(the survey responses will be anonymous if you use the "comment" button and do not log-in with an identification)
1. I have (Check all that apply)
a. Seen the ERA in print
b. Seen the ERA online edition
c. Read articles in the ERA (other than my own)
d. Not seen the ERA
Comments:
2. If you have seen the ERA, please give your impression.
a. It looks great!
b. I have a positive view of what I have seen
c. Generally positive, but I would have done some things differently
d. There is much that could have been improved
e. Have not seen the ERA
Comments:
3. Would you encourage students to consult the ERA? Check all that apply
a. I have encouraged students to consult the ERA.
b. I would encourage beginning students to consult the ERA.
c. I would encourage higher level students to consult the ERA for basics in areas that are not their specialty.
d. I have consulted the ERA myself for areas that are not my specialty.
e. I discourage the use of reference works.
f. I do not like what I’ve seen in the ERA and would encourage other works.
Comments: (if you have encouraged students to consult the work, please add in what context and if known, with what result):
4. What is your philosophy towards reference works like the ERA? Check all that apply
a. I never think about them in preparing a class or a syllabus.
b. I believe they detract from the use of better or primary sources.
c. I believe they can effectively complement other sources.
d. Students will use Wikipedia no matter what I say.
e. I actively try to connect students to the library/librarian so they can discover more authoritative, less-biased sources than Wikipedia (like the ERA).
f. I have actually put a reference works in a syllabus.
Comments (much appreciated on this topic):
Check all that apply
5. What do you see as the role(s) or value(s) of the religion class/professor?
a. Pushing students to give a fair reading of various viewpoints to counter widespread ignorance/misinformation
b. Using analytic tools from various disciplines to dissect “religious phenomena”
c. Provoking students to ask of themselves “religious questions” and consider the relevance of answers given by different traditions
d. I am not a “religion” professor and question its value as a separate “field of study” given its inseparability from other disciplines
Comments:
6. Do you believe the ERA can aid your goals in teaching about religion (answer to #5)? How so?
Please answer the following (7-9) if you have seen the encyclopedia (skip if you have no response).
7. Does the ERA capture the right balance of “insider” and “objective” perspectives? Please give any examples.
8. Is the length of the articles you’ve read appropriate for the subject matter? Please give any examples.
9. If we were to add just three articles to the online edition to broaden slightly its coverage, what should they be?
Final question
10. If you were tasked with convincing a librarian to purchase the ERA, what arguments would you use? In other words, bottom line—what’s the value of it?
If you would like to add anything else about the work or your experience as a contributor (praise or constructive criticism), we welcome that also:
