Theology / Religious Studies Department
What We Do:
How We Stand Out:
- Theology at a Jesuit university emphasizes intellectual rigor, faith that does justice, encounter and dialogue.
- Our faculty are internationally recognized and published scholars.
- We foster a strong sense of community with departmental clubs and events that will enrich your learning experience.
- We offer faculty-led travel courses to Uganda, Jerusalem, Germany and Croatia.
- Our small class sizes allow professors to get to know you on an individual basis.
- The flexibility of our program allows students to pursue a double major or a minor in another area of study.
"It would be difficult to find a theology department more dedicated to the success of their students (than 草榴社区's)."
Nathan Houston, '20
Programs:
- - Our bachelor's program requires 30 credits in the major, including courses in the Old and New Testaments, historical / systemic theology, moral theology and a non-Christian religion.
- - The minor requires 18 credits. Students select courses freely from across several areas of theology.
Meet Our Faculty:
Maria Poggi Johnson
Chair
Professor, Department Chair
Ph.D., University of Virginia
B.A., Oxford University
Phone: 570.941.7957
Send an email
Michael G. Azar
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Fordham University
M.A., St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
B.A., Colorado Christian University
Phone: 570.941.4418
Send an email
Internal Website
Patrick Beldio, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor
Ph.D., The Catholic University of America
M.F.A., The George Washington University
M.A., The Washington Theological Union
B.A., The University of Notre Dame
Phone: 570-941-4373
Send an email
Patrick Mahaney Clark
Professor
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
M.A., Boston College
B.A., Duke University
Phone: 570.941.7590
Send an email
Will T. Cohen
Professor
Ph.D., The Catholic University of America
M.A., St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
B.A., Brown University
Phone: 570.941.4545
Send an email
Internal Website
Christopher Haw
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
M.A., Villanova University
B.A., Eastern University
Phone: 570.941.5932
Send an email
Internal Website
Megan E. Heeder
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Marquette University
M.T.S., Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
M.A., University of Notre Dame
B.A., University of Notre Dame
Phone: 570-941-5966
Send an email
Christian Krokus
Professor
Ph.D., Boston College
M.A., Boston College
B.A., Lafayette College
Phone: 570.941.4546
Send an email
Internal Website
Nathan Lefler
Professor
Ph.D., The Catholic University of America
M.A., Yale Divinity School
B.A., University of Chicago
Phone: 570.941.6544
Send an email
Internal Website
Cyrus P. Olsen III
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Oxford
M.A., University of Oxford
B.A., University of Washington
Phone: 570.941.7729
Send an email
Charles R. Pinches
Professor
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
B.A., Wheaton College
Phone: 570.941.4302
Send an email
Internal Website
Eric Plumer
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
M.A., Oxford University
B.A., Fairfield University
Phone: 570.941.6543
Send an email
Marc B. Shapiro
Professor; Weinberg Chair of Judaic Studies
Ph.D., Harvard University
B.A., Brandeis University
Phone: 570.941.7956
Send an email
Internal Website
Inside the Classroom:
- Learn to think critically and to communicate intelligently about God, Christ, the Gospel, faith and the meaning of life.
- Build bridges between the Church and the world and among different religious traditions.
- Learn what it means and how to be "men and women for others."
- Study key aspects of human living, such as friendship, marriage, work, rest, knowledge and love.
- Examine historical and contemporary issues like medical ethics and economic justice.
- Visit local churches, synagogues, mosques and temples, and welcome visitors to your classroom.
- Intern at local schools and social service organizations.
Student Research:
Abbey Murphy, '20, presented a paper in 2019 at the National Undergraduate Theology Research Conference at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska."I had a great experience presenting my theology research at a conference, because I had the opportunity to have interesting discussions with other students about our projects. I not only learned about topics outside of my research interests, but I began to think about my research in relation to the research of others."
Career Outcomes:
Over the past decade, our students have gone on to work in:
- High schools (as teachers and campus ministers)
- Parishes (as directors of religious education and music ministry)
- Hospitals (as pastoral outreach coordinators)
- Social service agencies (as counselors, directors and caseworkers)
Many students continue their study of theology in master's and doctoral programs, as well as seminaries across the country. Others pursue graduate degrees in:
- Law
- Counseling
- Medicine
- Clinical psychology
- Art history
