In-person November Annual Meeting 2026 Program Book

.

.

.

.

.

This workshop will introduce religious studies instructors to a collection of case studies for classroom use, curated by Interfaith America. These twenty-seven case studies present real-life scenarios from health care settings. In this interactive workshop, participants will practice using these case studies and will leave more equipped to incorporate them into their classrooms. Sample case studies feature a Sikh patient with head trauma, a Buddhist patient resisting pain medicine, a Hindu patient self-administering Ayurvedic cleansing, a Native American patient requesting a smudging ceremony in hospice care, a Haredi Jewish patient concerned about radiation tattoos, and Muslim parents concerned about hospital food and insulin therapy for their diabetic child. These case studies raise issues of religious literacy, intercultural competency, diversity accommodations, and ethics. The case studies also immerse students in practical applications of their knowledge. Workshop facilitators include case study authors and faculty who use these case studies in their teaching.

This workshop will introduce religious studies instructors to a collection of case studies for classroom use, curated by Interfaith America. These twenty-seven case studies present real-life scenarios from health care settings. In this interactive workshop, participants will practice using these case studies and will leave more equipped to incorporate them into their classrooms. Sample case studies feature a Sikh patient with head trauma, a Buddhist patient resisting pain medicine, a Hindu patient self-administering Ayurvedic cleansing, a Native American patient requesting a smudging ceremony in hospice care, a Haredi Jewish patient concerned about radiation tattoos, and Muslim parents concerned about hospital food and insulin therapy for their diabetic child. These case studies raise issues of religious literacy, intercultural competency, diversity accommodations, and ethics. The case studies also immerse students in practical applications of their knowledge. Workshop facilitators include case study authors and faculty who use these case studies in their teaching.

Qualitative research often unfolds in complex, unpredictable environments. Securing funding, managing relationships, handling data, and ensuring meaningful impact all require thoughtful planning and adaptive strategies. This workshop opens up the “black box” of research management by creating space for honest conversation about what works, what doesn’t, and what researchers wish they’d known earlier. Participants will gain insight into the realities of running qualitative projects—from negotiating with funders to collaborating with communities, from managing multi‑year grants to navigating emerging questions around AI. Whether you are new to qualitative research or looking to refine your practice, this workshop offers practical wisdom and a supportive environment for reflection. This interactive session brings together 6–8 invited facilitators, each offering five‑minute presentations on a key aspect of qualitative research projects, such as funding, assessment, data management, and more. Then, participants will join facilitators for in‑depth discussions, allowing for rich, small‑group exploration of the issues raised.

Invite only event.

The 2026 Media and Religion pre-conference workshop will reflect on the intersections of media, religion, and community—not as fixed categories, but as active and unstable formations through which people come to belong, to struggle, and to imagine otherwise. In keeping with this year’s presidential theme of “Future/s,” how might we think about what the study of religion and media can offer to the theoretical and practical work of community formation and vice-versa? How are communities mediated, fragmented, destroyed, or newly constituted in our hypermediated moment, and what form(s) do they take? And how might these questions help us think about a range of possible futures: political, planetary, professional, intellectual?