“Religion is not a Monolith”: Religious Experience at a Midwestern Liberal Arts College
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Abstract
This ethnographic project explored the extent to which the campus culture at a small liberal arts college was open to student experiences and expressions of the spiritual and the religious. The authors found that despite the college’s reputation for valuing diversity and a commitment to social justice, students shared a narrative of religious intolerance that impacted the degree to which they felt comfortable sharing aspects of their religious selves on campus. The authors argue this context goes against the values of liberal arts education to promote the cultivation of critical thinking and postformal reasoning, along with the development of whole persons. Findings showed that students valued conversations as a form of religious practice on campus. The authors, therefore, propose that colleges and universities develop formal intentional communities focused on deliberative dialogues beginning with students’ first year to sensitize students, faculty, and staff to student religious and spiritual interests and needs, thereby furthering the holistic development of liberal arts education.
References
© 2013 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co.
Articles in the same Issue
- From the Editor
- Diversity, Multiculturalism, and Pluralism: Moving From Hospitality and Appreciation to Social Inclusion on Campus and Beyond
- Invited Featured Article
- Conceptualizing the Linkages Between Diversity Experiences and Moral Development
- The Impact of Cultural Competence on the Moral Development of Student Affairs Professionals
- The Allerton Way: The Legacy of the Midwest Deans Conference in Student Affairs History, 1948–1993
- Peer Reviewed Article
- Measuring the Impact of Student Interaction With Student Affairs Professionals on Socially Responsible Leadership Development in the First Year of College
- Leadership Development and the African American Male College Student Experience
- “Religion is not a Monolith”: Religious Experience at a Midwestern Liberal Arts College
- Civic Engagement on Campus
- College Access, Student Success, and the New Character Education
- Opinions and Perspectives
- Off Our Lawns and Out of Our Basements: How We (Mis)Understand the Millennial Generation
- Faculty and Student Affairs Collaboration in the Corporate University
- Best Practices
- The Actively Caring for People Movement at Virginia Tech and Beyond: Cultivating Compassion and Relationships in Residence Halls
- What They’re Reading
- Sacred Ground: Pluralism, Prejudice, and the Promise of America
Articles in the same Issue
- From the Editor
- Diversity, Multiculturalism, and Pluralism: Moving From Hospitality and Appreciation to Social Inclusion on Campus and Beyond
- Invited Featured Article
- Conceptualizing the Linkages Between Diversity Experiences and Moral Development
- The Impact of Cultural Competence on the Moral Development of Student Affairs Professionals
- The Allerton Way: The Legacy of the Midwest Deans Conference in Student Affairs History, 1948–1993
- Peer Reviewed Article
- Measuring the Impact of Student Interaction With Student Affairs Professionals on Socially Responsible Leadership Development in the First Year of College
- Leadership Development and the African American Male College Student Experience
- “Religion is not a Monolith”: Religious Experience at a Midwestern Liberal Arts College
- Civic Engagement on Campus
- College Access, Student Success, and the New Character Education
- Opinions and Perspectives
- Off Our Lawns and Out of Our Basements: How We (Mis)Understand the Millennial Generation
- Faculty and Student Affairs Collaboration in the Corporate University
- Best Practices
- The Actively Caring for People Movement at Virginia Tech and Beyond: Cultivating Compassion and Relationships in Residence Halls
- What They’re Reading
- Sacred Ground: Pluralism, Prejudice, and the Promise of America
