Project Overview
The Special Divine Project supports study and teaching in universities, colleges, and schools. In particular, the Digital Library includes thematic introductions, collections of works, summaries, biographies of key authors, reviews, reading lists, and audio-visual materials. The aim is to make the materials of the library available as easily as possible in ways that can be ‘slotted into’ other programs or customised to individual educational needs. The software tools and multimedia content are also an engaging format for new audiences as well as ensuring that what is made available meets the needs of the rapidly changing educational environment.
Who’s Involved With The Project
In addition, the project provides online graduate-level course materials: short modules (ranging from a single-class topic to four week units) and full semester-long courses. Both forms are capable of integration into broader programs and include syllabi, lesson plans, video lectures, reading questions, sample examination questions, discussion guides. The development of these materials is based in part on summer schools led by Prof. Timothy McGrew in 2015 and 2016: graduate-level virtual seminars for which students receive credits at their respective institutions.
How You Can Help
To stimulate the development and implementation of courses (or course modules) in topics related to SDA, especially at graduate level, the project is running a competition to provide three awards to faculty members who would like to develop and teach a new or modified course. The conditions of the award will be fulfilled either by revising an existing course to engage with issues in SDA, or to develop new courses in SDA, under this name or any other significant denomination. These courses can be in any subject, including but without being limited to: philosophy of science; philosophy of religion; theology; history of philosophy; philosophical theology; or analytic theology.
The Future And What’s Involved
The project is also offering three cluster group awards to catalyse the formation of interdisciplinary discussion groups that will (a) bring diverse groups of scholars from sciences and the humanities together to discuss and debate questions related to Special Divine Action (SDA), and (b) host outside speakers to meet with these discussion groups. The project welcomes creative proposals and a wide variety of perspectives, methods and topics. For example, groups may consider the possibility and meaning of a generic kind SDA within a particular worldview; or epistemological issues; or specific or paradigmatic cases of instances of purported SDA; or issues pertaining to the impact and refinement of metaphors, language and narratives of SDA.