The Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture (ISSSC) is located at
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
in
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
. ISSSC was established in 2005 to advance the understanding of the role of
secular values and the process of
secularization
In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...
in contemporary society and culture. Designed to be multidisciplinary and nonpartisan, the Institute conducts research, lectures and public events.
Author and professor Barry Kosmin, PhD created the ISSSC and remains the director of the Institute.
Barry Kosmin
![Barry Kosmin at CFI Summit OCT 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Barry_Kosmin_at_CFI_Summit_OCT_2013.JPG)
Author of over 20 books, Kosmin is a research professor of public policy and law at Trinity College. In October 2011 Kosmin accepted a seat on the Board of Directors of
Center for Inquiry
The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a US nonprofit organization that works to mitigate belief in pseudoscience and the paranormal, as well as to fight the influence of religion in government.
History
The Center for Inquiry was established in 199 ...
(CFI) where his responsibilities include the
Council for Secular Humanism
The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a US nonprofit organization that works to mitigate belief in pseudoscience and the paranormal, as well as to fight the influence of religion in government.
History
The Center for Inquiry was established in 199 ...
and the
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the US non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "prom ...
, as well as serving on the CFI affiliate committee.
He is the joint editor of the new academic journal ''Secularism & Nonreligion'' and was one of the principal investigators of the 2008
American Religious Identification Survey
The Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture (ISSSC) is located at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. ISSSC was established in 2005 to advance the understanding of the role of secular values and the process of seculari ...
(ARIS). Kosmin is considered the leading expert "on the growing percentage of Americas who lack a religious identity, the so called "
nones Nones may refer to:
* ''Nones'' (Auden), a 1951 book of poems by W. H. Auden
* ''Nones'' (Berio), a 1954 orchestral composition by Luciano Berio
*Nones (calendar), or ''Nonae'', days of the Roman Calendar
*None (liturgy)
Nones (), also known as N ...
".
Kosmin has been featured on podcasts such as
Center for Inquiry
The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a US nonprofit organization that works to mitigate belief in pseudoscience and the paranormal, as well as to fight the influence of religion in government.
History
The Center for Inquiry was established in 199 ...
's ''
Point of Inquiry
''Point of Inquiry'' is the radio show and flagship podcast of the Center for Inquiry (CFI), "a think tank promoting science, reason, and secular values in public policy and at the grass roots". Started in 2005, ''Point of Inquiry'' has consist ...
'' and published in ''
Free Inquiry
''Free Inquiry'' is a bimonthly journal of secular humanist opinion and commentary published by the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry. Philosopher Paul Kurtz was the editor-in-chief from its inception in 1980 until ...
'' magazine discussing the results of the ARIS.
American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS)
Previously named the National Survey of Religious Identification in 1990, it was renamed the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) in 2001. The survey was originally created as a social experiment to record the response to the "What is your religion?" question. They found it was necessary to ask a series of questions such as "Do you want to have a religious funeral?" in order to get a better grasp of the answer to the main question.
The 2001 survey intended to replicate the 1990 survey. Data was collected from over 50,000 households over a 4-month period. In 2008 the ARIS again randomly called over 50,000 households and questioned adults about their religious affiliations, if any. ARIS is the survey used by the U.S. Census in the Statistical Abstract of the U.S. to show the religious distribution of the U.S. Population.
The results of the ARIS have been discussed in many news reports by
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
, ''
The Christian Science Monitor
''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles in electronic format as well as a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper ...
'', and ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
''.
Academics and curriculum development
ISSSC develops new
multi-disciplinary
Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...
courses based on a common theme every year with associated faculty at Trinity College, Hartford and the
Claremont Colleges
The Claremont Colleges (known colloquially as the 7Cs) are a consortium of seven private institutions of higher education located in Claremont, California, United States. They comprise five undergraduate colleges (the 5Cs)—Pomona College, Scr ...
, California. The cross-discipline themes include (by year):
* 2005-06: The Roots of the Secular Tradition in
the West
West is a cardinal direction or compass point.
West or The West may also refer to:
Geography and locations
Global context
* The Western world
* Western culture and Western civilization in general
* The Western Bloc, countries allied with NATO ...
* 2006-07: The Secular Tradition and Foundations of the
Natural Science
Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...
s
* 2007-08: Secularism and the
Enlightenment
* 2008-09: The Global Impact of Secular Values
* 2009-10: The Secular Tradition in General
Education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
Social science research
International Survey: Worldviews and Opinions of Scientists (India 2008)
Publications
;2009
Women & The State: The Mediterranean World in the 21st Century''(edited by Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar)
;2008
''Secularism & Science in the 21st Century''(edited by Ariela Keysar and Barry Kosmin)
Survey: Worldviews and Opinions of Scientists''
;2007
& Secularity: Contemporary International Perspectives''(edited by Barry Kosmin and Ariela Keysar)
*"Unbelief and Irreligion, Empirical Study and Neglect of" (by Frank L. Pasquale in ''The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief''; edited by Tom Flynn; Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books)
;2006
*''Religion in a Free Market: Religious and Non-Religious Americans—Who, What, Why and Where'' (by Barry Kosmin and Ariela Keysar)
References
External links
*
ISSSC PublicationsAmerican Religions Identification SurveyUnderstanding Secularism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Institute For The Study Of Secularism In Society And Culture
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Secularism
Organizations based in Connecticut