Undergraduate Fellows Program

2008 topic: “Two Shall Become as One? Interreligious Marriage in America”

Interreligious marriages constitute both a demographic inevitability and a mixed blessing. Changing immigration patterns, wider social boundaries, more open religious understandings, and greater social tolerance have led increasing numbers of people to marry outside of their traditional religious communities. Interreligious marriages may present a valuable asset for communication and understanding in our multicultural society. Or they may contribute to the dissolution of cultural and religious identity.They may strengthen or weaken the spiritual traits of individuals and couples. They may nourish new forms of spirituality, but at the cost of traditional structures. This project examines the challenges of interreligious marriage and constructs a theology by which these couples can forge a mutually satisfying religious life in an interreligious union. Through background research and a series of structured interviews with couples in interreligious marriages, the Fellows team will add to our knowledge in this important area and publish their findings in late 2008.

Professor Chester Gillis, Department of Theology and Berkley Center Fellow, is the Faculty Advisor.

Profiles of 2008 Fellows


2007 topic: "Religious Lobbies: A Force in US Politics?"

The media often refer to the strength of the "religious lobby," and the Christian Right in particular. But we actually know relatively little about the composition and influence of religious interest groups across a variety of domestic and foreign policy issues. Through background research and a series of structured interviews with key representatives of those groups based in Washington, DC, the fellows team added to our knowledge in an important area and published their findings in late 2007 – one year before the next presidential election. Professor Clyde Wilcox of the Government Department was the faculty advisor for the 2007 program. View Report>>

Profiles of 2007 Fellows 

2006 topic: "Secular & Religious Approaches to Global Development: A Common Ground?"

Over the course of 2006, Berkley Center Undergraduate Fellows, in collaboration with the Linz Ethics Project of the Edmund A.Walsh School of Foreign Service, compared and contrasted secular and religious approaches to global development. Under faculty guidance, a team of Georgetown undergraduates engaged in background research, conducted in-depth interviews with representatives of fifteen religious and secular NGOs active in the development field around issues of health care, environmental protection, and humanitarian assistance. The interviews were accompanied by a quantitative survey designed to gauge the potential for greater collaboration between faith-based and secular groups. View Report>>

Profiles of 2006 Fellows