Westminster College Associate Professor to Teach Course Based on Israel Excavation
Posted on Thursday, November 8, 2012
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Dr. Beverly Cushman, associate professor of religion and Christian education, spent a month in Nazareth, Israel, serving as Registrar of Artifacts for the new excavation of Shikhin.
Shikhin, a village known for its pottery production is located near the site of the Roman capital of Galilee, Sepphoris. Cushman is in charge of cleaning and recording of the artifacts found at the new site.
Cushman's prior archeological experience includes serving as Area Supervisor at Sepphoris in 1988, 1989 and 1992 with the University of South Florida. The excavations at Sepphoris are now part of Israel's National Park at Sepphoris and include a number of unique mosaics, an early Jewish synagogue and a Roman theater.
Cushman is using her experiences from this trip in a new course being offered at Westminster during the Spring semester. "Archaeology and the Bible" will explore the kinds of knowledge gained through archaeological studies and how such knowledge can impact our understanding of biblical texts.
The Westminster Department of Religion, History, Philosophy, and Classics offers both the religion major and the Christian education major. Courses in religion are designed to enable students to understand and appreciate the various religious traditions of the world in their similarity and diversity; participate in the dialogue between and among peoples of faith; and understand the relationships between religion and other dimensions of human experience.
The Christian Education major is designed to provide educated leaders for the Christian Church in all its diversity by enabling students to understand the biblical, historical and theological foundations of Christian belief and practice; provide insight concerning the physical, sociological, psychological and spiritual development of persons; and learn skills in teaching for use in both the congregational and classroom settings.
Cushman, who has been with Westminster since 2004, earned an undergraduate degree from Stetson University and two masters' and a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.
Contact Cushman at (724) 946-7127 or cushmabw@westmintser.edu for more information.
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