AAR COMMITTEE ON THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF RELIGION

Want to Train Like a Scholar?

Get access to the AAR Public Scholarship Microcredential Program: three self-paced modules to find your public voice, write for the public, and start a podcast.

Enroll Now

Three modules, one path to public scholarship

Self-paced videos, readings, and assignments for religious studies scholars and grad students.

Foundations of Public Scholarship

with Matthew D. Taylor

Find your modes of public engagement, develop your public voice, and anticipate risk.

Why public scholarship?
Motivations and goals
Concentric circles of expertise and news hooks
The full landscape of modalities
Risk management and planning

Writing and Pitching for the Public

Short-form journalism

Turn your research into op-eds and explainers that editors want to run.

Academic vs. journalistic writing
Pitching: the anatomy of a pitch email
Hooks, ledes and nutgrafs
Editor’s tips, plus a 600–800 word article draft

Podcasting for Scholars

with Dr. Bradley Onishi

Learn what audio can do that writing can’t, and how to build a show that lasts.

Why podcasting, and when it’s the right tool
Formats and audience design
From scholarship to episode structure
Production, sustainability and public impact

Get Coach Feedback

When you finish a module, post your assignments for review. A coach will read your work and schedule a virtual meeting with you.

Get Full Program Access

Three self-paced modules to find your public voice, write for the public, and start a podcast. One payment, learn at your own pace.

Microcredential Program

$200

one-time payment

✓ All 3 modules: videos, readings, and assignments

✓ Self-paced, on web and mobile app

✓ Coach review of your assignments

Enroll Now

Who this program is for

You study religion. The public asks questions about it every day. This program helps you answer them well.

Graduate students

Learn what your doctoral program probably skipped: translating specialized research for readers and listeners outside the academy.

Early-career and faculty scholars

Build a clear public profile and strategy, and plan for the career questions that come with visible work.

Scholars curious about a new medium

Try op-eds, pitching or podcasting with guided assignments before you commit your time.

Get started in minutes

The program runs on Kajabi, the platform behind The Religion Department. Setup takes about two minutes after checkout.

Enroll now

Enroll at checkout

Select “Enroll now,” enter your details and complete info submit on the secure checkout page.

Check your inbox

Look for the welcome email. If you don’t see it within a few minutes, check spam or promotions.

Set up your login

Confirm your email and create a password.

Go to religiondepartment.com/login and sign in with the same email.

Open your program

From your library, select the Public Scholarship program and start with Module 1. Your progress saves automatically.

Download our App!

Take your course on the go. Available on iPhone and Android.

ABOUT THE Religion DEPARTMENT

From the team behind YouTube's Religion for Breakfast, the Religion Department is an online community for learning about religion.

Great Religious Studies classes are transformative. They can expose you to completely different ways of thinking, reveal the subtleties of your own experience, and bring you into cutting edge conversations about the humanities and social sciences.

Not Religious Studies classes are boring, or sneakily promote a teacher's views. We offer online lectures and seminars that are designed for everyone, taught by leading experts in their fields. We want to make Religious Studies as accessible as it is fascinating.

Helpful Links

Support BMA Privacy Notice BMA Terms of Use Privacy Policy & Terms