Surrounded by religious expression as a child, Diane Moore, Instructor in Philosophy and Religious Studies and Co-Director of the Brace Center for Gender Studies, developed interests early on that inspired her to become an ordained minister, author and teacher. Moore grew up in a religiously progressive community in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that dedicated itself to numerous nonviolent protests during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Moore said, “That community was really inspiring to me, in terms of its commitment to civil rights.” “When I left that community, I realized that it was very unusual,” said Moore. “I thought that all communities were involved with justice issues and realized of course that that was not the case. That got me interested in the diversity of religious expression.” Moore expanded her interest in religious studies at the Harvard Divinity School, where she was ordained as a minister. Later, at Brandeis University, Moore served as the Chaplain and had her first opportunity to teach. Moore said, “I loved the opportunity to look at religion in entirety. While teaching, I examined both the positive and negative dimensions of [religion] in society. I felt that the intellectual environment of the classroom was more suiting for me than my career as a pastor.” She then moved to Phillips Academy in 1993, where she originally intended to step in for a faculty member on sabbatical. However, Moore’s work in the Philosophy and Religious Studies department and in the Brace Center at Phillips Academy far longer than she had expected. Moore, who founded the Brace Center in 1996, began the Brace Center Student Fellows Program. Through this program, students can pursue independent research over the summer on a gender issue of their choice. After completing their research, Brace Fellows write papers and present their findings to the Andover community. “I believe [the Brace Center Student Fellows Program] allows students to explore topics about gender that interest to them personally,” said Moore. “Students here are capable of so many different things, so they should have the opportunity to pursue the themes that are compelling to them. I am so delighted this program has continued, and I think it has become even stronger as it has progressed.” Moore said, “I fell in love with teaching at Phillips Academy. I enjoyed teaching and working with adolescents because they are in the process of formulating their opinions of the world as a whole and who they are as individuals.” Her comprehensive experiences both as a teacher at Phillips Academy and a student at the Harvard Divinity School inspired her to write a book of guidelines for religious studies teachers. Her book, “Overcoming Religious Illiteracy: A Cultural Studies Approach to the Study of Religion in Secondary Education,” discusses the intersection of religious studies and education. A major portion of the book discusses case studies from Moore’s work at Andover. Moore currently teaches Views of Human Nature and plans to teach Introduction to Ethics, Environmental Ethics and Religion, Arts, and Social Change in the spring. Moore said, “I think that across the department, the fundamental strands that link all of our courses is our engagement in questions with meaning.” “We help give students the language and skills to answer those questions,” she continued. “In the future, we are looking to introduce a few more courses that are relevant to current [issues] that students would be interested in.” Moore will also develop two new interdisciplinary courses with Seth Bardo, Instructor in English, and Chad Green, Director of Community Service. Moore said that the new courses will receive financial support from a three- year Abbot Academy Association grant. The courses will focus on globalization and include travel and community service components. Her motivations for the introduction of the new classes stem from Suffering, Resistance and Hope, a course she previously taught with Bardo and which she considers a highlight of her career. Moore said, “The final projects in that course were so incredibly moving that I remember feeling incredibly privileged to work with such gifted students and discuss with them issues that I cared a lot about.” “This proposal is many years in the making, so the grant is really exciting to us. We have all been thinking of ways to move the academy forward structurally with interdisciplinary courses. We hope this course will be a capstone opportunity for Seniors,” said Moore. Moore will succeed Tom Hodgson, Instructor in Philosophy and Religious Studies, as chair of the department next year.
