M.A. in Religion & Social Change
The M.A. in Religion and Social Change, beginning in Fall 2013, embodies Claremont Lincoln's focus on engaged religion. It's different from other degrees with similar names - often offered at Christian seminaries - because it's inherently interreligious in its design. The degree is ideal for those seeking to integrate knowledge, wisdom and practices from across religious traditions for more effective leadership in community and world transformation.
This 48-unit degree program prepares graduates to work for social change in concrete settings of leadership and activism. The program strengthens one's personal ethical grounding, increases capacity to work with people from different religious traditions and secular standpoints, and provides knowledge and skills for leading change at the local level and beyond. Specialized tracks connect students to specific areas of social engagement, each including three features: coursework specifically related to that particular specialization, offered either on campus or at the internship site; mentored practicum/internship experience; and an M.A. project related to the specialization.
Course Requirements
Core Courses - 33 semester units
The degree includes 33 units of core requirements organized into four distribution areas in which students will choose courses that relate to their chosen specialization.
Distribution in Religion and Social Change - 9 units
- Common Course – Religious Foundations for Social Change (3 units)
- Two additional courses in a particular religious traditions and/or the role of religion in social change
Distribution in Ethics - 9 units
- Common course – Engaged Ethics in a Global Era (3 units)
- Two additional courses in ethics (6 units)
Distribution in Interreligious Studies - 6 units
- Common Course – Interreligious Dialogue and Leadership (3 units)
- One additional course in interreligious studies (3 units)
Distribution in Social Engagement, Leadership, and Activism - 9 units
Examples:
- Interreligious leadership
- Justice organizing in response to globalization
- Working and living with conflict
- Leadership in immigrant contexts
- Managing and developing the interreligious organization
- Leadership in urban contexts
- Spirituality for Compassionate Social Engagement
- Religious leadership
- Courses from the Austin Project, funded through the Disciples Seminary Foundation (emphasizing fund-raising and management)
- Courses offered through the Drucker School at CGU
Specialization Track - 15 semester units
The track structure allows for development of both formal tracks and advising tracks. Formal tracks will be developed by Claremont Lincoln faculty and included in catalog descriptions of the program. Advising tracks will be more informal; they will allow a student to design a specialization individually in consultation with his or her academic advisor.
Two Specialty Area Courses - 6 units
Courses can be drawn from existing courses at CST, CLU, AJR, CGU, or University of the West; or taken at another institution as transfer credit; or taken at a placement site.
Mentored Practicum - 6 units
An internship placement where students will work on applying their area of expertise to some set of real-world problems.
M.A. Project - 3 units
A project or project/paper guided by the mentor that blends the student’s academic work with insights from the internship placement.