{"id":1915,"date":"2022-01-04T07:56:27","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T15:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=1915"},"modified":"2024-07-24T11:03:09","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T18:03:09","slug":"religious-studies-online-emma-sargent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/religious-studies-online-emma-sargent\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Extraordinary connections\u2019 a highlight of religious studies online degree program"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Alumna finds \u2018home\u2019 thanks to peer engagement, faculty support<\/h2>\n

The smile on Emma Sargent\u2019s face was electric and permanent. Tears would soon be shed, but they\u2019d be the grateful kind, the ones you cry when you\u2019re with people who have left indelible marks on your life.<\/p>\n

Seated at a desk in her bedroom, Sargent gazed into a computer screen with her parents and sister standing behind her. She was on Zoom with classmates and professors from the Oregon State University Ecampus religious studies online bachelor\u2019s program<\/a> for a long-distance graduation celebration.<\/p>\n

Events of such magnitude are meant to be shared in person, but if you were looking for disappointed faces, you were looking in the wrong place. For two hours, this tight-knit community of freshly minted graduates and faculty displayed an uncommon bond for people who, by and large, have never met face to face.<\/p>\n

The myth of online education being an impersonal, detached experience is just that \u2014\u00a0a myth. Sargent said it best.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t have imagined that I would\u2019ve found this community and felt so confident that I found the thing that I\u2019m supposed to be doing,\u201d she said. \u201cI found my people and I found my passion here. I found my home.\u201d<\/p>\n

How does Oregon State’s religious studies online degree program create such engaging experiences for students? It\u2019s not just one thing. According to Sargent, it\u2019s a variety.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s online coursework that fosters self-exploration and understanding<\/h3>\n

\u201cReligious studies is not a major that has all the answers. It\u2019s a major that inspires us to work towards understanding the people around us for who they are. And before we can understand the people around the world through the study of religion, we first have to learn to understand ourselves and the people within our circle.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the ability to have meaningful interactions with peers<\/h3>\n

\u201cBeing able to communicate with my peers about such important topics is truly one of the most wonderful experiences in the world. Most of these discussions occurred through discussion postings and responses, but in a couple of my classes, I had the opportunity to have Zoom calls or use resources like VoiceThread<\/a> to speak with colleagues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose were the most special to me. Those discussions were so authentic and personal that it makes me feel even more connected to the topics and to my peers.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the wide-ranging support from faculty and staff<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe faculty provided opportunities for growth and extra learning by pushing us students out of our comfort zone, while also providing endless amounts of support and kindness when we feel as though we are lacking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it had not been for the faculty, my experience at Oregon State would have been completely different. It was truly the professors, advisors and tutors who inspired me to create such extraordinary connections with my colleagues and with the material.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the confidence to move forward in life after graduation<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe knowledge I gained as a religious studies student will help to inform my future work as a researcher in this field. However, I learned far beyond what can be included under that title. I learned how to communicate my opinions in kind and respectful ways, how to be inclusive in my understandings of others, and the importance of having people by your side who will motivate you to be better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Want to learn more about Oregon State\u2019s religious studies online bachelor\u2019s program?<\/p>\n

Request information<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 3<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Seated in her bedroom, Emma Sargent gazed into a computer screen. She was on Zoom with classmates and professors from Oregon State’s religious studies online program for a long-distance graduation celebration. Events of such magnitude are meant to be shared in person, but if you were looking for disappointed faces, you were looking in the wrong place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6,3,677,8],"tags":[641,451],"class_list":["post-1915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-ecampus","category-features","category-students-and-alumni","category-students","tag-languages-and-liberal-arts","tag-religious-studies"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Emma-Sargent-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-uT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2025,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/monique-lanier-religious-studies-online-bachelors\/","url_meta":{"origin":1915,"position":0},"title":"Now at Harvard, Oregon State online grad still “over the moon” with religious studies","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"May 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Monique Lanier is a graduate of Oregon State\u2019s religious studies online bachelor\u2019s program, and the experience profoundly impacted her \u2014 academically and in myriad other ways. 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