The Case Study Method as a Means of Teaching about Pluralism

In her course on religious diversity in the United States, Dr. Diana Eck of Harvard University introduces students to a range of religious traditions, especially those associated with more recent waves of immigration. Using case studies as the organizational pedagogy, Eck urges students to consider a particular response to increased religious diversity, namely pluralism as a civic value. We explore whether Eck’s use of the case study method provides mechanisms by which the “encounter of commitments” (a key concept in Eck’s definition of pluralism) could occur among students and thereby promote a pluralistic disposition. Although we found evidence of such encounters, their pedagogical impact may have been undermined by the lack of a precise understanding of civic pluralism and a reluctance among some students to share their views.