Research Interests
Our research focuses on how religion and Whiteness shape individual and group engagement with social justice. In one area of research, we examine the ways in which religious settings such as congregations promote social justice engagement. We further explore how White students understand and emotionally respond to racism and White privilege with implications for how to engage White students in racial justice action.
Research Description
Our research focuses on how religion and Whiteness shape individual and group engagement with social justice. In one area of research, we examine the ways in which religious settings such as congregations promote social justice engagement. We further explore how White students understand and emotionally respond to racism and White privilege with implications for how to engage White students in racial justice action.
Education
- Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- M.A., Theology, from Fuller Theological Seminary
- M.A., Psychology, from Fuller Theological Seminary
- B.A., from the University of Oklahoma
Grants
2012 Louisville Institute Project Grants for Researchers. Understanding Social Networks and Social Capital in Religious Congregations. N. Todd, Principal Investigator. $25,000 funded.
Awards and Honors
2018 Early Career Award: Society for Community Research and Action
Recent Publications
Bergmann, B. A. B., & Todd, N. R. (2019). Religious and Spiritual Beliefs Uniquely Predict Poverty Attributions. Social Justice Research, 32(4), 459-485. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-019-00335-7
Ellison, R. L., Todd, N. R., Orth, R. D., & McConnell, E. A. (2019). White privilege awareness and openness to diversity: The moderating role of gender for white, Christian students. Journal of College Student Development, 60(5), 563-576. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2019.0050
Houston-Kolnik, J. D., Todd, N. R., & Greeson, M. R. (2019). Overcoming the “Holy Hush”: A Qualitative Examination of Protestant Christian Leaders’ Responses to Intimate Partner Violence. American journal of community psychology, 63(1-2), 135-152. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12278
Todd, N. R., Blevins, E. J., & Yi, J. (2019). A Social Network Analysis of Friendship and Spiritual Support in a Religious Congregation. American journal of community psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12359
Cadenas, G. A., Cisneros, J., Todd, N. R., & Spanierman, L. B. (2018). DREAMzone: Testing two vicarious contact interventions to improve attitudes toward undocumented immigrants. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 11(3), 295-308. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000055
