Stephen Berkwitz Archives - Reynolds College Blog

Religion and Healing course emphasizes critical thinking

April 28, 2026 by Lynn M. Lansdown

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.

Berkwitz and Brinkman present research at “Metaphors of Religion” conference

November 20, 2025 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Dr. Stephen Berkwitz and Dr. Bryan Brinkman recently presented their research at the “Metaphors of Religion” conference at Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany.

Berkwitz is head of the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions (LCR). Brinkman is an assistant professor in LCR.

The conference was held Oct. 27-29 at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES). Organizers describe it as an interdisciplinary event that “explores metaphors as fundamental elements of religious language, thought and practice across cultures and historical periods.”

Berkwitz and Brinkman attended the conference as part of a formal agreement between LCR and CERES. Created to foster collaborative relationships, the two groups signed a memorandum of understanding in 2019. Berkwitz helped write the memorandum in consultation with members of CERES.

In particular, LCR and CERES hope the agreement strengthens international collaboration. In turn, the agreement might increase research and course opportunities for graduate students and faculty members, Berkwitz said.

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

March 7, 2025 by Damilola R. Oyedeji

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.

2024 World Language Day “Just for Fun” recruiting event big success

May 13, 2024 by Lynn M. Lansdown

The Department of Languages, Cultures, and Religions (LCR) hosted its “2024 World Language Day—Just for Fun” recruitment event April 16 in the PSU Ballroom.

Over 400 high school students from across the Ozarks attended the event.

The organizers, Cristina Sepulveda-Hinojosa, Dr. Maria Alejandra Cerdas Cisneros and Jeff Loughary, along with LCR department head Dr. Stephen Berkwitz, started planning the event in October 2023.

“It took us almost six months to organize it,” said Sepulveda.

The purpose of the event is twofold, Sepulveda added. One goal is to encourage or motivate students to attend Missouri State University. The other is to encourage students to study languages.

“[We want to] motivate them to continue studying a foreign language and make them aware of the advantage they will have professionally by studying a foreign language,” she explained.

three teens sitting on floor doing an activity — High schoolers enjoyed foreign language activities like relays, karaoke, dances and crafting.

Interdisciplinary and community outreach key part of event

One of the early goals of the planning committee was to reach out in an interdisciplinary capacity to academic departments outside of its college home in the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH).

“We thought about which departments could gain from prospective students who can speak foreign languages and therefore invited them to join our event,” Sepulveda explained. “Now we realize that it was a success, and we are happy to have done it that way.”

“It has been an enriching experience working with international business, hospitality and education, because we have realized that by joining forces, we also increase resources and the possibility of success. We all benefit,” she added.

Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions marks successful Summer Visit Day

July 27, 2023 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Representatives from the Reynolds College’s Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions (LCR) enjoyed greeting several prospective students during Missouri State University’s Summer Visit Day July 21, 2023.

Dr. Stephen Berkwitz, department head, and instructor of Spanish Melanie Kleeschulte visited with nearly two dozen students during the event.