Disciplines
• Rural Sociology
• Sociology
• Social Work
Improving communities:
The sociology program at MU is geared toward
improving life in communities, especially
those that are considered vulnerable. Some
of the problems that communities face are
cultural in the sense of a strong diversity
in religious or ethical differences that
act as barriers rather than bridges between
people. Understanding religious differences
can help bring about social change. The
Center's focus on religious literacy in
the form of training and education can be
a valuable tool for communities with high
amounts of diversity.
Family relationships:
As our culture grows increasingly diverse,
there are more challenges and issues of
differences involving religion. The differences
are now not only between families, but also
within families, as children choose to marry
outside of faith or abandon the faith in
which they were raised. Learning how to
strengthen communities from within in a
culture that values religion will become
a tougher task for the practitioner as diversity
increases. This intra-family exchange also
will have an effect on public life. Improved
literacy about religion in both contexts
helps people become more educated about
our differences in a way that builds up
communities, making them stronger and more
efficient.
Practitioners who understand
the religious climate in which families
operate can build trust with the family,
better understand a family's needs and help
provide better social services. This may
include knowledge of the language the family
uses or customs about generational seniority,
health care or views toward accepting help,
based on their religious or cultural beliefs.
Policies can recognize differences, champion
diversity and promote cultural awareness,
as families of all types and backgrounds
continue to shape today's culture.
Workplace relationships:
Business bonds also have the potential to
strengthen communities both in terms of
economic opportunity and in relationship
building. The Center is working to educate
those in the professions about the types
of religious diversity they will face in
the workplace to make workplaces and communities
stronger. Seeing those smaller communities
as building blocks for the community at
large can give a sociology researcher a
chance to partner with the Center or researchers
in other disciplines to do work that advances
these aims.
Global and community
relationships: Sociologists and social
workers can look to religious groups for
areas to study or models of social service
in both a local and global setting. Religious
groups often spearhead intervention in impoverished
areas to improve quality of life. Some efforts
are evangelistic in nature, others are not
overtly so. Intervention ranges from health-care
outreach and food boxes in local communities
to providing medical care and building homes,
improving sanitation and teaching indigenous
people sustainable agriculture and new enterprises
to overcome poverty at a global level.
Leadership: Leadership
in local, state and federal social service
is crucial, as policy matters affect resources
available to individuals and families. Leaders
in social services may want to work with
or look to religious groups for assistance
in understanding and fulfilling community
needs. Religious leaders often have contact
with a community and organizational skills
that can be useful to sociologists studying
the community and social workers serving
the community.
Center projects:
Fellows with the Center for Religion, the
Professions & the Public have done research
measuring religiousness/spirituality and:
well-being among elderly whites, African-Americans
and American Indians; social support and
well-being among people living with HIV/AIDS
in rural communities; social support and
rural elderly individuals; and social support
and psychological well-being among older
adults in rural areas.
The Center worked with
MU sociologists to design a survey of 400
citizens' experience with professionals
on matters related to religion and spirituality,
as well as a parallel survey focused on
professionals from eight professions. The
Center is applying for a National Institutes
of Health grant to study spirituality and
health risk behaviors in adolescents, through
its Spirituality and Health research project.
Use of media: The
Center's affiliation with the School of
Journalism can be of interest to a researcher
in sociology. The media can be a tool for
education and empowerment, performing "bridging
and bonding" roles in communities.
Researchers can look at how religious literacy
can be enhanced through media coverage or
strategic communication campaigns in a way
that can cause change in communities.
A current research project
focuses on how to use media to better inform
African-American women about breast cancer
examinations. Religious institutions can
act as clearinghouses for information and
be distributors of material about health
campaigns and other social services. Research
could examine how changes in media coverage
patterns help change communities.
Issues today: Researchers
can compare and contrast the needs of families
and individuals in rural and urban settings,
and how these different settings may utilize
religion similarly or differently to solve
social problems. Coursework and training
can be implemented that teaches practitioners
about working with families in settings
or languages with which they are familiar,
to build trust and better understand specific
religious beliefs and needs.
Researchers could look
at the role of religious organizations in
providing social services. What percentage
of social services such as food for hungry
families, addiction counseling, help finding
homes, child care or health clinics are
provided through religious institutions?
How much do one's religious beliefs play
a role in the sense of responsibility for
one's community? Do the presence of houses
of worship help define community? Researchers
can work with the Center on inter-disciplinary
projects to study and improve awareness
in these areas.
Sociology
of Religion
Journal
of Religion & Spirituality in Social
Work
Annual
Review of the Social Sciences of Religion
Journal
of Religion & Society
Journal
of Religion & Abuse
Religion & Public
Life
First
Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion &
Public Life
Journal
of Ritual Studies
Cultic
Studies Review
Science
and Christian Belief
Journal
for the Scientific Study of Religion
Fieldwork
in Religion
American
Academy of Religion Syllabi Search
Sociology
of Religion
Courtney Bender
Columbia University
Religion,
Society and Justice
Richard Miller
Indiana University
Sociology
of Religion
Nancy Ammerman
Hartford Institute for Religion Research
Social
Work and Religion
Joe Pulli
Canyon College
Spirituality
and Social Work Practice
Shirley Haulotte
University of Texas at Austin
Sociology
of Religion
Dr. Dallas Blanchard
University of West Florida
Religion
as a Social Phenomenon
Grace Davie
Hartford Seminary
Comparative
Sociology of Religion
Steve Pfaff
University of Washington
Sociology of Religion
Jim Spickard
University of Redlands
American Academy of Religion
American Association of Christian Counselors
Association of Christians Teaching Sociology
Association of Muslim Social Scientists of North America
Association for the Sociology of Religion
Australian Association of Buddhist Counsellors and Psychotherapists
Christian Academics
Christian Community Health Fellowship
Christians in Caring Professions
Christian Sociological Society
Family Christian Association of America
Islamic Social Services Association
North American Association of Christians in Social Work
• See a full list of professional associations and resources here.
|
