Dr. Chuck Zimmerman
Title: Professor of Religion and Philosophy
Education: Ph.D., Emory University; M.Div., Candler School of Theology; B.A, Emory University
Which particular topic do you most enjoy teaching? I first fell in love with the academic study of religion when I was an undergraduate. Some days I could hardly wait for class to begin, and I was one of those students who always wanted to stay after to continue the discussion with my professor. My father once joked that after I discovered how exciting the college classroom could be, I simply refused to leave.
At Brevard College, I was asked to begin teaching introductory philosophy classes, and I've discovered that I enjoy that discipline as much, if not more, than the classes in religion. Indeed, if I were really to answer the question as it was posed, I'd have to say that Philosophy of Human Nature, which is offered through our Integrative Studies Program, is the course I enjoy most. But running a close second is the course in Native American religions that I was able to develop shortly after coming to Otterbein.
I would also like to add that since I've been at Otterbein, I've had the occasion to teach Religion and Philosophy to a number of students with learning disabilities of various kinds, from blindness, to Asperger's Syndrome, to reading problems, to deafness. It seems necessary if Otterbein is truly to be a "college of opportunity," one can't be content to teach only those for whom learning comes easily and naturally. Some of the proudest moments in my professional career have been the notes I've received from these students. "In your class I got to believe in myself, and to be proud of myself," one of them wrote. Life doesn’t get much better than that for a teacher.
Why should every person you meet want to know more about your area of expertise? Religion is one of the most potent forces shaping the world we live in. In the 21st Century, human conflict, both on the small and large scale, is increasingly fueled by religious and cultural differences. Ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, persecution of the Baha'i faith in Iran, the insurgency of Hindu Tamils against a Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka, and Christian sectarian violence in Ireland are only four examples of nearly 20 conflicts in the world today that have been sparked at least in part by hatred growing out of religious differences. At home, Columbus is a destination for immigrants from all over the planet. There is, for instance, a rapidly growing Somali community here. As of last count, students attending Westerville's public schools come from homes where one or more of 52 different languages are spoken! Anyone who hopes to arrive at a global understanding of the human situation really needs to know something about the religions human beings practice.
What projects are you currently working on? At present, I'm preparing an article on two Christian women who were martyred in Carthage early in the third century. Carthage was the third largest city in the Roman Empire and was situated on the coast of modern Tunisia. One of these women, Perpetua, was a young mother who came from a wealthy family, but who had converted to Christianity over her parents' vehement objections. The other, Felicitas, was her personal slave. While in prison, Perpetua experienced a series of dreams that marked her out as unique among her fellow prisoners. Early Christians often regarded their more vivid dreams as being divinely inspired, and treated them as the most important kind of prophecy. The account of these young women's trials and deaths not only narrates these dreams in detail, but also provides a fascinating glimpse into the Christian church at Carthage during this period.
What are some of your hobbies outside the classroom? I guess it goes without saying that reading is near the top of that list. I sometimes have two or three books going at the same time, a biography, some history, some fiction. I also enjoy building models – the more intricate and detailed, the better. I've scratch built an HO scale locomotive from brass, and enjoy painting military miniatures. I sometimes take ribbing from friends about the seven-foot model U-boat in my workshop, but they're just jealous. Since my wife is an avid birder, I've also become something of a bird-watcher, partly out of self-defense. Mostly though, I just enjoy the long rambling walks through the many parks available to us here in and around Westerville.