Addressing Social Issues Through Interfaith Engagement — The M.A. in Peace and Social Justice with a Concentration in Interfaith Action is an emerging specialty that demands critical skills and perspectives from beyond the religious and/or theological disciplines in order to be effective in post-secular contexts. These contexts point to the increasing presence of religion-based conflict and tension between sacred and secular opinion-formers in the public sphere.
The online master's in Peace and Social Justice with a Concentration in Interfaith Action program can help you develop the social, religious and political perspectives, collaborative engagement, and self-reflection skills you need to become an interfaith ambassador.
Claremont Lincoln's master's degree programs all have the distinct advantage of being 100% online, providing the flexibility to determine how and when coursework is performed. CLU master's degree programs can be completed in as little as 13 months. In addition, the Admissions process has been streamlined for convenience. Neither a GRE or GMAT score is required to apply or be admitted.
Peace and Social Justice with a Concentration in Interfaith Action Courses.
The Interfaith Action concentration is taken along with courses from The Claremont Core®. These courses teach the engagement skills necessary to implement the theories and ideas of interfaith action and social justice.
Personal, organizational and social transformation occurs along cultural landscapes where core ideals are contested, provoking acts of power and privilege. To be effective in arenas of religious diversity and social change, leaders must have advanced understandings of their own contexts of power and privilege and how to lead effectively given these dynamics. In this course, you will engage contemporary theories of power and privilege in a post-colonial age, be able to identify multiple dimensions of these phenomena in interpersonal and social contexts, and demonstrate capacities for self-awareness and effective negotiation of power differentials in communal and/or organizational contexts.
Establishing an in-depth understanding of religion is essential to defining points of similarity and pluralism in society. This course will assist students in establishing a critical and contextualized understandings of religion, demonstrate an integrated knowledge of research for understanding religion and models for religious engagement, and develop your ability to challenge philosophical assumptions about religion.
As new conflicts of an intractable nature develop, you will need a set of inter-disciplinary skills to identify and dismantle moral-based conflicts. In this course, you will acquire subject-specific knowledge of theories and concepts related to social constructionism, cultural competence, conflict resolution, and their application to global, regional and local contexts. Several contemporary developments will be addressed as case studies during the term. These cases will help to sharpen your conflict resolution skills to assess conflict scenarios, develop robust mediation strategies, and design a collaborative peace plan.
The Interfaith Leader is a transformative action-oriented figure who is able to identify a social problem and craft a vision that incorporates key opinion-formers to respond to an issue. Transformative leadership is a skill that requires a nuanced understanding of social phenomena, self-awareness, and an interdisciplinary skill-set to implement culturally competence measures to lead diverse teams. You should come to this course prepared to engage in interfaith leadership in theoretical and practical ways that includes taking on specific leadership challenges while receiving the intellectual orientation, knowledge, tools, and resources to help maximize your response to local and international issues. This course explores the impact of transformative leadership through the work of celebrated interfaith leaders and their response to practicing the Golden Rule, promoting social justice, grassroots organizing, and interfaith cooperation within multiple contexts.
In religiously plural societies, the ability to engage and communicate fairly across sacred-secular lines is a core skill that social change agents need in the twenty-first century. This course explores the complexities of secularism and religion and its intersection with political systems, social values, and sub-movements in the public sphere. In this course, you will develop a post-secular awareness to interpret the evolving role of sacred and secular traditions while identifying new measures to foster collaborative relations between actors in the public sphere.
In this university-wide foundational course, learners begin their engagement with the four domains that make up the Claremont Core domains: Mindfulness, Dialogue, Collaboration, and Change. These four domains consist of transferable skills and resources that support leadership and facilitation capacities that accentuate students' professional work. Students become familiar with aspects of mindfulness and dialogue that will undergird their work. Concepts of collaboration and change leadership are also introduced, and students begin the process of locating their work in a community where positive social change can be facilitated. Finally, students also determine the scope and aim of their Capstone Projects and begin to use resources from the four Claremont Core® domains to build their research repertoire and leadership acumen.
In a world that is reimagining what is possible, Strategic Communication: Building Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will present students a historic perspective of the legacy and manifestation of structural racism, and other societal and cultural marginalization including the unintended consequences of systemic exclusion. Students will build upon the principles learned in the Claremont Core® to create environments where difficult conversations can take place with both internal and external audiences. This course will equip students to tackle challenges with diverse teams using language which acknowledges and respects difference to create equitable outcomes. In this course, students analyze self, personal strengths, and biases, and accumulate tools and communication skills in dialogue, collaboration, and bridging across divides. With these tools, students hone their abilities to build advocacy for dismantling oppressive structures and rebuilding personal, professional, and civic spaces that maximize diversity and facilitate equity and inclusion for all.
This course builds on the foundational aspects of the Claremont Core®, focusing on how students can become mindful, engaged, and inquisitive research practitioners for positive social change. Students will develop an ability to critically evaluate what research methods are best suited for certain types of research projects. This course will specifically focus on the role of research methods that can address, illuminate, or explain enduring and newly salient social problems.
Throughout the course students will consider the entire research design process, learning how to conceptualize, problematize, diagnose, understand, and translate findings across social, political, environmental, healthcare, and organizational contexts. By the end of this course, students will have had experience posing research questions, exploring their own research goals, understanding the primary components of the research design process, and consuming a variety of styles of inquiry and action. Students will also consider course concepts in the context of their own future projects, and begin activating the research skills they will use in Applying the Claremont Core® Capstone Course. (Prerequisite: MCC 5320: Invitation to Inquiry: Foundations of the Claremont Core®)
As the culminating course in all programs, students apply skills, knowledge, and professional application learned throughout the degree. The planning for this course begins at the start of the program, continues through the evolution of learning as students design their projects, and peaks with students being prepared to implement the project during the capstone course. The specific content in each student's degree program provides a foundation for the research and design. The Capstone Project demonstrates student mastery of program and institutional learning outcomes. Must be taken during student's final term.
In an increasingly interconnected world, leaders who want to make positive, sustainable change need to develop the critical perspectives and collaborative skills necessary to reach across traditional barriers of ideology, culture, and faith. At CLU, we put development of these capabilities at the center of our degree programs. The result is the Claremont Core®, a sequence of four innovative courses. Progress through the Core takes you through a process of self-awareness and steadily evolves towards engagement with others and society at large. Learn More.
Claremont Lincoln University is a non-profit, "online-by-design", graduate university providing socially conscious education and multiplying social impact through the work of its students in the world.
As a nonprofit university, Claremont Lincoln University is focused on the student's learning experience as well as their career success. Funds received from donations, endowments and tuition go directly to curriculum and to enriching our students' education.
Since CLU is both online and nonprofit, the university is able to serve students who are not well served by traditional institutions and universities— allowing the university to deliver the innovative education its founder and benefactor David C. Lincoln envisioned.
Claremont Lincoln University is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 748-9001.
The Commission has confirmed that Claremont Lincoln University has satisfactorily addressed the Core Commitments to Student Learning and Success; Quality and Improvement; and Institutional Integrity, Sustainability, and Accountability and is found to be in substantial compliance with the WSCUC Standards of Accreditation.
To obtain a copy of Claremont Lincoln University's WASC accreditation, please contact:
Lynn Priddy
Accreditation Liaison Officer
Student Achievement & Accreditation
Claremont Lincoln University has entered into a complaint agreement for private non-profit institutions with the California Bureau of Post-Secondary Education (BPPE).
Department of Consumer Affairs
Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA. 95833
Chief Complaint Unit
Phone: 916-431-6959
Email: bppe@dca.ca.gov
Fax: 916-263-1897
This M.A. in Peace and Social Justice with a Concentration in Interfaith Action aligns with the mission of Claremont Lincoln University to educate leaders capable of reaching across differences to create a more just and sustainable world. In this program you will learn:
As a graduate of the Peace and Social Justice with a Concentration in Interfaith Action, you'll be prepared to approach your vocation from a new perspective. The skills & competencies this degree offers you can apply to careers in:
A completed Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution is required to apply to Claremont Lincoln University. Neither a GRE or GMAT score is required for enrollment.
The Admissions process has been streamlined for applicants to complete the online application in 15 minutes or less. Unofficial Transcripts and a current Resume or CV are required to be uploaded with the online application. The Enrollment Committee will then review the application and determine an acceptance status within 24 business hours. A determination letter will then be sent, and in return, an acknowledgment of its receipt will be needed. The Admissions, Financial and Student Services Team will finalize any other necessary items to complete Enrollment.
Claremont Lincoln University reserves the right to request additional items as deemed necessary by the enrollment committee to determine student readiness for the graduate level workload. Claremont Lincoln University reserves the right to accept, provisionally accept, or deny students upon the evaluation of all admission documents.
Here is what some of our current and past students are saying about Claremont Lincoln University. We are committed to being a student-centered community and are proud of how we have continued to establish dialogue and long-lasting relationships with our graduates by showcasing their action-oriented and impactful work across the globe.
"All in all, I am better equipped to be an agent of positive change. I have found ways to use my education in my current work environment and in the volunteer work I do in education and with non-profits."
"In speaking to the CLU core, every student can expect an immersion in developing skills that will enhance personal leadership and self awareness. I hope that CLU meets every students' expectations with a bit of surprise and magic mixed in."
"I am a lifelong learner and am convinced that our reward is commensurate with our effort. Some students will just want to be able to place an M.A. after their name while others are seeking ways to change the world. With the mix of world class professors and an exemplary cohort, I believe students will not finish the program in the same mindset that they started. Everything fit together so perfectly and the scaffolding made the entire program manageable."
"I am most proud of heeding the prompt to "reinvent" myself during the 18-month program and to put my energy in an environment where I can make a difference."
"I have had an association with seafaring for fifty years, having served in the British Merchant Navy at the beginning of my working career. In later years, I served as a board trustee with the Seamen's Church Institute in Philadelphia, and more recently I began volunteering as a chaplain. I realized that I could use my Capstone project to bring value to the needs of the seafarer mission."
"When I chose my Capstone project I selected a project that would create value, there are many research questions that a student may choose. In my view, it is better to find an issue that will enable a benefit that translates to value in use. This then ensures that the time and effort spent on the research will endure and be meaningful."
Many hard working professionals contribute to a Claremont Lincoln University education. Here are just a few of the great faculty and staff that you will meet at CLU:
Kathleen Rudoff currently serves as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury, Connecticut. Dr. Rudoff previously was the Executive Director for the Yale Humanist Community. Dr. Rudoff received a Doctor of Ministry in Multifaith Studies from New York Theological Seminary. Dr. Rudoff has written for the Journal of Religious Humanism and has authored a series of daily meditation journals. Dr. Rudoff teaches courses in interfaith relations, social justice, and mindfulness.
Gene Lankford is a pastor in the United Methodist Church. Dr. Lankford holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Theological, Historical, and Ethical Studies from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and a Master of Theological Studies in Religions of the World from Harvard University. In addition to Dr. Lankford’s more than 25 years serving as a pastor and his teaching of courses on World Religions, he has several years of experience working with Hispanic/Latino immigrants and on immigration issues. An ethical response to immigrants and immigration issues is one of Dr. Lankford’s major research interests, beginning with his doctoral dissertation. Dr. Lankford believes in taking an interfaith, intercultural, and interdisciplinary approach to ethical issues.
Casey Reason earned his PhD from Bowling Green State University in Leadership Studies where he was a Dan Douglas Scholar. The author of seven books, Dr. Reason has over two decades of experience as a keynote speaker, leadership trainer, and executive coach. Dr. Reason’s specialization is helping leaders learn to consistently create organizational cultures ideal for innovation. Dr. Reason has coached CEOs, led C-Suite leadership training, and provided high-impact, aspiring leadership training for companies like American Express, General Dynamics, and Origami Owl. Dr. Reason’s first book was endorsed by Dr. Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager. Dr. Reason is also a national expert in the concept of Professional Learning Communities as an approach to leading deep and sustaining organizational renewal in K12 education using collaboration as a central focus. Dr. Reason’s unique skillset, blending innovative leadership training and transformative instructional design, was featured in an article on Forbes.com after he won the Blackboard International Designer of the Year award in 2012. Dr. Reason lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his sons Brice and Kiah.
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