive reflection on the process of thinking is widely believed to be an essential ingredient in successful learning. Students who are metacognitively aware of how they are processing new information are better able to take strategic control over their learning. They are able to plan, monitor, evaluate, and even revise their thinking when it is called for. In this paper, we seek to answer the question: How can educators promote the development of metacognitive thinking in Religious Studies courses? We provide a case study of a class of senior students in a seminar on the subject of ghosts who were challenged to perform the complex and consequential task of designing a new course which would be taught in a subsequent term to first- and second-year undergraduates. We argue that course design is inherently metacognitive, and we discuss the impact of the design task on the students’ willingness and ability to engage in metacognitive thought.