Abstracts for Session 1B

"The Practice of Christian Discernment in the Hospitable Classroom,"
Scott Huelin (Union University)

Abstract
Many have called for a reform of the college classroom through the metaphor, virtue, or practice of hospitality. Few, however, have given attention to the liabilities associated with hospitable pedagogy. In this paper I describe the most pressing liability—moral, intellectual, and spiritual vulnerability—and argue that the practice of discernment remediates such vulnerability while remaining genuinely open to the stranger.

"Community Connections: Incorporating Hospitality, Fellowship and Testimony into a College Classroom,"
Carolyne Call (St. Mary's College)

Abstract
This paper will discuss the background, process and outcomes of incorporating the practices of hospitality, fellowship and testimony into a college psychology class. Personal reflections from the instructor and students illustrate both the challenges and rewards of the experiment. How the project affected the pedagogical orientation of the instructor will be a primary focus.

"Welcoming, Restoring, Dwelling and Sending: A Four-Fold Practice of Hospitality for the Classroom and Beyond,"
Marion Larson & Sarah Shady (Bethel University)

Abstract
In recent years, many have considered the practice of hospitality as it relates to academic learning as well as personal and spiritual growth. Working within this tradition, we connect the work of Amy Oden, who identifies four movements in the practice of early Christian hospitality (welcoming, restoring, dwelling together and sending forth) to the practice of teaching.  Specific focus is given to the ways in which these four movements both require and promote the development of trust necessary for creating and sustaining hospitable spaces within the classroom as well as enabling students to hospitably encounter the world beyond the classroom.

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Abstracts for Session 1C

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