The Center for the Study of Religion periodically sponsors academic symposia on topics in religion and society. These symposia serve to facilitate dialogue and scholarship within the Creighton and larger academic community. The symposia are held under the direction of individual faculty of the Center. The Center for the Study of Religion and Society at Creighton University has undertaken a project to assess the changes in spiritual development that occur among our students during their college years. Development of an instrument to assess these changes was headed by psychologist Gary Leak, sociologist Charles Harper, and theologian David Schultenover, and they were guided in their efforts by the influential work of theologian James Fowler and educator Sharon Parks.
Some interesting results are already available.
The datea indicate that seniors had a higher level of faith development than did freshmen. Further, among seniors the highest levels of faith development were obtained by the Arts and Sciences students. These findings are consistent with the idea that changes in values, attitudes, and commitments within the religious realm do take place during the college years. Our in-progress longitudinal study will shed further light on the processes underlying these changes. The Center for the Study of Religion and Society sponsors ad hoc reading groups on issues concerning religion and society.