LRC faculty have developed courses that invite students to conduct ethnographic research in the field, connecting them to local religious and spiritual communities and practitioners whose religious and spiritual lives are a central focus of student learning. Each quarter, students in a range of undergraduate religious studies courses record geographically located snapshots of their observations. In addition to recording the dynamism of religion and spirituality in Silicon Valley, their observations offer insight into how young adults experience these spaces—what they see, hear, feel, and understand as interesting, significant, or meaningful. 

Encounter is a geographic information system (GIS) platform that can be accessed via any smartphone or computer and allows students to easily collect data on local religions and record observations about their experiences in the field including the option to share images from their research sites.

 

You can join SCU students in their travels across the Silicon Valley religious landscape by clicking on the dots on the Encounter map to open story windows that share students' descriptions, reflections, and photos of the sites they've explored. You can also use the search function to find specific posts by location!

You can use the filter icon within the Encounter map to view student experiences based on category: community, practices, or space. Students categorize their experiences of religions and sacred places based upon the most salient aspect of the experience. 

For optimal experience and use of the Encounter map, you can view the stand-alone version: Encounter: Mapping Religion.

For students who want to fill out the Encounter survey, click here.