Understanding College Students Spiritual Identities

Spirituality in College Students' Lives draws on data from a large-scale national survey examining the spiritual development of undergraduates and how colleges and universities can be more effective in facilitating students' spiritual growth. In this book, contributors from the fields of education, psychology, sociology, social work, and religion present research-based studies that explore the importance of students' spirituality and the impact of the college experience on their spiritual development. Offering a wide range of theoretical perspectives and worldviews, this volume also includes reflections from distinguished researchers and practitioners which highlight implications for practice. This original edited collection explores: Emerging theoretical frames and analytical approaches; differences in spiritual expressions and experiences among sub-populations; the impact of campus contexts; and how college experiences shape spiritual outcomes. Spirituality in College Students' Lives is an important resource for higher education and student affairs faculty, administrators, and practitioners interested in nurturing the inner lives of college students.

Understanding our religious neighbors is more important than ever—but also more challenging. In a world of deep religious strife and increasing pluralism it can seem safer to remain inside the "bubble" of our faith community. Christian college campuses in particular provide a strong social bubble that reinforces one's faith identity in distinction from the wider society. Many Christians worry that engaging in interfaith dialogue will require watering down their faith and accepting other religions as equally true. Bethel University professors Marion Larson and Sara Shady not only make the case that we can love our religious neighbors without diluting our commitment, but also offer practical wisdom and ideas for turning our faith bubbles into bridges of religious inclusion and interfaith engagement. Drawing on the parables of Jesus, research on interreligious dialogue, and their own classroom experience, Larson and Shady provide readers with the tools they need to move beyond the bubble. Interfaith dialogue is difficult, and From Bubble to Bridge is the timely guide we have been waiting for.

This book addresses religion and secularism as critical and contested elements of college student diversity. It both examines why and how this topic has become an integral aspect of the field of student affairs, and considers how scholars and practitioners should engage in the discussion, as well as the extent to which they should be involved in students’ crises of faith, spiritual struggles, and questions of life purpose.Part history of the field, part prognostication for the future, the contributing authors discuss how student affairs has reached this critical juncture in its relationship with religious and secular diversity and why this development is poised to create lasting change on college campuses. Section I of this book focuses on the research on spirituality, faith, religion, and life purpose; considers the evolution of faith development theories from not only Christian perspectives but Muslim, Jewish, atheist and other secular worldviews; examines the influence of faith frames in students’ daily lives; and addresses the impact of campus climate for religion/spirituality, as well as the relationship between religious minority/majority status, on student outcomes. It concludes by tracing the pendulum swing from higher education’s historical foundation in religion to the science-focused, religion-averse 20th century, and now to a fragile middle position, in which religious and secular diversity are being seriously considered and embraced.Section II analyzes the role professional associations play in advancing the student affairs field’s commitment to spirituality, faith and life purpose; the degree of support they offer to practitioners as they examine their own religious and secular identities, and envisages potential new programming, resources, and networks.Section III describes a number of programs and services developed by practitioners and faculty members working in this area on their campuses; synthesizes these developments for an examination of where best practices stand today; and imagines the future of institutionalizing higher education’s support for students’ explorations of spirituality, faith, religion, and life purpose.Making Meaning provides a comprehensive resource for student affairs scholars and practitioners seeking to understand these topics and apply them in their own research and daily work.

Co-published with For new professionals in multicultural student services (MSS), this book constitutes a thorough introduction to the structure, organization, and scope of the services and educational mission of these units. For senior practitioners it offers insights for re-evaluating their strategies, and inspiration to explore new possibilities.The book discusses the history and philosophy of MSS units; describes their operation; asserts the need for integration and coherence across the multiple facets of their work and how their role is influenced by the character and type of their institutions; and considers the challenges and opportunities ahead. The theme Building Bridges, Re-Visioning Community reflects the dual role of MSS. They “build bridges” between underrepresented student populations and the broader institutional environment, between different groups of student populations, and across differences in cultural values and traditions. At a time of increasing diversity on campus, their role is also to champion the “re-visioning” or redefinition of what constitutes community in higher education – in other words to reach beyond serving their traditional constituencies to educate for multicultural competence, and advocate for social justice across the campus commons.This book is organized in four sections moving the reader from the past to the present to the future, and from a service mission to an educational one. Part One reviews the purposes for which MSS were created, and the evolution of their vision, concluding an overview of how units perceive their needs and challenges today.Part Two addresses a range of issues – such as race/ethnicity, sexual orientation / gender identity, and religion/faith diversity – commonly addressed by MSS, and, in recognizing the tensions inherent in serving such disparate constituencies, advances ideas for bringing greater integration and coherence to their work.Part Three considers how institutional context influences the structure and organization of MSS, and addresses such questions as: Who are they serving? What kind of support services and educational programming can they provide? How broadly or narrowly should they define their role, and can they extend their influence through alliances with other campus units?The book concludes by looking at how MSS can re-vision community to ensure their continued relevance to the college or university community.An ACPA Publication

Religion and Higher Education in Europe and North America illuminates the experiences of staff and students in higher education as they negotiate the university environment. Religious extremism has been rising across Europe, whilst recent attacks have thrown public debate around the place of religion on campus, the role of universities in recognising and managing religious fundamentalism and freedom of speech on campus into sharper focus. Despite these debates, research exploring religion on campus has been largely absent from discourse on higher education outside of America, with policy and practices designed to deal with religion on campus largely founded on supposition rather than evidence. This book speaks into that void, including results from recent studies in the field which form an empirically grounded base from a broad variety of perspectives on religion at universities. Aiming to offer a deeper perspective, more dialogue, and engagement on the experiences of students, Religion and Higher Education in Europe and North America presents us not only with an opportunity to counter growing trends of intolerance, but for people to connect with the humanity of others. Focusing on what research reveals about staff and students’ experiences, it incorporates research from different academic disciplines including sociology, education, social policy, theology and religious studies, and across different faith and belief groups. This thought-provoking and challenging volume features chapters written by researchers involved in informing policy and practice relating to religion and belief in higher education in the UK, US, Canada, France and the Netherlands . Spanning the academic-practitioner divide, students and academics interested in the sociology of religion and of higher education, as well as those responsible for the practical management of campus life, will find this text of particular importance.

Demonstrates how students and educators can resist narrow, utilitarian views of higher education’s purpose. While the search for meaning and purpose appears to be a constant throughout human history, there are characteristics about our current time period that make this search different from any other previous time, particularly for college students. In this book, Perry L. Glanzer, Jonathan P. Hill, and Byron R. Johnson explore college students’ search for meaning and purpose and the role that higher education plays. To shed empirical light on this complex issue, the authors draw on in-depth interviews with four hundred college students from different types of institutions across the United States. They also analyze three sets of national survey data: the National Study of Youth and Religion, College Students Beliefs and Values, and their own Gallup-conducted survey of 2,500 college students. Their research identifies important social, educational, and cultural influences that shape students’ quests and the answers they find. Arguing against a utilitarian view of education, Glanzer, Hill, and Johnson conclude that colleges and universities can and should cultivate and aid students in their journeys, and they offer suggestions for doing so.

From the founding of Harvard College in 1636 as a mission for training young clergy to the landmark 1968 Supreme Court decision in Epperson v. Arkansas, which struck down the state's ban on teaching evolution in schools, religion and education in the United States have been inextricably linked. Still today new fights emerge over the rights and limitations of religion in the classroom. The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Education brings together preeminent scholars from the fields of religion, education, law, and political science to craft a comprehensive survey and assessment of the study of religion and education in the United States. The essays in the first part develop six distinct conceptual lenses through which to view American education, including Privatism, Secularism, Pluralism, Religious Literacy, Religious Liberty, and Democracy. The following four parts expand on these concepts in a diverse range of educational frames: public schools, faith-based K-12 education, higher education, and lifespan faith development. Designed for a diverse and interdisciplinary audience, this addition to the Oxford Handbook series sets for itself a broad goal of understanding the place of religion and education in a modern democracy.