School of Theology Hosts RVS Conference
Boston, MA – On November 19 and 20, the Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) hosted the Religion, Values, and Social Practices Conference here in Boston. Conference participants included faculty, staff, and students from partner institutions of The Research School (RVS). The conference is a collaborative effort of BUSTH and RVS, which was established in 2009. RVS is a supplement to the PhD programs at member institutions, which include eight universities and colleges in Norway and two universities in Sweden, with BUSTH as an international partner. The main mission of RVS is to help PhD students complete their dissertations and degrees in the estimated time and contribute to their research so that the dissertations have high international quality. An interdisciplinary school, members from a variety of academic disciplines study psychology of religion, religious studies, education, religious education, sociology of religion, and theology.
The two-day conference kicked off on Tuesday with a welcome from Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Bryan Stone, and the first plenary session given by Assistant Professor of Religion and Society Nicolette Manglos-Weber, Cultivating Analytic Empathy in the Study of Religion: Four Framing Concepts.
Participants then selected among several paper presentations for late morning and afternoon sessions, including paper presentations given by Judith Oleson, Executive Director of the Tom Porter Religion and Conflict Transformation Program, and Albert and Jessie Danielsen Professor of Psychology of Religion and Theology Steven Sandage. The afternoon sessions were followed by a tour of BU’s campus and student fellowship at a nearby pub.
Wednesday’s opening plenary session, Religious Conversion and Ethnic Identity Among Latino Evangelicals, was presented to a full STH Community Center by Assistant Professor of Sociology of Religion Jonathan Calvillo. One of the following morning sessions included a paper presentation given by STH PhD student Dan Hauge. The conference concluded on Wednesday afternoon, and from STH, many participants will be traveling to San Diego, CA for the annual meeting of AAR/SBL.
“The Norwegian partnership with Boston University School of Theology is a rich one that traces back to 2010, when we first gathered to share research on religious knowing in congregations and other social contexts“, Dean of STH, Mary Elizabeth Moore remarked. “The conference and sustained partnership provide a huge opportunity for our faculty and students, who have been meeting regularly in Norway, Greece, and Boston to build significant research projects and relationships.”
