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Forum to Examine Religious Freedom Laws in State

Posted on: April 12th, 2019 by erabadie

Policy Talks event draws on expertise of faculty, alumni from Department of Philosophy and Religion

APRIL 12, 2019 BY EDWIN B. SMITH

The inaugural Policy Talks is set for 5:30 p.m. April 25 in Bryant Hall, Room 209. Three UM faculty members and three select alumni will discuss religious freedom laws. A reception will follow the free event in the Bryant Hall Gallery. Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

A panel discussion examining religious freedom laws is scheduled for April 25 at the University of Mississippi.

The inaugural “Policy Talks” begins at 5:30 p.m. in Bryant Hall, Room 209. Three UM faculty members and three select alumni will discuss religious freedom laws. A reception will follow the free event in the Bryant Hall Gallery.

“This is part of the Dialogue Initiative, which is designed to address highly contentious issues within our society and to integrate students, faculty, alumni and the campus community,” said event organizer Deborah Mower, associate professor of philosophy and Bryant Chair of Ethics.

“Invited panelists discuss what they think the best approach or resolution would be to address the issue given their expertise. After the panelists each give their presentations, a second panel of UM faculty pose questions to the initial panelists and a brief conversation amongst all the panelists will ensue.”

Audience members may submit questions, screened by a moderator, to any of the panelists. Following the speakers, a question-and-answer session will continue the conversation with the panelists informally.

The genesis of the event began last year during a discussion between Neil Manson, UM professor of philosophy, and a friend who is also an Ole Miss alumnus.

“He stopped by my office to talk about what he could do to promote civil discourse on campus,” Manson said. “We brainstormed several possibilities, but we kept returning to ideas that somehow involved our alumni.

“Was there a way to get them in conversation with one another about a hot-button issue, so that an audience could see how people of very differing opinions could have a genuine dialogue rather than just a shouting match?”

They ran their ideas by Mower, who liked the concept and agreed to take over organizing the event, placing it under the umbrella of the Dialogue Initiative, a series started by the Department of Philosophy and Religion.

“We decided that, for the initial Policy Talks, we would seek alumni who majored in philosophy,” Manson said. “They could showcase the relevance to civil discourse of the skills they learned as students here: the use of critical thinking and logic, the sensitivity to definitions and the need for charitable interpretation of one’s opponents.”

Steven Skultety, chair of the department, enthusiastically backed the idea.

“We think of our alumni as an incredible intellectual resource for furthering the mission of the university,” Skultety said. “We also believe that they can serve as role models for how smart and reflective citizens discuss difficult topics.”

Working with a faculty committee to select topics, Mower suggested examining religious freedom laws.

“We had several very strong contenders as topics for our first event, but no topic was a clear frontrunner,” she said. One weekend, Mower came across a newspaper article about a dispute in Georgia stemming from the state’s statutes.

“The second I read the article, I knew this was the perfect inaugural topic for us because it brings together the fields of philosophy and religion in our joint department,” Mower said.

Sarah Moses, associate professor of religion

With the topic in place, organizers began to select panelists with the appropriate expertise to address the issue. Faculty panelists are Matthew Hall, associate professor of law; Sarah Moses, associate professor of religion; and Amy McDowell, assistant professor of sociology. Guest panelists are UM philosophy alumni C.J. Rhodes (2004), Eleanor Ruffner (2001) and former Oxford Mayor Richard Howorth.

An Oxford native, Ruffner is an attorney and partner in Ruffner Schoenbaum PLLC, specializing in commercial litigation in Texas. She also teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law. Daughter of Ron Vernon, UM professor emeritus of music and a former associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Ruffner has been named the 2018 Texas Super Lawyer and a 2018 Texas Rising Star.

A Hazelhurst native, Rhodes is pastor at the Mount Helm Baptist Church in Jackson. Son of renowned civil rights attorney Carroll Rhodes Sr., he has published columns in the Jackson Free Press and the Mississippi Link, and he hosts “The CJ Rhodes Show” on WRBJ 97.7-FM.

Amy McDowell, assistant professor of sociology

Howorth is founder and owner of Square Books in Oxford, one of the country’s largest independent bookstores. Former chairman of the American Booksellers Association, he chairs the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Because religious freedom laws vary so much by state, Mower hopes to keep the conversation focused.

“Given the complexity of these issues and the law, as well as the fact that we only have a short time during this event, we want both our panelists and attendees to focus on religious freedom laws in Mississippi,” she said. “Because our society is so polarized, we rarely talk about complex moral and political issues, which merely breeds a greater lack of understanding and increases polarization.”

Religion major and Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors Collegesenior Samuel Brassell, of Olive Branch, wrote his honors thesis on the influence of Southern Baptists on a religious freedom bill that recently passed in Mississippi. Mower asked him for permission to use his thesis as a resource for Policy Talks. Brassell consented, and his thesis is posted online as a background reading resource to prepare panelists and attendees.

“We want to showcase current students and alumni and to integrate both the work of our current students do and the expertise of our alumni,” Mower said. “Our goal for Policy Talks is civil conversations with experts to examine policies that affect our lives. What could be more interesting than that?”

The event is sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and Religion, University Lecture Series, the Self Family Foundation, the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement and the Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hume Bryant Chair of Ethics.

For more information, visit https://philosophy.olemiss.edu/dialogue-initiative-policy-talks/.

Philosophy Chair Wins National Excellence in Academic Advising Award

Posted on: January 23rd, 2019 by erabadie

Steven Skultety recognized for service and support of students

JANUARY 23, 2019 BY EDWIN B. SMITH

Steven Skultety

Over the past few years, Steven C. Skultety has advised, encouraged and lent a compassionate ear to hundreds of students at the University of Mississippi. Now some of those same students are nominating him for awards – and he’s winning.

Skultety, chair and associate professor of philosophy and religion, has been honored with the 2018 Region 4 Certificate of Merit by the National Academic Advising Association. He was awarded the university’s Excellence in Advising Award last fall.

It’s fulfilling to hear students talk about their rewarding academic experiences at the university, said Skultety, who joined the Ole Miss faculty as an assistant professor in 2006.

“The aspect that I enjoy most is that advising presents me with an opportunity to be entirely constructive,” Skultety said. “The whole point of meeting with an advisee is to solve problems and identify best options.”

An alumnus of Northwestern University and the University of Montana, Skultety was promoted to his current position with the Department of Philosophy and Religion in 2012. Advising became a natural career path as he worked with students.

“Advising a diverse group of philosophy students over the course of several years has helped me better appreciate the inner workings and strengths of my own department,” he said. “While surveys and exit interviews are helpful, nothing compares to having extended conversations with students.”

In the College of Liberal Arts, Skultety is known for guiding aspiring students through degree paths and toward obtaining a profession. He’s also known for giving students either the compassion or motivational push needed when the pressures of college become overwhelming.

“The National Academic Advising Association is the gold standard for research, publications and best practices within the profession of academic advising,” said Travis Hitchcock, UM assistant director of advising who nominated Skultety for the award. “To be recognized by them is a huge achievement for Dr. Skultety, and highlights the university’s commitment to facilitating a quality advising program.”

The university and NACADA awards mark the first time that Skultety has been honored for his work with students, a distinction that is most fulfilling, he said.

“My job as adviser is very different from all my other roles,” Skultety said. “It is especially gratifying to know that my advising efforts have made enough of a difference in students’ lives that they nominated me with strong support.”

UM Delves into Ethics to Prepare Students to Debate Society’s Issues

Posted on: May 17th, 2018 by erabadie

New courses and competitions equip participants to engage in civil discussion

MAY 16, 2018 BY MICHAEL NEWSOM

UM Ethics Bowl team member Madison Bandler (second from left), discusses the question, ‘Should the standard of sexual consent be an affirmative verbal yes?’ during the Great Debate of 2018. Photo by Marlee Crawford/Ole Miss Communications

The University of Mississippi Department of Philosophy and Religion has created new classes, and conducts an annual Ethics Bowl and a Great Debate with the goal of equipping students to respectfully grapple with some of life’s most pressing questions.

Specialized ethics classes have become more common at universities around the country over the last 20 years against the backdrop of many high-profile scandals that involve unethical behavior. The department has courses on medical, environmental, professional and business ethics, among others.

Deborah Mower, an associate professor of philosophy, came to UM in 2016 and specializes in moral psychology, applied ethics and public policy, and moral education. Unlike many academic subjects that deal only with professional situations, the curriculum can be applied to all aspects of life, said Mower, whose work is supported by the Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hume Bryant Lectureship in Ethics Endowment.

Deborah Mower, associate professor of philosophy

“Everything is an ethical issue,” Mower said.

Films, books, the legal system and other aspects of our culture all have ethical theories imbued in them, so people pick up a variety of beliefs, but they can become a hodgepodge. Those beliefs don’t all fit together nicely, and in some context, one might apply one principle but ignore it in another situation.

This idiosyncrasy is problematic, Mower said.

The value of an ethics class is not just applying what is learned, but also figuring out how some of your beliefs fit into single coherent theories, she said. Seeing students figure this out is always rewarding, Mower said.

“You always get that moment in the semester when you are teaching them some particular theory and they get this ‘aha!’ look on their face where they’ve realized, ‘I’m a Kantian and I never knew it,’ or, ‘I’m a virtue theorist and I never knew it,’” she said.

Mower also praised the students on the first two UM Ethics Bowls teams, which competed in 2017 and 2018. They spent hours each week practicing, which included being questioned about specific topics by experts and applying their teachings to the answers they gave.

The UM Ethics Bowl participants also held a Great Debate of 2018 earlier this semester.

At the Great Debate, two groups handled the topic “Should the standard of sexual consent be an affirmative verbal ‘yes’?” One team spoke in favor of the “affirmative, verbal ‘yes’” while another spoke against it.

Their presentations were followed by judges’ questions and a question-and-answer session with emphasis on how to address specific claims and arguments civilly for a productive conversation. A reception afterward allowed students to discuss the issue further with attendees.

Madison Bandler, a senior biology major from Decatur, Illinois, completed a fellowship last year in which she worked at the UM Medical Center in Jackson. There, she learned about ethical issues surrounding medicine, which led her to begin taking classes under Mower.

Mower urged her to become involved with the Ethics Bowl, but she wasn’t immediately on board.

“I thought, ‘Oh, that sounds really complicated and intense; I don’t know,’” Bandler said. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I came to the first practice, but it ended up becoming one of the most influential and inspiring parts of my academic career.”

The team studied issues ranging from quarantines, euthanasia, a ban on Muslims and psychiatrists diagnosing someone with mental illness through television and without seeing them in a clinical setting, which is also known as “the Goldwater rule.” Exploring so many diverse topics with such great depths challenged her.

The coursework and competitions will serve the aspiring physician well, she said.

“I want to go to medical school, so I’ve always had an interest in medicine,” Bandler said. “To mold that with an interest in humanities and ethics is really something I’m passionate about.”

Ethan Davis, a senior philosophy major from Laurel, said he enjoyed the Ethics Bowl and Great Debate for one reason that might sound weird. He believes formal academic debate has grown stale, but the Ethics Bowl offers something new and different.

It is designed to begin a conversation, rather than win an argument. It rewards friendliness and the ability to engage the opposing team’s viewpoint in interesting ways. Ethics Bowl teams can actually agree.

“You find yourself using your response time to say things like, ‘We completely agree with your position, and here are some elements that we think are important that you didn’t get a chance to speak about. Could you elaborate on them?” Davis said.

Samantha Priest, a senior philosophy and psychology major from New Albany, said the Ethics Bowl taught her the importance of listening to other people’s opinions with a charitable mind, with the goal of finding the strongest, most rational interpretation of a speaker’s argument.

“It is not civil to ignore the strong points in another’s argument and focus on the weak points,” Priest said. “Focusing there only causes negative discourse, but being charitable allows for a positive discussion among people who disagree.”

It also drove home the importance of knowing that she not only needs to look at an issue from all perspectives, but also to consider solutions, she said.

“It is not enough to voice an opinion about an issue if the goal is progress,” Priest said. “Progress takes solutions, and the best way to get to progress is start by not only talking about the issues, but figuring out how to solve the issue in the most ethical way possible.”

Philosophy Professor Establishes Plantinga Reading Group at UM

Posted on: April 9th, 2018 by erabadie

APRIL 6, 2018 BY MICHAEL NEWSOM

Neil A. Manson, University of Mississippi professor of philosophy, has establish a reading group on the works of Alvin Plantinga, one of the world’s most influential philosophers of religion. Photo courtesy of Neil A. Manson

Neil A. Manson, University of Mississippi professor of philosophy, has established a reading group on the works of Alvin Plantinga, one of the world’s most influential philosophers of religion. Photo courtesy of Neil A. Manson

Neil A. Manson, University of Mississippi professor of philosophy, has used a grant from the Society of Christian Philosophers to establish a reading group on the works of one of the world’s most influential philosophers of religion.

In 2017, Alvin Plantinga, professor emeritus at Calvin College, won the prestigious Templeton Prize, which came with a $1.4 million award. Past winners of the prize, which honors a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, include Mother Teresa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama.

In honor of Plantinga’s achievement, the Society of Christian Philosophers awarded 25 colleges and universities $3,000 grants for 2017-18 for undergraduate reading groups on his works. The fund covers books, food and expenses.

Manson applied for and received one of the grants to establish an Ole Miss reading group, which convened last fall and will continue through April.

“Alvin Plantinga is perhaps the most influential living philosopher of religion,” Manson said. “The offer of a chance to read Plantinga’s works elicited a tremendous and enthusiastic response, with nearly 30 students across the University of Mississippi signing up.”

Select graduate students and other community members were allowed to participate in the group.

The group began with Plantinga’s “Warranted Christian Belief.” Manson said the book is Plantinga’s most thorough statement of the position that has come to be called “Reformed epistemology.” In October, the group also had lunch with Christopher Weaver, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Illinois, who discussed some central objections to Plantinga’s position.

This semester, the group is reading “Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism,” in which Plantinga argues, contrary to popular conceptions, that it is atheism, not theism, that is at odds with modern science.

“The Plantinga reading group has been incredibly informative, thought-provoking and fun,” said Aaron Graham, a recent graduate of the philosophy master’s program from Jackson. “We have enjoyed a guided tour of some of the principal arguments against the rationality of theistic belief, and against theistic belief’s compatibility with science.

“At each turn, Plantinga gave powerful rejoinders to those arguments.”

Manson agrees with Graham’s assessment and added that the university is fortunate to be able to have the experience with Plantinga’s works, thanks to the grant.

“Alvin Plantinga is a bold and brilliant thinker, a trenchant writer, an impeccable practitioner of analytic philosophy and one of the kindest people I have ever met,” Manson said. “He provides a model for how to address profound religious and philosophical disagreements in a civil manner. Reading his work is always enriching and enlightening.”

The reading group will conclude its work at the end of the month. Unused funds will go toward getting students additional books on related topics in the philosophy of religion, Manson said.

UM Museum Unveils 2017 Keepsake Ornament

Posted on: November 27th, 2017 by erabadie

This year’s design features popular 19th century scientific instrument

NOVEMBER 16, 2017 BY STAFF REPORT

The UM Museum’s 2017 keepsake ornament featuring Barlow’s Planetarium is available for purchase. Submitted photo

The University of Mississippi Museum has unveiled its 17th annual keepsake ornament, a design featuring the Barlow’s Planetarium, part of the collection of antique scientific instruments on display at the museum.

The planetarium, also known as an orrery, has a storied history with Ole Miss. Designer Thomas H. Barlow of Lexington, Kentucky, who created and sold several of these instruments to universities and museums throughout the United States, made the university’s orrery in 1854.

The ornaments alternate annually between highlights of the museum’s 20,000-object permanent collection, campus landmarks and sites around Oxford, said Robert Saarnio, museum director.

“This mid-19th century astronomical model occupies a place of great prominence in the museum’s exhibition galleries and is a much-beloved historical artifact of countless museum visitors,” Saarnio said. “All ornament sales proceeds directly support programs of the University Museum, and we are very grateful to those campus and community members for whom these collectibles are eagerly-awaited annual Museum Store offerings.”

In the late 1850s, Chancellor F.A.P. Barnard, who also served as chair and professor of mathematics, astronomy and natural philosophy, purchased the orrery for the university. The orrery and other scientific instruments were used in classrooms and laboratories until they became obsolete in the 1870s.

The planetarium aligns the planets based on a specific date. At the museum, the date is set to Nov. 7 1848, the day the university first opened its doors to students.

The Barlow’s Planetarium commemorative ornament is available for $25, plus tax. It can be purchased in the Museum Store or by phone with a credit card at 662-915-7073. A flat $7 shipping and handling fee will be added to all orders to be shipped within the 48 contiguous states, and all sales are final.

Orders must be placed by Dec. 13 to arrive in time for Christmas Day.

Collectible ornaments from previous years still available in the Museum Store include the Old Skipwith House, Brandt Memory House, Ventress Hall, Lafayette County Courthouse, Oxford City Hall, the Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Jersey, Theora Hamblett House, Theora Hamblett’s “Christmas Trees,” Walk of Champions, Oxford’s Double Decker Bus and the Herakles Neck Amphora. All previous year’s ornaments are $20, plus tax.

Museum members and Friends of the Museum receive a 10 percent discount on all merchandise in the Museum Store.

The University Museum is at the corner of University Avenue and Fifth Street. Holiday Hours for the Museum Store are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, and 10a.m.-6p.m. Saturdays.
Museum gallery visiting hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays.

For information about events and exhibits, visit https://museum.olemiss.edu/.

Religion Course Open to LOU Community

Posted on: August 28th, 2017 by erabadie

Free sessions focus on comparing Christianity and Islam

AUGUST 25, 2017 BY CHRISTINA STEUBE

Professor Mary Thurlkill will open her religion class to community members this fall. Photo by Robert Jordan Ole Miss Communications

Professor Mary Thurlkill will open her religion class to community members this fall. Photo by Robert Jordan UM Communications

A University of Mississippi professor is opening her fall religion course to people in the Lafayette-Oxford-University community, inviting them to come learn what both the Bible and the Quran teach on several topics.

The class, REL 300: Comparative World Religions: Bible and Quran, meets from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays at various religious establishments across Oxford.

The course is divided into four themes: sacred stories, ritual and performance, community and ethics, and death and afterlife. Mary Thurlkill, associate professor of religion, will discuss what both religious texts say about these topics.

This is the first time Thurlkill has opened the course to the community, but she hopes to try this format more in the future.

“It is one of our department’s main goals to encourage the academic study of religion,” Thurlkill said. “I hope such a class will appeal to a wide range of students interested in learning more about Christianity and Islam.”

She also said she wants to provide an opportunity to learn in a community setting, which she does not often get to do as a medieval historian.

“My natural habitat is a library surrounded by old, arcane texts,” she said. “What better ‘service’ to the community might we offer than an opportunity to engage in such dialogue and conversation?”

Besides Thurlkill’s lectures, the course will include videos and guest speakers.

One of those speakers in September is John Kaltner, religion professor at Rhodes College. Kaltner has published several books on introducing the Quran to readers more familiar with the Bible and will present some of his work about what the texts say about Moses, Abraham, Jesus and other notable figures.

The course will follow the semester schedule for students registered through the university, but it will run 12 weeks for nonstudents.

The first and last meetings of the class will be for Ole Miss students only. However, beginning Aug. 29 through Thanksgiving break, community members can attend the course at no charge. At each meeting, a reception from 5:30 to 6 p.m. will serve as a break for students and an opportunity for fellowship for all participants.

“Community engagement plays an important part in our university’s mission,” said Steven Skultety, associate professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. “Professor Thurlkill’s innovative class serves as a wonderful example of how faculty in higher education can better serve the citizens of our city and state.”

UM students will complete scholarly readings and assignments as well as design and host an “Interreligious Dialogue Conference” in November, which also will feature guest speakers.

“I have students from a wide range of majors already registered for the class, and I’ve tried to tailor the course a bit to their various skill sets,” she said. “For example, some students will be responsible for marketing and advertising the conference while others will document the sessions and provide podcasts for community groups.”

Space is limited at some of the venues, so community members interested in taking the course should register by contacting Thurlkill at maryt@olemiss.edu or 662-202-7536.

The Department of Philosophy and Religion 2016 Newsletter

Posted on: December 13th, 2016 by erabadie

Click to read a note from Steven Skultety, chair and associate professor of philosophy and religion, introducing three new faculty members—Deborah Mower, associate professor of philosophy; Kristy Slominski, instructional assistant professor of religion; and Shem Miller, instructional assistant professor of religion—along with spotlights on students Madison Gable and Keri Crum; alumni Thomas Chandler and John Kimble; and faculty Donovan Wishon, assistant professor of philosophy, and Sarah Moses, assistant professor of religion.

Study USA Philosophy Course Allows Student Immersion

Posted on: November 30th, 2015 by erabadie

UM students leave the classroom to explore issues during two-week Wintersession terms

OCTOBER 19, 2015 | By PAM STARLING

UM students (from left) Robert Lucas, Rachel Marsh, Jenna Campbell and Foy Stevenson visit the Federal Bureau of Investigations headquarters in Washington, D.C., in January. They met with numerous officials concerning environmental ethics issues as part of the UM Study USA program.

UM students (from left) Robert Lucas, Rachel Marsh, Jenna Campbell and Foy Stevenson visit the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. They met with numerous officials concerning environmental ethics issues as part of Philosophy Professor Neil Manson’s Environmental Ethics Course.

Most University of Mississippi faculty members will say that “seeing a light bulb go on” when a student truly connects with the subject matter is one of the most rewarding parts of their profession. It is that passion for sharing knowledge and creative ideas that is driving many UM faculty members to create learning experiences that go outside the four walls of a classroom.

In its seventh year, the university Study USA program is assisting faculty members as they work to put students in direct contact with research and experts who hold firsthand experience in a variety of subjects.

“The knowledge and practical applications that my students learn in two weeks is more than I could ever teach them in a classroom for a whole semester,” said Neil Manson, UM assistant professor of philosophy, about his Study USA Environmental Ethics course. “Through this program, my students have the opportunity to see how these environmental policy issues are playing out each and every day in real-life situations. The opportunity to meet these key players in D.C. is just an invaluable learning experience.”

During the upcoming Wintersession break in January 2016, students in various disciplines can take advantage of opportunities to immerse themselves in academic courses during one or two-week excursions. Hospitality management in Las Vegas, a civil rights road trip around the Southeast and journalism in New Orleans are just a few of the classes scheduled for Wintersession 2016.

Manson taught Philosophy 345: Environmental Ethics, which deals with the human relationship with the environment, during the 2012 and 2015 Wintersession terms.

Students spent the first week on the Oxford campus. During this time, Thomas Moorman, Southern region director for Ducks Unlimited, spoke to the class about the mission of the organization that serves as the United States’ largest wetlands conservation group. Students also toured the UM wastewater treatment facility and heard about the environmental work that plant supervisor David Adkisson is engaged in.

The next week, the class traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with legislators, activist groups and other officials involved in U.S. environmental issues, including U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, who chairs the Senate agricultural committee.

“Senior staff members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and well as members of Senator Cochran’s staff gave us insight on how the U.S. farm bill is crafted each year and discussed the Keystone and XL pipelines,” Manson recalled. “These are important environmental decisions that our government is debating right now, and they will have a major impact on the next generation of Americans.”

Students also visited BIO, the biotechnology industry organization, to learn more about the controversies surrounding genetically modified foods and how they might affect the food supply in the future. They also visited with officials from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to discuss both sides of the animal rights and food supply issues.

For the fourth time in as many years, Manson will lead a group of students to Washington during UM’s Wintersession 2016 term, this time for his class in medical ethics.

“If I had not taken this course, I would never have become as interested in medical ethical issues that are on the forefront of health care legislation right now,” said Hannah Hudson, a May 2015 UM graduate.

Hudson participated in the Study USA Biomedical Ethics course during Wintersession 2014 and is now pursuing a master’s degree in bioethics at Emory University.

“The Study USA course I participated in has opened so many doors for my future,” said Jenna Campbell, a junior political science major from Palatine, Illinois. “I’ve learned how crucial learning outside the classroom can be.”

UM Outreach Director of College Programs Laura Antonow agrees.

“Dr. Manson’s courses have been such eye-openers for students,” Antonow said. “Ethics exist in real life. It’s not just something that was discussed in ancient Greece. These discussions and policy decisions based on these issues are happening now in Washington, and this Study USA course helps students to see how this affects all of us.”

Jimmy Thomas: Influencing Writing Through Southern Culture

Posted on: August 31st, 2015 by erabadie

By Ellen Whitaker | Courtesy of The Daily Mississippian Rebel Guide: Orientation 2015

Jimmy Thomas | Photo by Ellen Whitaker

Wander through the maze of Barnard Observatory, past multiple rows of dark wood bookcases, and begin at the base of the curved stairwell, not the main one, but the one off to the right. Climb two sets of pre-Civil War stair- wells and land in Jimmy Thomas’ office. Seriously, land in it—no door, no office number, no secretary answering a phone. Just look up and be greeted by a light-infused circular room and a soft, friendly smile from Thomas himself.

Thomas is the associate director for publications at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, located in the east wing of Barnard Observatory on the University of Mississippi campus. Thomas has not only worked for the Center since 2003, but he also is an adjunct professor in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric.

“I came on board to work on the New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture,” Thomas said. “It is a 24-volume encyclopedia ranging from everything from religion in the South to race. It includes things like art and architecture, language, ethnicity, literature, the environment and so on. I originally came on as a project manager, and we would publish about four a year.”

Ted Ownby, director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, said that Thomas’ knack for making sure that the encyclopedias were published on time was impressive. “First of all, Jimmy is a really good editor,” Ownby said. “He is extraordinary with deadlines. I think 23 of the 24 volumes of the New Encyclopedia came out on time. I think that is virtually unheard of in academic publishing history. So, he holds up to those standards, that no, we do not publish roughly on time—we publish on time.”

Thomas grew up in the Mississippi Delta, specifically Leland and Greenville, and graduated from UM with a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy in 1994 and a master’s degree in Southern Studies in 2007. After finishing his master’s, Thomas began teaching Liberal Arts 102, which is an alternative to Writing 102 and is offered through the Department of Writing and Rhetoric. LIBA 102, a first-year seminar, is only available for freshmen students to take after they have completed a 101 writing course.

Thomas said that the advantage of taking LIBA 102 instead of Writing 102 is that students would be taking a research writing course from an expert in that subject, whether it is Southern Studies or even engineering.

Sara Seckman, senior communication sciences and disorders major from Atlanta, took Thomas’ class in the spring of her freshman year. “I was told that LIBA classes were a fun alternative to writing courses,” Seckman said. “I saw that the subject was Southern Studies and thought that it would be cool. We are Ole Miss, and I feel like it is the epicenter of Southern studies.”

Seckman said that Thomas is her favorite professor at UM.

“He was the first professor in college that just made me feel like that I could do it, like I could conquer the class,” Seckman said. “I really got into my final research project, because I enjoyed the class so much. He just made me feel like a great student. He is passionate about what he does, and it really comes out in his teaching.”

In Thomas’ research writing class, each student writes three research papers—two shorter papers and one eight- to 10-page paper. For the final project, students pick an iconic Southern person, place, thing or event and write about it.

“I chose to write about voodoo in New Orleans for my final project,” Seckman said. “I called some shops down there and had these crazy conversations with some crazy people that I would have never talked to before. He gave us free rein and let us get creative with it.”

Getting the students to be engaged intellectually and to care about the subject that they are writing about is how Thomas said he influences his students’ greater understanding of writing.

“If you are interested in the topic, if you want to know more about it, then you are going to do better,” Thomas said. “But getting them to care about language—the way we communicate—is a big challenge. But if you can do that, then you are kind of there.”

Thomas said that his favorite parts about teaching are getting to know the students and watching them improve their writing over the course of the semester.

“They do not have to be Faulkner when they walk out of my class, but if they can walk out of the class and feel like they have accomplished something, then that makes it worthwhile.”

Law School’s Affiliated Faculty Program Brings Innovative Approach to Scholarship, Teaching

Posted on: October 24th, 2014 by erabadie

October 22, 2014

The University of Mississippi School of Law recently approved its first four affiliated faculty as part of the law school’s new affiliated faculty program: John Green from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology; Steven Skultety from the Department of Philosophy and Religion; and John Winkle from the Department of Political Science, and Robert Mongue from the Department of Legal Studies.

“The Law School’s new Affiliated Faculty Program is meant to promote creative collaborations in teaching, research and service between law faculty and other UM faculty,” said Jack Nowlin, associate dean for faculty development and professor at the law school. “There is so much scholars from different fields can learn from working with each other. Our work only gets better when we collaborate across disciplines.”

The law school hopes this program will increase collaborative activities such interdisciplinary participation in the law school’s academic workshop program, joint sponsorship of speaking events, joint research projects and team-teaching.

UM faculty recognized as law school affiliates will appear on the law school’s faculty page with that title and will also receive special invitations to attend law school speaking events and participate in workshop programs.

Each of the law school’s four new affiliated faculty members is an outstanding UM faculty scholar with a solid history of interdisciplinary collaborations with the law school.

Professor John Green is an associate professor of sociology and director of the Center for Population Studies. His interests include community development, health and health care, limited resource and minority farmers, and the social dimensions of disaster. He has worked with the law school’s transactional clinic and engaged in joint research projects with Professor Desiree Hensley.

“I am elated to be an affiliated faculty member with the School of Law,” Green said. “As a research center director and faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, I am working on a wide range of applied programs in community development, agrifood systems and health. This association with the School of Law has expanded the reach of my work and my professional connections.”

Steven Skultety is an associate professor of philosophy and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. Professor Skultety’s interests lie in ancient philosophy, especially the work of Aristotle, and in republican and democratic theory. Skultety’s collaborations with the law school include co-sponsoring speaking events and regularly participating in the law school’s faculty writing groups.

“Philosophy and law both rest on an ability to make clear and persuasive arguments,” Skultety said. “Whenever I work with my colleagues in the Law School, I’m struck by how much we have in common. Anyone who attends one of our co-sponsored events – like our annual Constitution Day talk or the Jack Dunbar lecture in philosophy and law – will also see the similarities. As an affiliated faculty member, I’m looking forward to continuing my own collaboration with law professors, and I’m also excited to search for new ways the Law School and the Department of Philosophy and Religion can work together.”

John Winkle is professor emeritus with the Department of Political Science. Over his 40 year career, he has taught courses on constitutional law, judicial politics the American legal process, and many other topics. He has published numerous articles on wide range of subjects such as lobbying by federal judges before Congress, state-federal judicial councils and the political role played by the administrative office of the U.S. courts. Winkle’s long history of collaborations with law faculty include team-teaching, participating in joint speaking events and circulating drafts to law faculty for comment.

“I am delighted to be a law school faculty affiliate and look forward to continued work with my colleagues in the law school,” said Winkle. “Some of my fondest associations over the years have been with active and retired law school faculty whom I am pleased to call my friends.”

Robert Mongue, associate professor of legal studies, has had over 30 years’ experience practicing law in addition to his academic accomplishments. He specializes in paralegal education and is the author of the “Empowered Paralegal” book series. His collaborations with the law school include giving guest lectures, organizing interdisciplinary speaking events and working on projects to better integrate graduate and undergraduate legal education.

“I look forward to the opportunity to strengthen the bond between the law school and the Legal Studies Department, especially the Paralegal Studies Program,” Mongue said. “While my previous communications have focused on those of our students who intend to apply for admission to law school, I think that it would be just as helpful to both paralegal students preparing for careers as paralegals and law students preparing for careers as attorneys to engage each other during their education for purposes of improving their working relationships when that education is complete.”

UM faculty interested in collaborative opportunities with the law school should contact Associate Dean Jack Nowlin. UM faculty may apply for affiliated faculty status by sending Dean Richard Gershon a curriculum vitae along with materials highlighting recent collaborative activities with law faculty. A copy of the law school policy is available here: Affiliated Faculty Policy.

Learn more about these affiliated faculty members on the faculty directory page.