The Study of Religion in the United
States
Realizing that religious difference deeply informs
social and political interaction, and that inter-religious
communication is key to creating a more just and equitable
world, several centers across the country support research
projects that facilitate greater understanding of the
role of faith in society.
The Pluralism Project at Harvard University
Formed in 1991 to study the evolving religious diversity
of the United States, the Pluralism Project expanded
in 2000 to include religious pluralism around the globe.
Under the guidance of director Diana L. Eck, the project
examines religious diversity through various lenses:
American religious demography, religious communities,
interfaith encounters, and the meaning of religious
pluralism within domestic American and international
contexts.
The Pluralism Project specializes in qualitative field
research, the results of which are made available on
the Web site (www.pluralism.org). Recent reports include
a review of Gujarati Hindu Temples in Houston, Texas;
an inquiry into American Muslim Music; and “International
Portraits” of several countries (the United Kingdom,
Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand). The Web site also
includes resources grouped by geographical location
and religious tradition. In addition to these online
resources, the project has produced a number of multimedia
resources.
The project enacts Eck’s abiding belief that
pluralism is a practice that reaches beyond diversity,
beyond plurality, beyond relativism, and beyond tolerance.
In Eck’s view, pluralism comes into being only
through committed dialogic encounters between diverse
groups. The project’s contributors model and encourage
this type of sustained dialogue through their work.
The Higher Education Research Institute: “Spirituality
in Higher Education”
| Indicators
of Students’ Spirituality |
| Indicator |
Percent |
| Believe
in the sacredness of life |
83* |
Have
an interest in spirituality
|
80* |
| Search
for meaning/ purpose in life |
76* |
| Have
discussions about the meaning of life with
friends |
74* |
My
spirituality is a source of joy
|
64** |
Seek
out opportunities
to help me grow spiritually |
47*** |
* Describes students to some or
a great extent
**Agree strongly or somewhat
***Consider it essential or very important
|
Indicators
of Faculty Members’
Spirituality |
| Indicator |
Percent |
| Consider
myself a spiritual person |
81* |
Goal:
Developing a meaningful philosophy of life
|
70** |
Seek
out opportunities to grow spiritually
|
69* |
Engage
in self-reflection
|
68*** |
My
spirituality is a source of joy
|
47** |
* To some or a great extent
**Essential or very important
***To a great extent
Reprinted by permission of the Higher Education
Research Institute, University of California—Los
Angeles. |
Since 2003, UCLA’s Higher Education Research
Institute (HERI) has examined the place of spirituality
on American campuses. Principal researches Helen S.
Astin and Alexander W. Astin have conducted several
surveys to determine the attitudes of faculty and students
toward spirituality. Jennifer A. Lindholm serves as
project director.
The fall 2004 survey on The Spiritual Life of College
Students found that 80 percent of entering freshmen
are interested in spirituality. Among other findings,
survey results indicated a strong correlation between
“religious engagement” and politically conservative
views, and a high correspondence between “Ecumenical
worldview” and political liberalism. Other results
related spirituality and religiosity to psychological
health, and detailed the practices and beliefs of freshmen.
The survey differentiated between religion and spirituality,
but found a high correlation between these two categories.
Spirituality and the Professoriate, a survey
of faculty at colleges and universities, gathered similar
data on faculty attitudes toward spirituality. Eighty-one
percent of faculty surveyed indicated that they considered
themselves to be spiritual people, with the extent to
which faculty considered spiritual development of students
to be an essential goal of college varying according
to discipline. Results were partially disaggregated
by race and discipline.
The project team conducted a follow-up survey of the
2004 freshmen in the spring of 2007. This data will
be used to correlate faculty attitudes with student
spiritual development. For more details, visit spirituality.ucla.edu.
Georgetown University’s Berkley Center
for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs
The Berkley Center explores and encourages study of
the intersections between religion and public affairs
via extensive programming and ongoing database development
efforts. Located in Washington, DC, the center provides
opportunities for scholars, students, and community
members to expand their knowledge of the place of religion
in the modern world.
The Center’s programs bring a wide range of prominent
scholars, writers, and activists to DC, where they share
their scholarship and collaborate toward greater inter-religious
understanding through symposia and conferences. Recent
events include a symposium on the UN’s Alliance
of Civilizations Report (January 2007) and a symposium
on the State of West-Islamic Dialogue (October 2007).
The Center’s Web site includes a wide range of
resources created by faculty and students. Prominent
among these are four databases: Religious Perspectives
(which compares scripture from different traditions),
West-Islamic Dialogue (which tracks inter-religious
events), Faith 2008 (which documents religion’s
role in the 2008 U.S. presidential election), and Religion
and Development (which indicates the role of different
religious groups in global development work). To view
the databases or learn more about the center, visit
www3.georgetown.edu/centers/berkley/.
