Becky King Cerling

Becky King Cerling serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Humanities within the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences at the University of Southern California, while also holding the position of Executive Director at the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC.

Her academic credentials include:

• M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary
• Ph.D. in European Medieval History and the History of Christianity from the University of Southern California

Dr. Cerling's research specializes in the role of children within medieval monastic communities, contributing significantly to interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of religious history, social structures, and childhood studies during the medieval period. Her work examines how monastic institutions integrated children into religious life through education, labor, and spiritual formation.

As an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), she maintains active engagement with theological practice alongside academic scholarship. Her previous appointment as affiliate faculty in Church History at Fuller Seminary demonstrates her dual commitment to ecclesiastical service and historical research.