Temple University cherry "T" logo

College of Liberal Arts

Search Keywords

Jessica Sitek

Temple University Logo

Jessica Sitek

  • College of Liberal Arts

    • Religion

      • Adjunct Assistant Professor

Expertise

Public Religion, Religion and Law, Religious Freedom, Religious literacy, Feminist theory, Gender and Sexuality, Religious Trauma/Adverse Religious/Spiritual Experience

Biography

Jessica Sitek’s research examines religion in public life, lived religion, spirituality, religious literacy, and the ways individuals make meaning of experiences they identify as sacred, spiritual, unique, or transformative. She is particularly interested in how normative understandings of spirituality are constructed through assessment tools, institutional frameworks, and religion/spirituality (R/S) measures, especially within healthcare, military, and educational contexts.

Her current work explores the limitations of spirituality assessment instruments and the consequences of defining spirituality through standardized measures. She also researches religious trauma and adverse spiritual experiences, with attention to the phenomenological diversity of these experiences and the ways individuals narrate, interpret, and negotiate them. In addition to her research, Dr. Sitek is interested in educational technology, online learning, and innovative pedagogical approaches that support inclusive and engaged learning environments.

Selected Publications

Dissertation

  • Sitek, Jessica. The Military Chaplain: Inscribing a Protestant Ethos on American Public Religion. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Religion, Temple University, 2024.

Publications

  • Sitek, Jessica. “The Limitations of Religion/Spirituality (R/S) Measures: A Case Study of the U.S. Military’s Use of Spirituality as a Framework for Wellness.” The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society (forthcoming).
  • Chan, W.Y. Alice, and Jessica Sitek. “Religious Literacy in Healthcare.” Religion & Education 48 (2021): 102–120.
  • Rohmawati, Wiwin Siti Aminah, Arina Rahmatika, Erin Gayatri, and Jessica Sitek. “Transformative Masculinity within Interreligious Organizations: Case Studies from Bali and Sidoarjo, Indonesia.” JSW: Jurnal Sosiologi Walisongo (2025).

Selected Conference Presentations

  • Sitek, Jessica, and Rebecca Monroe. “Situating Personal Narrative within the Constructs of Adverse Spiritual and Religious Experiences: An Interdisciplinary Autoethnographical Approach.” Religious Trauma Symposium, Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, MA, 2026.
  • Sitek, Jessica. “The Limitations of Religion/Spirituality (R/S) Measures: A Case Study of the U.S. Military’s Use of Spirituality as a Framework for Wellness.” 15th International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society, Rome, Italy, 2025.
  • Sitek, Jessica. “The U.S. Military Chaplaincy Triumphant in Court: Implications for American Religious Freedom.” 14th International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society, Madrid, Spain, 2024.
  • Sitek, Jessica. “Chaplaincies and the State: The Politics of Religion.” 13th International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society, Athens, Greece, 2023.

Courses Taught

  • Religion and Human Sexuality
  • Women in Religion and Society
  • World Religions