Religious Studies at Lawrence University

Senior Spotlight: Olivia Hoekstra

Olivia is a Religious Studies major AND will be one of Lawrence's first graduates in our new Business Major!

Her senior capstone was titled, "Apple Inc. and the religion of the Self." According to Olivia, "It explores the appearance of Apple’s marketing efforts (specifically in Apple’s “1984” Macintosh Commercial and “Dear Apple” 2022 Apple Watch Commercial) towards appealing to cultural trends, such as the metaphorical religion of the Self, which goes hand in hand with the rising trend of individualism in America."

About getting into religious studies, she says: "I decided to study RLST at Lawrence because I’ve always been interested in spirituality and religion. Professor Carr just happened to be my advisor and when I was trying to find a new major after being a double degree voice student in the conservatory. She advised me to take a few RLST courses and after taking an independent study with her, I realized how interesting learning about religion was. I wanted to learn more about other people’s beliefs, as well as further understand my own. Also, being an RLST major allows me the ability to have many potential career options in the future where I can (hopefully) make at least a small difference in the world."

After walking in commencement this weekend, Olivia will spend some time in Iceland (through a program funded by the LU Career Center), and then she will return for the fall tem to complete the new Business and Entrepreneurship major.

Congrats, Olivia!

RLST Senior Spotlight: Madeleine Meade

Madeleine is a psychology major and a religious studies minor. She's studying how to understand people better! After graduation, she's planning to work in outdoor education and do some traveling.

Here's what she has to say about her journey through Religious Studies at LU: "It started as an elective credit class, after I took my first religious studies class on Hinduism I was hooked. I love learning how people perceive the world and about unfamiliar world views!"

Congrats, Madeleine!

This Friday! Learn about pilgrimage! Get a free lunch!

The honors convocation will happen this Friday at 12:30pm in the Chapel. Free bagged lunch will be provided for you to grab afterwards and take to your next class.

Religious Studies professor Connie Kassor and Spanish professor Madera Allan will be this convocation's speakers. They'll be talking about pilgrimage and its connection to community. (They'll also talk about the Packers, their moms, and Taylor Swift.)

Did we mention free lunch?