Religion Department

All four members of the Religion Department’s Summer Research cohort (Alexia Lye ’25, Daniela Munoz-Martinez ’25, Ken Flores ’26, and Jacqueline Shaw ’25) had their research accepted for the Western Region’s (AAR-WR) annual conference. Alexia’s research discusses Abalone and its importance to the Chumash people. Daniela’s research explores how the Bible was used for and against slavery. Ken’s work explores the rituals of the Shinto Shrine of Shusse Inari in America. Jacqueline’s research examines different interpretations of jihad in medieval Islam.

Students often have the same two questions about the Religion Department. “Does the department only teach Christianity?” and “Will professors try to convert me?” The answer to both questions is an emphatic, “No!” The Religion Department—and the CLU as a whole—is committed to the values of Lutheran higher education, emphasizing open-mindedness and inclusion of those from all faith traditions and worldviews.

The word “research” often evokes images of test tubes, beakers, and brightly-colored liquids in a sterile lab, but research in the humanities can look very different. It can be anything from reading a book (or ten), participating in religious ceremonies, to conducting interviews. This summer, four students, Jackie Shaw ‘25, Alexia Lye ‘25, Daniela Munoz-Martinez ‘25, and Ken Flores ‘26 participated in Cal Lutheran’s 8-week Undergraduate Research Program. Each student received a summer research grant.