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Hindu College Students and a Sense of Belonging on Campus

Schier, Suzanne Elise
http://orcid.org/0009-0002-0844-2113
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu173256883739016

Abstract Details

2024, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Educational Studies.
Historically, religion has been an understudied topic in higher education research, and Hindu students in particular have received insufficient attention. This qualitative study helps fill this knowledge gap by investigating how some Hindu students experience belonging at a large, public, Midwestern university. Using an emic/etic approach, I conduct a thematic analysis informed by descriptive phenomenology followed by a theoretical analysis using critical religious pluralism theory to understand how three Hindu students experience belonging on their university campus. The data collection methods used were semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation. The four main themes which emerged from the data were religious and cultural identities, religious literacy, the importance of community, and individual spirituality. The critical religious pluralism theory-based analysis focused on religious literacy as a justice issue, the way neutrality perpetuates privilege, and the role of Christian privilege, drawing insights from these content areas about students’ experiences of belonging. Overall, this study demonstrates the importance of providing both neutral and sectarian safe spaces on campus for Hindu students; building religious literacy into training and programming for faculty, staff, and students; and giving attention to Hindu students’ spiritual development to support Hindu students’ sense of belonging. This study also demonstrates how critical it is to analyze religion separately from culture.
Matthew Mayhew (Advisor)
Cynthia Porter (Committee Member)
Penny Pasque (Committee Member)
Amy Barnes (Committee Member)
236 p.
Education; Higher Education; Religion
Hindu college students; higher education; sense of belonging; Hinduism; college; religion; spirituality; Hinduism; Hindu; students; education; critical religious pluralism theory; safe spaces; welcoming spaces

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Schier, S. E. (2024). Hindu College Students and a Sense of Belonging on Campus [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu173256883739016

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Schier, Suzanne. Hindu College Students and a Sense of Belonging on Campus. 2024. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu173256883739016.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Schier, Suzanne. "Hindu College Students and a Sense of Belonging on Campus." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu173256883739016

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu173256883739016
48
© 2024, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.