It is well known that Religious Education faculty teach many classes, by far the heaviest loads at BYU. What may not be well known is that some teach courses in other departments across campus. I would like to highlight three colleagues among this group of professors.

Roger P. Minert received his PhD in foreign language education at Ohio State University and is an associate professor in the Department of Church History and Doctrine. He also teaches in the History Department. He says, “In my Religious Education courses dealing with family history, I describe to the students the immense value of [non-LDS] church records. In order to read and interpret those records in German-language cultures, researchers must be capable of reading the archaic German handwriting.” That skill is taught in “History 422: Germanic Language Handwriting and Documents.” Roger is one of the few faculty members who can teach the course.

David R. Seely received his PhD in Near Eastern studies at the University of Michigan and is currently a professor in the Department of Ancient Scripture. Dr. Seely and his wife, JoAnne, also teach in the Honors Department. They were recently chosen as honors coprofessors of the year for their honors world civilization course. David observes, “Teaching history of civilization has helped me to grow as a teacher in depth and in breadth. It is an exhilarating experience to study our Western cultural heritage in the light of the Restoration and to be able to understand the impact and relevance of the scriptures through history.” JoAnne adds, “Teaching religion courses in ancient scripture as well as civilization courses for the honors program enriches our scripture classes with historical context, and bringing gospel insights into our world civilization discussions of history, literature, and art have certainly inspired lifelong learning in our own lives.”

Eric D. Huntsman received a PhD in ancient history from the University of Pennsylvania and is currently an associate professor of ancient scripture. He also teaches in the honors, history, and ancient Near Eastern studies programs. Eric observes, “Many of us have degrees in fields outside of religious education. Teaching classes in our disciplines helps us keep our skill sets strong and our knowledge base current. While the advantages of teaching in pertinent fields such as history or biblical languages are clear, whatever makes us a better teacher overall makes us a better teacher in religious education.”

BYU students benefit by having professors like Roger Minert, David and JoAnne Seely, and Eric Huntsman teach across department boundaries.

Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

Publications Director

Religious Studies Center