Press Release

The RAVE Project at Academic Conferences

August 31, 2008

May - Qualitatives 2008: The Chicago School and Beyond

This conference was co-hosted by the Department of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick and the Atlantic Center for Qualitative Research and Analysis at St. Thomas University.

Members of the RAVE Project team presented papers based on their research and the RAVE web site to social science colleagues from across North America who work with a particular focus on qualitative analysis.  Barbara Fisher-Townsend talked about her research with Nancy Nason-Clark on men in a faith-based batterer intervention program in her paper: “Building Consensus with Participants: The Challenges of Interviewing Abusive Men.”  Steve McMullin and Cathy Holtmann highlighted the challenges of developing resources and encouraging different churches to use them in their paper: “Building Consensus Between Constituents: Creative Tension in the Dissemination of Results.”  Kendra Yoder, the RAVE Project site coordinator for Columbia, Missouri, spoke about the obstacles and rewards of interdisciplinary fieldwork in her paper: “Building Team Consensus Across Disciplinary and Geographic Boundaries.”  Lanette Ruff shared insights gained from her doctoral research in “Building Consensus in the Analysis: Unexpected Findings in the Fieldwork.”

June – Spirituality and Transformation: Bridging Wisdom and Research for Effective Practice

The Third North American Conference on Spirituality and Social Work was hosted by St. Thomas University in Fredericton. Almost 200 academics and social work practitioners from Canada and the United States gathered in Fredericton to focus on the connection between social work practice and spirituality.  The RAVE Project panel presentation: “Developing Web-Based Spiritual Resources for Social Action on Domestic Abuse” by Nancy, Barb, Lanette, Steve and Cathy was well attended and received very positive written feedback from participants.  Barb and Nancy also presented their work on the role of faith in the transformation of violent men in their paper: “From Despair to Hope: Faith-Related Factors that Contribute to Changing Religious Men who have Acted Abusively.” 

August -  Joint session of the annual meetings of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, Religion Crossing Boundaries and the American Sociological Association, Worlds of Work.

The RAVE Project team was invited by Mary Jo Neitz, the president of the Association for the Sociology of Religion and faculty member at the University of Missouri, to give a panel presentation: “Partnering for Change: How Researches are Helping Shelter Workers and Religious Leaders Create a Shared Discourse about Domestic Violence.” 

Explaining the biblical understanding of “headship”.

Explaining how the RAVE website can assist religious survivors and advocates who work with them.

Explaining the challenges involved in presenting the RAVE Project to clergy from different denominations.

Listening to comments from conference participants.

Enjoying dinner at the end of the conference.