Faculty Development Plan
Church History and Doctrine
May 21, 1998
Self-Assessment
I am most interested in teaching the early Church in its cultural context. While most of my work to date has focused on the Joseph Smith period, in the future I also want to teach and research the Church in nineteenth-century Utah. While I have not settled on which aspect of early Utah to study, I have some experience writing on how Saints pioneered and settled new areas, as well as their relationships with Native Americans. These are areas I would like to pursue further.
I have served on several committees over the last two years, and welcome the opportunity to continue these and similar activities. In conjunction with my service on the California and Canada area studies committees, I have helped revamp (in terms of book quality and rigor) the publication that has generally accompanied the area studies series, and plan to see that project to its completion. I am also serving on committees working to improve our relationship with the Church Archives in Salt Lake City and reviewing the role and doctrine of marriage in the Church; both of these are on-going committees and promise to bear important results over time. I plan to continue as well as the department's research coordinator for the Office of Research and Creative Activities.
Professional Goals
I am thrilled to be at Brigham Young University, and to be involved with this institution's mission "to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life" (The Mission of Brigham Young University). I have been impressed with the administration's efforts to accomplish that goal, and fully support them in that effort. Based upon my own learning experiences at several colleges and universities, I am convinced that an education must be grounded in the principles of the restored Gospel if it is to be of lasting value to students and society. I also am aware of, and deeply appreciate, the emphasis Church leaders place on educating the youth of the Church, and am humbled at the attention and commitment they give, in terms of time and money, to this university. I therefore consider my appointment here to be a sacred trust and stewardship every bit as important as any Church calling.
Teaching
I feel that my primary responsibility as a professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University is to teach the Gospel to the students who come here in a way that stimulates both their hearts and minds. I am convinced that true learning takes place only when the influence of the Holy Ghost is present, and that the Holy Ghost can bear witness of truths only when those truths are laid open to the students. I feel obliged, then, to teach my students concrete facts and principles about the history of the Church and its doctrines; to teach them using the scriptures and authoritative statements from the General Authorities of the Church; and to provide a classroom setting where topics can be discussed openly, intelligently, and in the context of faith. I have learned that this requires no small amount of scholastic and spiritual preparation on my part. To this end, I work hard to stay abreast of all that is being written in my field, and visit significant historical sites whenever the opportunity arises. I also strive earnestly to better live and understand the principles I teach.
To improve my teaching and my relationships with students, my professional goals include:
1. Continue to invite the Spirit into the classroom, and teach in such a way that students' testimony of the Restoration and faith in the Savior is strengthened.
2. Know the material well enough, and present it in such a way, that students are motivated to continue to learn through their own study of the scriptures, through the writings of modem general authorities, and through valid historical sources.
3. Continue to make myself accessible to the students, and to be their friend both in and out of the classroom.
4. Help students gain the most from the university experience by continuing to encourage them to attend forums, devotionals, and symposia across campus, and by continuing to relate the topics we address in class to their other classes.
5. Continue to read carefully student and peer evaluations of my teaching, and incorporate suggestions for improvement whenever possible.
Research
I also feel a responsibility, as a teacher of the Gospel at the university level, to be engaged in research that extends our knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the Church and its history. I see research and writing as an extension of my teaching responsibilities, feeling strongly that a well-researched, well-written paper or book teaches one's colleagues every bit as much as a professor teaches students in the classroom. I have found, too, that research and writing serves to improve my classroom teaching, as the excitement of learning and discovery is infectious. While I am committed to adding to our store of knowledge about the Church through responsible, objective, and professional-quality research, I feel it important to present my findings in a way that is accessible to the educated membership of the Church as well as to the specialist, given the relatively non-technical nature of Church history and the widespread, lay interest in it. I also am fully committed to writing in defense of the Church and its past, and agree with Elder Packer that the only Church history worth writing is that which serves to increase the faith and devotion of those reading it.
My goals in the area of research and writing include:
1. Continue to read widely in the field of Church History and Doctrine. This includes recent publications as well as back issues of BYU Studies, Utah State Historical Quarterly, Journal of Mormon History, and numerous older books.
2. Continue to attend and contribute to various symposia, conferences, and professional meetings.
3. Finish editing the Festschrift and two Regional Studies in Church History volumes with which I am involved.
4. Publish my dissertation, and continue the research for a biography of Joseph Smith, Sr.
5. Continue to read the secondary and primary literature dealing with the Saints in early Utah and the relationship with Native Americans in the West.
Citizenship
I understand that the operation of a university the size of BYU requires faculty from across campus to devote time to various assignments at the university, college, and department levels. I believe, too, that the university's success in accomplishing its goals is largely dependent upon faculty members across campus conscientiously helping and supporting one another in our teaching and researching. To this end, I see great value in attending the various devotionals, forums, and symposia offered across campus, and in familiarizing myself with the work in which other departments are involved. At the same time, I believe that faculty should be involved with other members of their respective professions, and that the reputation of the university depends in large measure upon its faculty's willingness and ability to intelligently interact with scholars from other universities and institutions. As Brigham Young University is owned and operated by the Church, and largely funded by the tithes of faithful members, I also feel it imperative that we use our expertise as scholars and educators to contribute whenever possible to the larger Church community, and to be involved in the cultural life of the wards, stakes, and towns in which we live.
Specific goals include:
1. Continue to accept department, college, and university committee assignments in an effort to help the university accomplish its broad range of goals.
2. Continue to work closely with my colleagues in teaching, researching, and writing; to attend and contribute to forums, devotionals, and symposia, and to involve my students in these and other activities when appropriate.
3. Seek for opportunities to involve interested parties off campus in the various activities offered by the university.
4. Continue to associate with members of my profession at other institutions in an effort to extend my department's influence beyond the borders of BYU.
5. Stay abreast of current events regarding Brigham Young University, familiarize myself with the university's established policies and procedures for dealing with various issues, and be able to intelligently discuss and defend these policies and procedures when necessary.
Resources Needed
I have found the department's willingness to provide a secretary and research assistant (10 hrs/week for each) to be most helpful, as well as the funds I have received in the past. So far, these resources have been all that I have needed to make progress toward reaching my professional goals. In the future, I may need additional funds to help with travel expenses as I visit additional archives, but for now my needs have been more than adequately met.