Abstract:
This examination of the role of religion in the lives of undergraduates is divided into three main components: a research paper, interviews conducted with on-campus religious leaders, and conclusions based on observations of these two elements combined. The research paper's purpose is threefold: to articulate the difference between religion and spirituality, to define religious involvement, and to examine the effects of religious involvement on undergraduates in four areas of the Wellness Model: physical, emotional, social, and intellectual. The research paper is then followed by a journal of the interviews. The purpose of conducting and then journaling the interviews with four oncampus religious leaders was to combine the research with the personal accounts and observations of the interviewees to formulate well-rounded conclusions. The last section is a discussion of the conclusions reached as a result of the research and interviews combined. The three sections work together to attempt to determine what religion means to undergraduates and to articulate the effects of religious involvement on college students.
