»Student Clubs and Honors

Theta Alpha Kappa is the National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology with over 200 active chapters in United States.

TAK is dedicated to fostering and recognizing academic excellence among undergraduate and undergraduate students and scholars in the fields of Religious Studies and Theology.

Religious Studies majors and minors, but also any other students, who meet the following requirements are eligible for membership:

• Completion of at least 3 semesters at Chapman
• Completion of at least 12 credits in Religious Studies
• Overall GPA of 3.0 and Religious Studies GPA of 3.5

In addition to chapter activities at Chapman University, Theta Alpha Kappa maintains a vigorous national program of scholarship awards and fellowship competitions, and its primary publication, the Journal of Theta Alpha Kappa, offers an annual prize and publishes outstanding student papers.

For more information, please visit the national website and contact Professor Julye Bidmead for more information on how to apply.

Departmental Honors

The faculty of the department of religious studies awards departmental honors to graduating seniors who have demonstrated outstanding academic work in religious studies. To be considered for departmental honors, students must maintain a grade point average of 3.500 in the major, complete a senior capstone project of significance, and be nominated by a faculty member in the department.

Outstanding Religious Studies Student of the Year

Each year the faculty of the Department of Religious Studies selects the Outstanding Religious Studies Student of the Year. This award is presented at the annual Humanities Honors Convocation, and names of all winners of this award are inscribed on a plaque posted in the Religious Studies Department Office. For past winners, click here!

Albert Schweitzer Student Scholarships

Each academic year Chapman University awards scholarships to university students in the name of Albert Schweitzer. The scholarships are awarded to students who have demonstrated a record of excellence in both their academic work and their commitment to a life of service.  Religious Studies students are encouraged to apply. For further information, go to: Schweitzer Student Scholarships

University Honors Program

The Chapman University Honors Program is designed for highly motivated and academically talented students who want to pursue challenging studies in a wide range of enduring intellectual concerns that cross disciplines and cultures.  For more information, see… University Honors Program

 

 

The Religious Studies Department is delighted to recognize Cambria Findley-Grubb as the 2013 Outstanding Religious Studies Student of the Year. Not only is Cambria outstanding in her academic performance in her coursework in Religious Studies, but she is also a triple major, completing majors also in Peace Studies and Political Science. Recognized as the Chapman University Outstanding Sophomore and Outstanding Junior, she has just been awarded the Ronald Huntington Outstanding Scholarship Award for the whole campus.

During her time at Chapman she also served as the volunteer coordinator at the Child Abuse Prevention Center in Orange and completed a semester long public policy internship at the Shared Hope International in Washington D.C. working on working to stop human trafficking of women and girls. After graduation she is off to run a poverty simulation program in Kentucky and then to Nova Scotia, having received a Fulbright award for next year to do research on education with First Nations communities in Canada.

We are so proud of you Cambria and can’t wait to hear back from you about your future adventures and accomplishments—we know they will be extraordinary! In addition to a plaque, Cambria also received a book to aid her in her upcoming Fulbright research—First Nations, Identity, and the Reserve Life: The Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia, by Simone Poliandri.

Cambria Findley-Grubb and Annie Mellott were formally awarded Departmental Honors during this year’s Humanities Awards Ceremony. Both are founding members of our new chapter of the national religious studies honor society, Theta Alpha Kappa.

Annie has been a campus leader in promoting interfaith understanding, representing the campus in the national Interfaith Youth Core and bringing the Better Together campaign to our campus as part of our participation in the national President’s Interfaith Service Challenge. She is the secretary and treasurer of the religious studies honor society as well as holding officer positions in DOC, Interfaith Council, and her sorority. A recipient of Disciples on Campus scholarship while at Chapman, she is going on to Masters in Interreligious Education at Claremont Graduate School.

The Department of Religious Studies faculty is very proud to recognize Cambria, Annie, and also Jessica Anderson (a double major in psychology who completed her degree in December) with Departmental Honors. In addition to a plaque and tassels to wear at graduation, each of our awardees also received a copy of Marv Meyer’s last book, The Gospels of the Marginalized, published after his passing. We know that if he were here with us now he would join us in wishing them the very best as they take this next step forward in the adventure of life.