Theology Professor Empowers Students to Navigate Life’s Big Questions in New Book
Villanova, PA — In an age of rapid change and mounting pressures, young adults face an array of challenges when it comes to finding direction, building relationships and shaping their identities. The Young Adult Playbook: Living Like It Matters, co-authored by Professor of Theology and the Anne Quinn Welsh Endowed Director of the Villanova University Honors Program Anna B. Moreland, PhD, and Dean of Arts and Sciences at Catholic University of America Thomas W. Smith, PhD, dives into the complex questions surrounding what makes a meaningful life.
The book emerged from a successful curricular initiative within Villanova’s Honors Program, the “Shaping Initiative: Shaping a College Life, Shaping a Work Life and Shaping an Adult Life.” These courses arose from a need Dr. Moreland and her colleagues observed over the years—while students arrived at college highly prepared academically, they often lacked preparation in facing life’s deeper questions. “They’re so smart and over-prepared in some ways,” she says, “but they’re underprepared in those pretty significant areas like, ‘Who am I? Who do I want to become? What do I want to do with my life?’” With rising pressure to choose a professional path, students often make career decisions quickly while brushing aside considerations about relationships, leisure and personal fulfillment.
The Shaping Initiative was initially a trial, but its impact on students was undeniable. “The response was overwhelming,” says Dr. Moreland. “Students told me things like, ‘This course changed my life.’” Inspired by this reaction, she collaborated with Dr. Smith—then the director of the Honors Program at Villanova—to expand the course’s themes into The Young Adult Playbook. Throughout the book’s development, current students and alumni provided feedback on the manuscript and contributed their own stories. “Students themselves had a hand in writing the book, and I think that’s one of the reasons why it’s successful,” explains Dr. Moreland.
Designed for young adults ranging from their teenage years to their late 20s, the book also serves as an insightful resource for teachers, guidance counselors, professors and parents who seek to better understand this younger generation and ways to support them on their journey to adulthood. The Young Adult Playbook provides practical tools and journal exercises to help readers identify their ideal work, recover their free time and build meaningful connections.
Since joining Villanova University in 2006, Dr. Moreland has taught courses on theology, interreligious dialogue and the rise of modern atheism. Her research focuses on comparative theology between Christianity and Islam, drawing upon the work of Thomas Aquinas, including her book Muhammad Reconsidered: A Christian Perspective on Islamic Prophecy (2020). In 2021, Dr. Moreland was named co-principal investigator on a three-year, $223,201 grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The project, “Hope in Higher Education: Networking, Resource Sharing, and Building a Brighter Future,” is designed to help build a national coalition that will emphasize meaningful inquiry in college education and help students develop into thoughtful future leaders.
About Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been the heart of the Villanova learning experience, offering foundational courses for undergraduate students in every college of the University. Serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students, the College is committed to fortifying them with intellectual rigor, multidisciplinary knowledge, moral courage and a global perspective. The College has more than 40 academic departments and programs across the humanities, social sciences, and natural and physical sciences.