warning: this post contains intellectual property. and plagiarism is a crime. go away, idea thieves.
I starting thinking about why Indonesia, and realized plainly that I don't feel my work there is done. It is not just about being dissatisfied with my semi-incomplete former grant (dang dengue), or about my continuing desire to connect with my cultural heritage. But that country-- woah, that country. A handful of jewels flung across the Pacific. That nation is a special place, full of diversity, culture, intelligence, determination and survival amidst a continuing onslaught of factors not in their favor. I am in love with Indonesian people. I have to go back.
But how, how can I integrate my current studies in Christian theology into a research project that will promote the mission of Fulbright, leave good behind, AND be considered acceptable graduate-level academia? Well. The wheels, I tell you. They started and are still going. Hence the frantic typing of this lengthy post (if it doesn't seem lengthy yet... it will). Also, post prolonged exposure in the host country is NOT preferred, and to merit a critical language enhancement award, I will need to provide a convincing argument to support a need for intensive, in-depth language study. Christian theology. Overwhelmingly Muslim population. Former Fulbright. Mediocre language skills... so. many. factors. to. consider.
And finally the spinning produced the following. Consider, for one moment, that I was not only post-graduate degree (MTS). Consider that I am post graduate degree (MTS), but in progress MA, IPCR? That I had the backing of a large, well-established school interested in the promotion of peace through interfaith dialogue? That I had another year to participate in and learn through such programs? That my grant would premise (though not necessarily required) my return to complete my second graduate degree? And that my research project incorporated all of the aforementioned factors: my prior teaching experience, specific to Indonesia; my more recent study in Christian theology; a future exploration into Muslim-Christian relations (like my whole life isn't a case study already); a need for a very specific set of Indonesian vocabulary (theological vocabulary); my current obsession with creation care and consumerism and how that relates to American Christianity; and the opportunity to work with and establish relationships between Indonesian seminaries and U.S. institutions--like my home-base of Wesley Theological Seminary, perhaps?
More details: I taught in an Indonesian high school (albeit a public high school that had only a handful of Christians). BUT what IF my project were to develop either a Christian curriculum regarding creation care/consumerism or some sort of interfaith curriculum-- very entry-level stuff-- to promote inter-faith dialogue at the high school (SMA) level between Muslims and Christians, specifically? The project could be related to my MTS thesis work if I incorporate into my thesis a substantial portion regarding why consumerism is a challenge to Christian faith and why creation care is important-- because of misconceptions and faith responsibility (must continue to develop this tie). The curriculum could be developed working with an Indonesian seminary--I would need intensive language training in order to be able to do this and to use bahasa Indonesia for theological discussion/training/writing/teaching. And I could collaborate with an Islamic training facility, as well. BUT THEN I could take my curriculum and I could IMPLEMENT IT at the schools participating in the English Teaching Assistantship Fulbright grants-- there will be 30 ETA grants for 2011/2012, the best contenders could be selected to make the project more feasible, based on the input of the ETAs regarding the make up of their classes-- diverse groups or Christian schools (I was surprised, there are a lot). The curriculum could be taught in INDONESIAN (which automatically means that my point will get across, and furthers the argument that intensive language training is a necessity), but would draw heavily upon my teaching experience as an English teacher. What good could be left behind! And how this work would tie into my future as an advocate for Muslim people, as a Christian woman.
This would be how I see the grant playing out: I would definitely want to apply for a Critical Language Enhancement award-- it would seriously be critical to my research and implementation. I would spend the first three months or so in intensive language study, learning the vocabulary I would need in order to teach in Indonesian. After this, I would begin working with the seminary to develop the Christian school curriculum. Then I would begin working with the Islamic training facility to develop the interfaith dialogue curriculum for mixed public schools. This would likely take several months to do.
Before the curriculum were finished, I would be in contact with the 30 or so ETAs to determine which SMAs would be the best candidates for implementation. I would select 8-10 schools (this number might change, depending on location, accessibility and time remaining post curriculum development) and schedule my visits to come and present the curriculum in 1-2 days. That would be phase three of the grant, and would likely conclude my grant (leaving, of course, with the curriculum in the hands of both the seminary and the Islamic training institute, to be used in local high schools, and with the teachers of all the high schools I have visited and with AMINEF-- to potentially be implemented by future ETAs as an enrichment day, if translated into English). The research/work would persist, in the country. And the basis of the project would be to encourage dialogue among Indonesians, but presented by an American, it would also encourage international interfaith dialogue.
Upon further consideration, let's revisit the tie-in to my thesis work. My thesis is based on the premise that I can establish that American Christianity has become entrenched by consumerism, and that this is negative for our faith because it separates us from God. As a response to this, I plan to explore the multiple countercultural movements that reject Christian consumerism and even embrace creation care (for argument's sake, the extreme opposite of consumer culture), reunited us with God. This is relevant to my previous work in Indonesia and the curriculum if I can supply a convincing argument that during my ETA grant I was a constant curiosity because I was not Muslim, yet there was no dialogue regarding our differences in faith. That I observed there was no platform to discuss the differences between Christian and Muslim, in essence, establishing that lack of dialogue is the current status quo (in thesis terms, that no dialogue is culturally approved). But since my thesis will cover countercultural movements that encourage wholeness (reunification with God), my curriculum will be based on beginning a countercultural movement: interfaith dialogue. Basically, the premise for this and all interfaith dialogue is that if our differences are safe to discuss and out in the open, they aren't scary anymore. My aim, through my curriculum in high schools, would be based in encouraging countercultural responses to ignoring our differences. Perhaps this could even be perpetuated by offering the curriculum online, and even sending it to be taught in other high schools.
I like this relation to my thesis work better, because American consumeristic culture is nothing like the majority of Indonesia. But this does leave a major gap in terms of the necessity and the uniqueness of my project: of course interfaith dialogue between Muslims and Christians is necessary, that's a given. How is my curriculum going to do much good? Why's it necessary now, in this way? And if the aim of the curriculum is very broadly: 'interfaith dialogue' what makes my proposal unique? Sure, it promotes the message of Fulbright. But without any current major event that highlights an international lack of communication between Muslims and Christians, why is this important? Dang, I thought I had it.
Alright, there's clearly much more work to be done on this idea, but I feel like I'm off to a crazy fast-paced start. I didn't just hit the ground running, I flew past the first checkpoints. There's some heavy academic thought in my future... I'll be back to update as soon as my brain has caught up to sorting it through.
Oh. And making it relevant to the title? The idea is that this new, MAJOR proposal would pre-game the perpetual hope of the greater Empowerment Project. The EP is a calling, something I know I will at the very least attempt to fulfill in my days on this earth. This idea is like an appetizer to the EP, but it's very relevant and the scale upon which this would play out-- the coordination, the planning, the multiple parties that would be involved-- is similar to but merely smaller, shorter, and more concentrated than the idea of the EP. The organization is similar, however.
Bed time. I'm wiped.
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