Why Theology?

Great question! We know it can be tricky to explain what you’ll do with a Theology major or minor.  Where can theology take you? There isn’t a one-word answer. But in our department, we train our students to sit with questions that can’t be answered in a simple word or two, topics that take time to unpack and imagine. We know from many, many years of experience as educators that this serves them well. 

In the end, maybe it is the combination that makes Theology work so well at Fordham: we draw on New York City, one of the most culturally rich and diverse cities in the world, our Theology faculty are scholars at the top of our field committed to Jesuit education, and our students themselves are so smart, creative, and dedicated. But also, we have to admit, the discipline of Theology itself is just pretty unique. In Theology, we have a long, long sense of the human experience.  We teach classes on sacred texts written thousands of years ago, often in languages long dead. We do this alongside courses that help us understand the more than eight-in-ten people in the world today who consider themselves religious. We draw from deep roots and open up new horizons of meaning. This big sense of humanity, a large sense of time, puts our students in touch with a much larger, more capacious conversation that has the power to replenish our sense of ourselves and the world. Although the media has us fixed on the catastrophes of now, using solutions of the present we can see on our screens, theology helps us imagine the world differently, think of solutions by drawing on a much wider set of options. It can remind us where we have been as a human community, and help us imagine where we want to go. 

We are so proud of the thousands of students who have pursued a theology major or minor at Fordham, and are in awe at the range of places theology has taken them after graduation. 

To be sure, some of our most dedicated undergraduate theology majors have gone on to pursue a PhD in academic study of religion and theology, and are now published scholars, professors in our field. This is not the norm, but we are so impressed with star alumni like Dr. Joe Vignone, FCLC ’14, professor of Islam in the history department at Gonzaga University, Dr. Kathleen Mroz, FCRH ’11, professor of Theology at Emanuel college, Dr. Xavier M. Montecel, FCRH ’12, who teaches moral theology in San Antonio Texas; Dr. Meghan Clark, a professor of moral theology at St. John’s University; and  Dr. Natalia Imperatori-Lee, FCRH ’99, a feminist theologian at Manhattan College here in the Bronx. 

However, the vast majority of our students pursue theology alongside other courses of study in preparation for careers that, on the face of it, aren’t connected to theology in any obvious way. But they found their theology courses offered them a chance to develop a unique, deeper perspective on their chosen field, make a real difference in their lives, and stand out.  Fordham theology faculty love to write letters of recommendation for jobs, internships, and graduate schools, describing how our students have grappled deeply with things like the meaning of human suffering, the nature of death, love, justice and inequity, religious diversity, and so much more. Amidst pressures for students to make all course work “practical” in an obvious, vocational sense, a theology major or minor stands out. 

At Fordham, for example, we are proud of our many alumni who have gone to medical school or pursued graduate work in the sciences after taking courses with us like Death and Dying, Bioethics, and Spirituality, Health and Medicine. Other Theology majors and minors have pursued paths in public policy, NGO work, education and law, and so much more.  Consider Nick Endo, a FCLC ’16 Theology major, who graduated from Georgetown University Law School in 2024. Nick now works as an Assistant Deputy Public Defender with the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender. Nick explains, “My background in theology prepared me exceptionally well for a career in law. The skills I honed through wrestling with sacred texts have translated seamlessly to the world of constitutional interpretation, and I am a better legal writer because of the time I spent in theology classes learning how to articulate complex ideas and craft creative arguments. Outside of the classroom, theology has also deeply enriched my journey as a person of faith and has strengthened my commitment to building a more just and loving world.”

Indeed, we think our students have gone on to so many exciting opportunities because we do more than passively learn “about” the faith and religion of others, as bystanders. Our students and faculty partner together to engage real communities of faith in and outside the classroom as collaborators, to co-create experiences of transcendent meaning and social action. Theology faculty and students together create new ways of seeing the world and seeing God, and move our traditions of faith forward in ways that make a real difference in our world. There is an experiential depth to the way we do theology at Fordham.   

For example, Ben Reilly, a FCRH ’23 and Theology major, was the lead organizer of the incredible Ignatian Q Conference Fordham hosted in 2023,  aimed at advancing LGBTQ inclusion and equity on Jesuit campuses throughout the United States. Ben also collaborated with students and faculty to create this incredible volume on Queer Prayer. Many other Theology majors and minors have pursued their own research and creative projects. One of our students and faculty co-authored article on the history of a Korean translation of the Talmud. Other majors helped a Theology faculty member write a book on the history of the spirituality of nuns who serve migrants in East Harlem.  Our faculty and students courageously engage with the most complex, deep questions of faith in a way that transforms the lives of our students, shaping them to become leaders who make a difference in the world, rather than accept the status quo. 

We are so honored to see Fordham theology students go to so many truly incredible places. Join them by joining us!