Projects Focusing on Religions of the World

Becker Professor and Her Class Host Educational Project Fair

Debra Pallatto-Fontaine, who is a professor of Teacher Education and Family Studies at Becker College, is hosting a project fair on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 114 on the Leicester campus. Based on her course called Religions of the World, the fair focuses on her students’ projects.

“The students were allowed to choose any religious topic that we’ve covered in class that they wanted to go into more depth with,” says Pallatto-Fontaine. “Some of them chose topics such as Islamic weddings, Hinduism and yoga, Islam and terrorism, Hinduism paths to salvation, evolution theory, Zen Buddhism and others.”

Using poster boards, table displays, PowerPoint and other methods of showcasing, the fair is open to anyone interested in learning more about world religions. Developing the course five years ago, Pallatto-Fontaine offers it every semester, and will also be adding the course Religion, Peacemaking and Social Transformation for the first time next year. Graduating from Hartford Seminary on May 30, she is also working on becoming an ordained minister.

“It’s important from an academic standpoint to learn the facts about other religions,” she says, “and then to discover how similar we really are, rather than how different we are. By exploring other faith traditions, we’re really seeking God in the eyes of others who are different. It helps to eradicate prejudice, stereotypes and fear of the unknown.”