Santa Clara University

A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Dr. Riley discovered his future career in the heady days of the late 1960s, when the study of theology was broadening to include methods from the social sciences, culture studies, and literary criticism. As an undergraduate at Regis College in Denver, Colorado, Riley earned his B.A. in Inter-disciplinary Studies (1973), and then moved up to Hamilton, Ontario for graduate work at McMaster University in Religious Studies (M.A., 1975; Ph.D., 1980). His dissertation on Bernard Lonergan's method in theology informed the courses he developed in Catholic Theology and philosophy of religion, and led to collaborative research projects on Lonergan, including the founding of Santa Clara's Lonergan Research Center with Timothy Fallon (Philosophy).

Dr. Riley joined the faculty at Santa Clara University in 1978, and in 2003 returned to the Religious Studies Department after eleven years as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Learning.

Courses

Courses taught at Santa Clara University

	TESP 4	Catholic Theology: Foundations
	TESP 5	Christian Traditions
	RSOC 9	Ways of Understanding Religion
	RSOC 13	Religion and Modernity
	TESP 41	Christianity and World Religions
	TESP 46	Faith, Justice and Poverty
	TESP 125	Belief and Unbelief
	TESP 130	Liberation Theology
	TESP 140	Bernard Lonergan

Academic Appointments

Associate Professor, Religious Studies Department, Santa Clara University	1984-present
Assistant Professor, Religious Studies Department, Santa Clara University	1979-1984
Acting Assistant Professor, Religious Studies Department, Santa Clara University	1978-1979
Teaching Assistant, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON	1973-1980

Research

Research Interests

• Bernard Lonergan
• Religious Studies Methodology
• Philosophy of Religion
• Religion, immigration and civic identity

Publications

Articles

"Religious Studies Methodology: Bernard Lonergan's Contribution." Method: Journal of Lonergan Studies 12 (2 1994) 239-49.

"History and Doctrine: the Foundational Character of Bernard Lonergan's Christian Philosophy." Religious Studies and Theology 5 (1985) 79-96.

"Theology and/or Religious Studies: A Case Study of SR, 1971-1981." Studies in Religion/Religieuses Sciences 13 (4 1984) 423-44.

"The Meaning of History: Leo Strauss and Bernard Lonergan on the 'Crisis of Modernity.'" Logos: Philosophical Issues in Christian Perspective 4 (1983) 71-100.

Joint Publications

Edited with Timothy P. Fallon, S.J. Religion in Context: Recent Studies in Lonergan, College Theology Society, Resources in Religion 5. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1988.

Edited with Timothy P. Fallon, S.J. Religion and Culture: Essays in Honor of Bernard Lonergan S.J. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1986.

Chapters in Books

"Theology and/or Religious Studies: Bernard Lonergan's Option." In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 4 (ed. F. Lawrence; Chico, CA: Scholar's Press, 1983) 115-39.

 

Awards & Grants

"Residential Learning Communities," The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, April 2000.

Activities

Professional Memberships

• American Academy of Religion
• American Conference of Academic Deans
• Association of American Colleges and Universities
• College Board

Activities

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Learning, Santa Clara University, 1999-2002.

Associate Provost for Residential Education, Santa Clara University, 1997-1999.

Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Santa Clara University, 1992-1999.

Director, Summer Session, Santa Clara University, 1990-1999.

Editorial Board, Method: Journal of Lonergan Studies.

Steering Committee, "Lonergan and the Future" Seminar, American Academy of Religion.

Editorial Consultant, Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan.

WASC Proposal Review Committee.

WASC Accreditation Site Visits.

Seattle University consultation, 2000.

University of San Francisco consultation, 2001.