Interactions
CFIG Blog
CFIG Blog
Spring 2025
Scripture and the State: Unpacking Abortion Through Faith
As I continue to explore the intricate connections between politics, social issues, and religious identities, I have come to understand [...]
Sacred or Secular? Understanding the Evolving Political Impact of Religion in the U.S.
The intersection of religion and politics has long been a topic of intrigue and controversy in the United States, particularly [...]
Fall 2024
Exploring Interconnection Between Religiosity, Childbirth, and Modernization
I am using case studies of three countries to reveal further the dynamics between religiosity and fertility. Many literatures on [...]
Why Durkheim?: Using Sociology of Religion to Answer Changing Demographics
The world population has been shifting. Many so-called “developed” nations are witnessing declining populations while their “developing” counterparts are [...]
Exploring Shifting Populations & Demographics: Addressing Personal Concerns
My topic selection of demography and religion originates from my fear of living in Korea, a country with the [...]
Summer 2024
From Rhetoric to Reality: The Human Face of European Populism
Over the past few months, I have dedicated much of my time to understanding the rise of right-wing populism [...]
Immigration, Integration, and Religion in France, Greece, Italy, and Spain
This summer, I have delved deeply into the intersection of immigration, integration, and religion in the EU-Mediterranean framework. This [...]
Populism`s Path: Religion, Culture, and Media in Europe
Over the past few weeks, my research into right-wing populism in Europe has deepened my understanding of how religion, [...]
Fear, Integration, and Identity in European Discourse
During my weeks of researching immigration in the European Union, I have found one of the most compelling aspects [...]
Populism in Europe: A Personal Journey Through Research
A deeply personal connection sparked my exploration into the rise of right-wing populism. As a German-born child of Korean immigrants, the [...]
Fear, Integration, and Identity in European Immigration Discourse
During my weeks of researching immigration in the European Union (EU), I have found one of the most compelling aspects to be European [...]
Spring 2024
Islam and American Latinos: Creating New Identities
Islam and the American Latino community have been connected since the 1920s. Initial crossovers between the Latino and Muslim communities occurred within [...]
Islam in Latin America: A Little-Known History
To fully understand the story of Latino Muslims in the United States, I decided to begin my research by [...]
Culture, History, Politics: The Story of Latino Muslims
The inspiration for my research into the surge of Latinos converting to Islam in the United States comes from [...]
Fall 2023
Why Politics?
In modern political thought, significant attention is directed towards the end of politics. The common good, the protection of property, [...]
From Philosopher-King to Prophet
As one of Plato’s most influential philosophical formulations, the idea of the philosopher-king has animated thousands of years of [...]
Plato the Prophet?
My research intends to trace the reception of Platonism, in particular Plato’s Republic, in medieval Islamic thought. As an undergraduate Classics [...]
Summer 2023
Catholic Schools: A Case Study
The final focus of my research was the Catholic church and, more specifically, Catholic education. To give tangible evidence to [...]
Reasons for Religious Decline: Family Dynamics, Technology, Mistrust & Scandals
Over the past few weeks, I have focused on family dynamics, and the declining relationship between teenagers and adults [...]
More Than a Trend: The Decline of Religion in America
I have attended Catholic schools my entire life. My relationship with Catholicism is ever-changing. Over the past few years, [...]
Spring 2023
Making Lemonade? The Sour History of Lemon v. Kurtzman
Lemon v. Kurtzman (1972) is an interesting case to look back on. On one hand, it is so often cited [...]
The First Amendment: A History of Changing Interpretation
In a meta-analysis of the success of religious freedom cases before the Supreme Court, Amy Adamczyk, John Wybraniec, and Roger [...]
Secular Law in a Pious World: The Origins of America
Under the Free Exercise Clause, every American is guaranteed the right to practice their religion. However, these religious practices [...]
Fall 2022
Role of Chaplains in Veteran Suicide Prevention
In 2021, there were 519 suicide deaths of service members in the military in the United States (1). Chaplains can [...]
Chaplaincy and the Effects of COVID-19
The pandemic has been a challenge for people worldwide and in the U.S. over 1 million people have died because [...]
Chaplaincy as a Career in Healthcare Settings
My research intends to look into the career of chaplaincy in a variety of healthcare settings. My inspiration to research [...]
Summer 2022
Abraham: The Strict Monotheist
For my research paper, I chose to explore the topic of Abraham and Covenants in the Quran, whilst maintaining an [...]
Covenants in the Quran
“God chose Abraham as a close friend” [...]
Re-examining Abraham’s Covenant with God
My research intends to engage in a comparative scriptural analysis between the Torah and the Quran regarding the Abrahamic Covenant. [...]
Spring 2022
Ethnic Conflict in the Balkans
It is important to consider the influence of Orientalism and Balkanism on modern Balkan perceptions as well as historical ones. [...]
Marriage, Divorce, and Women’s Rights in the Abrahamic Religions
Patriarchal structures in religious communities, practices, and texts influence the culture and habits created around each religious community. This includes [...]
Maps and Ethno-Religious Portraits of the Balkans
I have added two Balkan Peninsula maps to my research paper, both of which are from 1918. I think these [...]
Faith as a Resource: How religious leaders&spaces can assist victims of domestic violence and abuse
Victims of domestic violence face abuse alone, and with few resources to go to, many are isolated from the community [...]
Femicide: The Silent Pandemic
Being one of the remaining 100,000 practicing Zoroastrians worldwide, I was raised under the Zoroastrian belief of Humata, Hukhta, and [...]
Understanding European Identities in the Context of Religion
My interest in Orientalism and theories in literature helped me understand that a lot of our conceptions about different cultures, [...]
Summer 2021
The Other: Sikh Asylum Seekers at the U.S. Southern Border
As I have been reaching out to faith-based organizations (FBOs) about their work with immigrants, I contacted The Sikh Coalition [...]
The Origins of “Othering”: The Climates of the United States and France in Regards to Islam
Following the first phase of my research, which provided an overview of secularism in the United States and France, I [...]
The Trifecta of Trauma: How Christian FBOs Support Vulnerable Immigrants
In my conversations with leaders of Christian faith-based organizations (FBOs) in the DMV area, they repeatedly mentioned the word "trauma." [...]
Creating a National Culture: The Influences of Assertive and Passive Secularism
I have always believed that it is vital to understand the intersections between policy and human rights. It would be [...]
2021: Do Religious Organizations Help Immigrants Attain the American Dream?
My father and his parents emigrated from Poland to the United States in 1965. After World War II, Poland [...]
Spring 2021
Reflections on our Muslim-Jewish Dialogue Event: There is Strength in Unity
As I reflect on our event, “Combating Prejudice Inside and Outside our Communities,” I really want to emphasize how fortunate [...]
Overcoming the Zoom barrier: Managing expectations and redefining “community” in interfaith work
Over the course of the time I have spent planning the Muslim-Jewish youth dialogue event (coming up on April 22nd!), [...]
The Future of Reconstruction Projects in the Levant: Expansion and Limitations
After concluding the preceding section on the subject of active reconstruction projects the research was interested in exploring the [...]
Utopias and Dystopias of a Diverse, Islamic Past and Present: Transparency and Concession
After navigating the theological arguments on the subject of coexistence and religious freedom it was time to launch that foundation [...]
Using Interfaith Work to Build Coalitions and Strengthen One’s Own Identity
Two years ago, I was struggling with where I fit in the Jewish community. Even though my entire family is [...]
Reconciling Faith and Fate with Praxis
In the aftermath of one of the most brutal religiously homogenizing regimes of the twenty-first century, Islamic State of [...]
Fall 2020
Small Steps to Change the World
Winter holidays are often met with reflections of the year that is soon to pass. The year 2020 was [...]
R.I.S.E and Recover
As International Human Rights Day draws closer on December 10th, so does our summative event on December 11th. The [...]
Institutions and Individuals Working in Support of Universal Human Rights
Interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding are two important values that the Rumi Forum promotes. Through dialogue that intersects societal [...]
What do you think about human rights? Make your voices be heard!
As a society, we become stronger when we engage with each other and try to learn from each other. Since [...]
Collecting the Youth Perspective Together: #RISE4Rights
Everyone is equally entitled to human rights, yet this fact is often not realized and not everyone has a nuanced [...]
Solving Old Problems with Fresh Perspectives: A Call to Youth Leaders
The year 2020 has proved to be a year to remember. There are many things that will be remembered with [...]