USC Dornsife College Of Letters Arts and Sciences

University of Southern California

Archive

Archive

John Orr: Religion professor’s long career at USC helped launch some of the university’s most distinctive programs

Professor Emeritus of Religion John Orr was a continuous presence on the USC campus for nearly 30 years. He helped usher in a number of programs that define the university’s commitment to …

Wall Street Journal: Richard Flory on Jesus in American Culture

The “He Gets Us” ad campaign has caused debate about its portrayal of Jesus, but Jesus always has had many faces in American culture. The Wall Street Journal describes how various Christian …

Mai Nguyen: A Grain Farmer Applies Buddhist Principles to Preserve the Land — and Maximize Taste

This article was originally published on Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  The first time Mai Nguyen tried bread made with hard Red Fife wheat, it …

Donald E. Miller: ‘Spiritual exemplars’ change the media narrative about religion

This article was originally published on Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Media stories about religion often focus on corruption in religious institutions, politicians’ alliances with conservative Christians and …

L.A. Times: Najuma Smith on the LAPD Civilian Review Process

The Los Angeles Times interviewed CRCC’s Najuma Smith about her decision to volunteer for Los Angeles Police Department civilian review process. The Times investigation found that some reviewers have been chosen repeatedly …

Part Three: Safety: Holistic Healing in Humor

I regularly meet with a patient who cycles through the hospital often due to chronic illness. Though she faces many challenges in her life, she quickly releases her emotions through crying and …

Part Two: Forgiveness: Comedic Relief, Belief and Creating Ease

A philosopher, having made an appointment to dispute with Mulla Nasrudin, dropped by and found him away from home. Infuriated, the philosopher picked up a piece of chalk and wrote “Stupid Oaf” …

KPCC LAist 89.3: Richard Flory on How Gen-Z Are Finding (Or Moving Away From) Religion

How has living in a time of tremendous social change influenced Gen Z’s attitudes towards religion–organized or otherwise? CRCC’s executive director Richard Flory was on KPCC LAist 89.3’s Airtalk with Larry Mantle …

Part One: Mercy – Haqq, Humor and Honoring God’s Divine Creations

A patient with a permanent visual impairment once asked me, “Why did God give eyes to blind people?” She wondered aloud why God did not, for instance, leave the sockets empty, and …

Healing Heartwork Toolkit: Exploring Joy

Since 2021, in response to the emerging needs of AMCLI fellows, the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC) has crafted a toolkit focused on deepening our understanding of Islamic modalities …

Spiritual Exemplar Life Story Interview Guide

The following interview guide may be useful to journalists and researchers interested in collecting and telling stories of humanitarianism and/or the role of spirituality in people’s lives and work.  The USC Center …

Who are Spiritual Exemplars?

CRCC’s project on “spiritual exemplars” expands upon a burgeoning field of research on moral exemplars, primarily undertaken in psychology and moral philosophy. Scholars leading this field ask why we should limit our …

Insights into Engaged Spirituality

Bringing journalists into an academic project breaks some conventional standards of social science research, which typically focuses on controlled samples and standardized research protocols. Doing so allowed us to pull off a …

Telling Good Religion Stories

News coverage of religion can be cynical, focusing on corruption, abuse and the negative elements of religion as a crutch or escape from reality. With this project, CRCC aimed to introduce into …

Engaged Spirituality: 100 Stories of Inspiration and Resilience

Around the world, humanitarians care for AIDS orphans, fight oil companies in the arctic, perform surgery in the middle of wars, save migrants from certain death in the desert or the sea, …

Layli Miller Muro: Protecting the Rights of Migrants

As a lawyer and a member of the Baha’i faith, Layli Miller-Muro believes the pursuit of justice is a divine calling. When she was in law school in 1996, Miller-Muro successfully helped …

Self-Care for Faith Leaders: Thriving Congregations Conversation with Dr. Thema Bryant

Pepperdine University Professor and 2023 President of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Thema Bryant spoke about the lingering impact of the pandemic on faith leaders and congregations. This was recorded as part …

Shifting Your Mindset About Church Leadership: Thriving Congregations Conversation with Quentin P. Kinnison

Fresno Pacific University, Associate Professor Quentin P. Kinnison, provides insights on what it means to transform pastoral leadership. This was recorded as part of the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s …

Thriving (or Just Surviving): 2023 Trends to Watch in Religion and Society

If CRCC’s annual trends to watch have been growing more ominous in recent years, then 2023 feels like a pivotal year for many of the issues we’ve been tracking:  Like our final …

Huda Abu Arqoub: Building the Land Her Grandfather Knew

Peacebuilder Huda Abu Arqoub has a spiritual vision for Israel/Palestine rooted in the past. A truly holy land, she says, is one in which all can live together. When Huda Abu Arqoub …