Rebecca Sager

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Biography

Professor Rebecca Sager is an award winning teacher and scholar who examines the intersection of religion, politics and social movements. Rebecca is currently the Department Chair of Sociology at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and was recently appointed as the Director of Professional and Leadership Development at the Center for Faculty Development at LMU. Additionally, Rebecca is the Lynn Scarboro Cabinet Associate working with Provost Poon on creating collaborative courses across LMU. This project was recently funded and will be looking for applicants in spring 2025. Rebecca has also served on the LMU Faculty Senate, is the current Vice President of the BCLA Executive Council, and has served on a number of additional college and university committees. Rebecca holds a doctorate of Sociology from the University of Arizona and since coming to LMU in 2007, she has received a number of grants and fellowships. This includes being one of the inaugural Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination fellows at LMU, as well as external awards including a postdoc from Princeton University and grants from the Haynes Family Foundation and the Louisville Institute.

Rebecca has published a number of articles on religion and politics, and her book, Faith, Politics, and Power: The Politics of Faith-Based Initiatives (Oxford), looks at the role conservative evangelical movement actors played in promoting the faith based initiative at the state level. Her most recent project is funded by the National Science Foundation and examines the role of religion in local government interactions as well as how religious groups work with local political officials. This research has already won several awards including Outstanding Paper from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and the President's Award from the The Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action. Rebecca has also consulted with a number of groups including the Federal Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Civility at UC San Diego, Rebecca has also written in OpEds in the LA Times and Poitico.

Education (1)

University of Arizona: Ph.D., Postgraduate Studies

Areas of Expertise (6)

Intersection of Religion, Policy and Social Movements

Faith-Based Initiatives

Principles of Sociology

Sociology of Gender

Social Movements and Collective Behaviour

Sociology of Religion

Industry Expertise (3)

Religious Institutions

Research

Education/Learning

Links (1)

• Personal Website

Media Appearances (1)

A Bush-era victory in culture wars: faith-based initiatives

The Christian Science Monitor  online

2012-03-25

Despite federal budget cuts, faith-based initiatives appear to be a Bush victor in the culture wars. Experts say its legacy is that it overcame the cultural resistance to using religious organizations as part of social service delivery.

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Research Grants (2)

BCLA Faculty Research and Writing Grant

Loyola Marymount University 

2017 recipient

BCLA Immersion Course Grant

Loyola Marymount University 

2017 recipient

Articles (2)

Progressive Faith-Based Organizations: Tactics and Strategies

Progressive Religion and Social Activism: New Approaches to Understanding Faith and Politics in America

2017. “Progressive Faith-Based Organizations: Tactics and Strategies”. In Progressive Religion and Social Activism: New Approaches to Understanding Faith and Politics in America. Ruth Braunstein, Todd Nicholas Fuist, Rhys H. Williams, editors (New York University Press).

Co-opting the State: The Conservative Evangelical Movement and State-Level Institutionalization, Passage, and Diffusion of Faith-Based Initiatives

Religions

Sager, Rebecca and Keith Bentele. 2016. “Co-opting the State: The Conservative Evangelical Movement and State-Level Institutionalization, Passage, and Diffusion of Faith-Based Initiatives” Religions 7(6): 71.