To put it simply: if you have not yet taken a class with Dr. McLaughlin, you are missing out. Currently in his second year at Siena College, Dr. McLaughlin has brought his love of Harry Potter and hip-hop music to the classroom, teaching courses such as Religion and Moral Decision, Morals and Medicine, and Religion and the Environment. Our interview turned into an hour-long conversation about everything from the presidential campaigns to Star Wars and Chinchillas (he’s the proud owner of a three-legged Chinchilla named Chupie). Dr. McLaughlin enjoys his diverse collection of eclectic sweaters, playing the ukulele, creating all of his own slides for class (the man is the Picasso of Adobe Photoshop), and sharing adorable stories of his son, Greyson. All in all, Dr. McLaughlin truly embodies what it means to be a member of the Siena College community and is personally one of my favorite professors who I have taken a class with thus far. Check out more about him below:
Name: Ryan Patrick McLaughlin, Ph. D.
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Zodiac sign: Scorpio
Favorite color: Green
Favorite TV shows: Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and House of Cards
Spirit animal: Chinchilla (“If not, a T-Rex.”)
Her Campus Siena: How did you decide to become a religion professor?
Ryan McLaughlin: I originally was going to end up becoming a pastor, and I actually was a pastor for a while in a Presbyterian church. They suggested that I stay to more permanently become the senior pastor but at that point, when I was in my undergrad work, I took a class in theology. The teacher would ask these questions and they were very probing, difficult questions and it made a lot of people uncomfortable but I was just like, ‘I didn’t know we were allowed to ask these questions.’ And all of a sudden it felt like this whole world opened up to me. I could ask different questions and even come up with different answers than what was sort of “normal,” and that was okay! And that’s when I hit the ground running. I fell in love with that field and so when the church asked me to stay, I said ‘I have to teach’ because that’s where you can really ask those questions…This passion for teaching is really a passion for asking questions and being able to ask them.
I feel that, particularly with college students, it is this moment of searching and there’s an openness and desire to kind of desire to ‘become who I am on my own’, not just be the product of everything before me. Even though that’s somewhat inevitable, there’s an openness in evaluating oneself and finding your own identity. I find that environment so conducive to having good conversation and asking challenging questions and exploring things at the level of philosophy and theology in ethics.
HCS: Compared to the other schools you have taught at, what is your favorite part about teaching at Siena College?
RMcL: Well, two things really stand out to me. One is the department that I’m in. The people in the religious studies department are just fantastic. There is a diversity of expertise and they all really know their stuff; it’s a little intimidating at times but they are all so kind and welcoming. We have lunch conversations around the table [in the Clare Center] that are just wonderful. The second thing is the students. It has been really enjoyable working with the student body here. There are a lot of people who are extremely passionate, who are extremely inquisitive and open to having these conversations. And I have just found that to be an extreme joy. It’s not usual that students just come to the office not to discuss just their grades but to literally have a conversation about ‘hey, you know you said this in class and I was thinking about it the other day and I found myself in this situation and I just wanted to talk about it some more’. And that is something about Siena students that is really impressive, welcoming, and good about the school. It is really enjoyable.
I went on to ask Dr. McLaughlin about his course that I am enrolled in, RELG 141: Introduction to Religious Thought. The course covers Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. When I asked what other religion he would incorporate, Dr. McLauglin seemed very open to the idea of incorporating Hinduism or Buddhism, and even gave a shout-out to a fellow department member who specializes in such topics. Dr. McLaughlin shared with me a little on his passion and expertise in the study of environmental ethics. He is looking forward to incorporating different religions into his course on the topic next semester. He then went on to share that he is “enamored with the collection of religions that falls under the Native American and Indigenous groups. There is a lot of diversity within there, I think exploring that would be a lot of fun. My expertise is environmental ethics and I think there is a lot of stuff [in those religions] that can be helpful on that front and a lot of challenges to the way we typically think in the ‘West’”. We had a very long discussion about the role of White colonialism on indigenous populations and Dr. McLaughlin shared with me stories of his visits to different Native American reservations. The long-and-short of it is that the West must be open to the idea that we have far more to learn from these cultures and customs than they could learn from us.
I then asked Dr. McLaughlin if his teaching style changed at all after becoming a father. He said that “[My son] gives me a perspective that I have not had before and that’s from him being unique and the experience of being a father. I think he provides examples to me…things I talk about in class, I actually bring to my relationship with him and then things that happen with him, I bring to my teaching in class”. He shared with me how his view and understanding of God has also shaped his relationship with his son, and vice-versa. In turn, this relationship has shaped his role as a professor. Dr. McLaughlin explained his view on authority and vulnerability by saying:
“I think being vulnerable as a parent has reminded me what it means to be a community in a position that people look to as an ‘authority’ which is to say you’re not above it, you’re in it. You are with the group, you’re a part of that community. You are influenced and affected by that community just like I’m influenced and affected by my son. And if I can’t make myself vulnerable to be that way, I don’t have any business to be an authority in a community. That comes from God and is reinforced by being a father and it comes from students who just make really good cases. That all comes together to say that, to me, power is vulnerability within the community and that’s what authority looks like. That’s all been reinforced by having my son”.
HCS: I like to end all my interviews with some Words of Wisdom, or “WOW”. What “WOW” would you offer your students?
RMcL: One of the easiest things you will ever do in this life is figure out what you believe. It’s not difficult to figure out what you believe. One of the most challenging things you will have to do is figure out why you believe it. One of the most important things you will have to figure out is how to live side-by-side with people who believe differently….That is a part of the journey that is community.