Reynolds College Blog

Religion and Healing course emphasizes critical thinking

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Students who take Dr. Amy Artman’s Religion and Healing course (REL 378) can expect her to ask a lot of questions.

Artman even starts her course syllabus with questions.

“What does it mean to be healed? How do we cure?” she asks. “Can I be healed without being cured? Cured without being healed? What role does religion play in healing? Does religion have a place in healing?”

She concludes by stating, “These are only a very few of the many questions we will explore together this semester.”

Right away, students understand that Artman will journey with them as they explore the relationships between religion, health and healing. Specifically, students will look at the complex histories of biomedicine, faith and folk healing in twentieth century America up to the present.

Grant-funded course examines role of faith in medicine

Artman first taught REL 378 in 2020. Now a regular offering in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions (LCR) curriculum, the class was originally part of a suite of courses developed through a grant. That grant was funded by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, Artman said.

Coordinated by Dr. Stephen Berkwitz, Dr. John Schmalzbauer and Dr. Philippa Koch, the grant supported research and course development for the Medical Humanities certificate. Berkwitz, Schmalzbauer and Koch all teach in LCR, and Berkwitz also serves as department head.

Today, introducing students to the debate about whether biomedicine should include a spiritual component remains an important learning objective in the course.

“In recent years, the idea that medical healing should include a spiritual component had basically won,” she noted. “But post-Covid, and as I teach the course in 2026, this discussion is now a live one again, I believe, if in a different way.”

Her goal is not to revive the debate but rather to give students a historical overview of the question and how it has been examined over time.

Woman standing in front of classroom writing on board
Dr. Amy Artman reviews historical concepts during her Religion and Healing course.

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Discussion panel on health of Ozarks Amish scheduled Sept. 26

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Missouri State University will host a discussion panel, “Healthcare Among the Ozarks Amish: Navigating Religion and Medicine,” from 12-1:15 p.m. Sept. 26 in Strong Hall 200.

Panelists are Dr. Sarah Cimino and Dr. Ashlea Cardin. Cimino, a local dentist, operates The Tooth Truck, Inc. Cardin directs the master of occupational therapy program at Missouri State.

Associate Professor Dr. Philippa Koch of the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions will serve as panel moderator.

The event is free and open to the public. Those interested can attend in person or via Zoom.

Panel focuses on Ozarks religious diversity and healthcare

The discussion panel is part of an Interfaith America grant recently awarded to Missouri State, Koch said. The grant focuses on local religious diversity and healthcare.

Koch is an Interfaith America Faith & Health Fellow.

“The Amish are particularly relevant to those engaged in healthcare and healthcare education in southwest Missouri, as there is a significant population of Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities.”

“I work on and teach religion and health in America,” she added. “The Amish have long been an important case study for me in research and teaching, and I am excited to bring healthcare experts to share their experiences working with our local community.”

Mark your calendar

 

Dr. Philippa Koch featured in Mind’s Eye

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Congratulations to Dr. Philippa Koch, assistant professor of religion at Missouri State University, on her feature in Mind’s Eye magazine.

Her research focuses on the intersections of religion, health, gender and society in early America.

Research feature story now online

The Mind’s Eye story featuring Koch’s research is now published online.

Excerpt:

In a world teeming with religious narratives and expectations, what happens when lived experiences do not align?

Dr. Philippa Koch, Missouri State University associate professor of religion, explored this question through her research on how Christians in colonial America held onto the doctrine of providence. This is the belief that God oversees everything and sometimes intervenes in the world.

This research led to the publication of her book, “The Course of God’s Providence: Religion, Health and the Body in Early America,” in 2021.

In it, Koch explores how Christians maintained this belief, even as medical advancements made it possible to treat illnesses.

Read the full story

MSU awarded $60,000 grant for faith-health education

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Missouri State University has received a $60,000 grant from Interfaith America to enhance religious literacy in health professions education. The grant recognizes MSU’s leadership in religious literacy and cultural competence in health care.

Out of 44 applicants, MSU was one of only 15 institutions awarded this competitive grant. The university’s longstanding efforts in integrating religion and health care education played a key role in securing the funding.

Plans for the grant include creating a new graduate certificate, adding health services courses and developing online resources to improve religious literacy in health care.

The grant runs from December 2024 to November 2026.

Grant builds on earlier initiative

Missouri State began teaching courses in religion and health about 10 years ago, according to Dr. Philippa Koch, associate professor in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions (LCR).

Koch is an Interfaith America Faith and Health Fellow. She will lead the grant initiative, along with Dr. Steve Berkwitz and Dr. John Schmalzbauer from LCR and Sarah Bowman, Dr. McCall Christian and Dr. Amber Abernathy from the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS).

A $30,000 Wabash Center grant that Berkwitz and Schmalzbauer received in 2015 helped launch MSU’s first courses in religion and health, Koch said. “These efforts laid the groundwork for our current initiative.”

Since then, MSU has continued to build its interdisciplinary program. This includes creating the Medical Humanities Undergraduate Certificate in 2019 and the Mental Health and Spirituality Undergraduate Certificate in 2022.

Now, the new grant positions the university to be a leader in the growing field of religion and health, according to Schmalzbauer.

“We’re deepening our work at the intersection of faith and health to prepare future health care practitioners to serve diverse communities with cultural sensitivity,” Koch noted.

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Dr. Philippa Koch selected as one of Interfaith America’s 2024-25 Faith & Health Fellows

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Missouri State University’s Dr. Philippa Koch, associate professor in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions, has been named one of Interfaith America’s 2024-25 Faith & Health Fellows.

Founded in 2002, Interfaith America is a national organization based on “the idea that religious difference should serve as a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division,” according to the organization’s website. The company provides “consultation, training, curricula and resources to positively engage religious diversity.”

According to Interfaith America’s press release, “This cohort of outstanding educators from various disciplines will design and implement academic and narrative projects to advance a broader public understanding of the vital promise of engaging religious identities and communities in health settings.”

The fellowship runs from January 2024-May 2025. Fellows will receive a $4,000 stipend for their research.

Koch, who teaches courses on religion in America, religion and health, and religion and sexuality, learned about the fellowship from colleagues who have worked with Interfaith America.

“In 2017, Eboo Patel, the founder of Interfaith America, came to MSU,” Koch said. “His work inspired students to create an interfaith engagement certificate, and some past MSU students now work with Interfaith America.” [Read more…] about Dr. Philippa Koch selected as one of Interfaith America’s 2024-25 Faith & Health Fellows