Dr. Jeanette Smith
Biography
In addition to being a COIL Fellow for the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs, Jeanette Smith is an assistant teaching professor for the department of Religious Studies and an Honors College Faculty Fellow. Her classes include core courses such as Introduction to Religion and World Religions along with exciting new offerings in Faith in Social Justice, Religion & Fantasy, Religion & Science Fiction, and Thou Shalt Not Steal: Wage Theft & Moral Thought. Jeanette reimagines the boundaries and intersections of religion, literature, and community and supports her students in exploring the complicated topic of religion without fear of judgment. She uses innovative assignments and activities that promote community-based learning and encourages her students’ curiosity for deeper and more meaningful learning by using inclusive, learning-centered practices in course design and delivery.
Jeanette's background includes extensive study abroad, first in Mexico, Italy, and Greece during her undergraduate program and then in Singapore as a law student and then again in Jamaica as an attorney. These opportunities have fueled her interest in FIU’s groundbreaking COIL program. Although Jeanette has COIL'ed several of her courses over the last few years, often more than one per semester, the most memorable one is her first Religion & Fantasy course when she and her students worked with colleagues from UNIMINUTO, a university in Bogota, Colombia, and even had a drop in guest from the "Game of Thrones" series. Not only was the experience exhilarating for her students, but also for Jeanette who has had the pleasure of continuing to work with this professor in some capacity each semester since.