Winter term of my sophomore year, I was lucky enough to take Chris Jones’s Jewish and Christian Scriptures course for my perspective on religion. He taught me loads about religion and also, life. His place in the religion department at Augustana is so important because he doesn’t expect students to accept religion for what it is; he invites you to question what you thought you knew and form answers to your own questions. Since taking his class, he has become a mentor of sorts to me and has helped me through the difficulties of college. This past week, I had the chance to sit down with him and find out how he ended up at Augustana as a professor and what his passions in life are.
To start off, what department do you teach in on Augustana’s campus?
The religion department.
What classes do you teach?
Mostly Jewish and Christian Scriptures, I’ve also gotten to teach Encountering Religion.
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve taken away from teaching here at Augustana?
The importance of building relationships within the classroom and creating opportunities for students to interact with each other.
What is your favorite thing about teaching religion?
I enjoy seeing how surprised students are by what they can learn in a religion class. They are typically surprised by how much variety there is in a religion class.
What led you to pursue a teaching career in religion?
Religion is the greatest source of both meaning and bullshit. People structure their lives around it and that means it can be used to get people to do things they would never do otherwise. I feel a moral imperative to equip students to make up their own minds about it.
Did you always see yourself teaching? Or did you expect a different career path for yourself?
I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, but I wasn’t always sure it would work out that way. When I applied at Augustana, I had already given up on teaching in higher education. I was going to go into some other line of work. But Augustana picked me up off the “trash heap” and now, I’m going to spend my whole career teaching. It is all I want to do.
What are your future plans for yourself?
I am a visiting professor at Augustana, so I always see myself teaching but not necessarily here. If the opportunity was here, I would love to be here long-term but since that’s not the case, I hope to be able to find a long-term teaching position somewhere.
Other than teaching, what else matters to you?
Equity and justice matter to me, they’re tied to teaching but it’s bigger than that. Citizenship, my life’s work is doing what I can to make liberal democracy happen. Slow food, my number one hobby is fermenting pickles and barbecuing pork shoulders.
Who has helped you get to where you are now?
Family, especially my partner. She has played a huge part in getting me to where I am right now. My undergrad adviser also played a huge role. She was my English professor and my adviser as I was an English major in undergrad. She was the best and most compassionate teacher I’ve ever met. She shaped how I think about higher education. It’s not just about “teaching stuff,” it’s about building relationships with students. Transforming and being transformed by them. Teaching is emotional, intense, messy, and beautiful.
Name an influential musical album in your life. Why is it so influential to you?
Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I listened to it nonstop when I was protesting at the Wisconsin state capitol. It helped me think about justice, race, and politics in new ways. It’s the first hip-hop record I ever connected with.
What are you most proud of yourself for accomplishing?
I am proud of my students. I’m proud to be part of their stories and journeys. And I mean it, in this life, I hope to leave behind a footprint on students.
What advice do you have for Augustana students?
If something doesn’t seem right, ask questions about it. And keep asking questions about it. Don’t let other people tell you what reality is.
You can follow professor Jones on Twitter at @ProfChrisMJones. His tweets are diverse–topics ranging from religion (obviously), politics/the current state of our country, to what kind of music he is listening to.