
Guest Lectures
The Merrick Lecture series brings a visiting renowned scholar in religion or philosophy to OWU every year. In addition to a lecture, the scholar leads a discussion with a small group of students.
The Religion and Pre-Theology majors will no longer accept new students after December 18, 2020.
At Ohio Wesleyan, you have two degree pathways in the study of religion, depending on your career goals. Both options provide a comprehensive liberal arts program enhanced with opportunities to work closely with faculty on research and service projects around the world.
You have the opportunity to connect one-on-one with faculty to pursue your research interests and create new knowledge. Religion majors complete a major research project, usually during their senior year.
You may present your research at the annual Student Symposium.
Religion and English major Thomas Owings ’14 used a Theory-to-Practice grant to travel to West Virginia, Alabama, and Illinois to study the mechanisms of religious narrative in Protestant denominations and their impact on social identity.
The OWU Connection provides a variety of opportunities for all students to go global. Travel-Learning Courses combine classroom study with travel to areas of the world where you may study how the issues you discuss in class really come to life. Or you can use a Theory-to-Practice Grant to explore a topic anywhere in the world.
Religion students have studied and pursued research projects in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
Daniel Delatte '19, Leslie Melton, Eli Reed '19, HannahJo Grimes '20, Adedayo Akinmadeyemi '19, Lisa Hp, Cara Harris '18 and Anna L. Davies '19 with Father Martin Magill, a priest and peaceworker in Northern Ireland. Their trip was funded by a Theory-to-Practice Grant.
Build your experience and connections to the professional world with internships both on and off campus. Religion and Pre-theology majors have held internships in OWU's Chaplain's office, Delaware and Columbus-area churches, nonprofit organizations, and other ministries.
Pre-theology majors complete a supervised field experience as a capstone requirement.
The Merrick Lecture series brings a visiting renowned scholar in religion or philosophy to OWU every year. In addition to a lecture, the scholar leads a discussion with a small group of students.
Faculty and their classes travel to institutions relevant to the subject matter of their classes. Faculty have taken students to the Holocaust Memorial in Detroit, Buddhist meditation centers, and the Hindu Hare Krishna temple in West Virginia.
Beeghly Library has many uncommon and valuable 19th-and early 20th-century works on religion. In addition, students have access to the library of the nearby Methodist Theological School in Ohio.
The Ralph W. Sockman Award was established in 1985 to honor students who have shown excellence in the study of religion. The award is determined both by academic record and by an independent paper or project in the study of religion.
Dominic Mejia is a graduate student at Boston University School of Theology on a full tuition scholarship and living stipend. He says, "The academic rigor and personal relationships I developed with my professors helped prepare me for graduate level theological education. In particular, the OWU Religion department gave me the skills necessary to clearly and concisely write."
Andrew Sloan '13 earned a master's degree in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and now works as a development coordinator at Newseum in Washington, DC., which is dedicated to free expression and the five freedoms of the First Amendment.
Emily Burns '18 currently works as a Community Organizer at Sunnyside United Methodist Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The position is a two-year social justice fellowship through the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church.
Tamar Frankiel ’67 has a masters in Religious Studies from Miami University and a PhD in the History of Religions from the University of Chicago. She is currently the president of the Academy for Jewish Religion California.
Elizabeth Quick '00 has a Master of Divinity from Drew University and a Doctor of Ministry (focused in Leadership for Transformational Change) from Methodist Theological School in Ohio. She is currently Head Pastor at Gouverneur First and North Gouverneur United Methodist Churches in the Syracuse area.
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