2012 Rhodes Institute Faculty

Milton C. Moreland, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Chair of the Program in Archaeology, is the Director of the Rhodes Institute for Regional Studies. He teaches courses in the Search and Life curricula. An archaeologist and scholar of early Christianity, Prof. Moreland has worked on excavations at ancient archaeological sites in Israel and Cyprus. His publications include articles on Roman period Galilee and Jerusalem and two books on the sayings of Jesus. Prof. Moreland also directs the Rhodes archaeology field school at the Ames Plantation in Fayette County, Tennessee. Research opportunities in the 2012 Institute include projects on the history, material culture, environment, or economics of Memphis and the local area; and studying economic development issues related to slavery and plantation life. 


John Bass, Director of the Mike Curb Institute for Music and Assistant Professor of Music, directs the Rhodes Jazz Ensemble and teaches courses on the Music of Africa and African American Music. Dr. Bass holds two degrees in jazz performance from the University of Southern Mississippi (B.M.) and the University of Memphis (M.M.), and a Ph.D. in historical musicology from the University of Memphis. He has presented scholarly papers at national and international conferences and his articles have appeared in Early Music and Performance Practice Review. He is also a contributor to the New Grove Dictionary of American Music (2nd edition).  Opportunities in the 2012 Institute will focus on the musical traditions of Memphis and students will work with the Mike Curb Institute and local music organizations to research and preserve these traditions. Specific research areas could include looking at the rich musical traditions of local high schools and researching the early years of Sun Recording Artists Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash.


Thomas S. Bremer, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, teaches classes on American religious history, including courses on Religious Diversity in America, American Sacred Space, and The Music of Memphis Religions.  He is author of the book, Blessed with Tourists: The Borderlands of Religion and Tourism in San Antonio, which recounts the history of religious tourist attractions in San Antonio, Texas.  He also has authored articles on religious tourism, pilgrimage, sacred space, and displays of religion in museums, and is currently working on a college textbook of American religious history.  Opportunities in the 2012 Institute include historical, sociological, anthropological, or phenomenological research on “religion” broadly construed in the mid-south region.


A. Victor Coonin, Associate professor of Art History and Chair of the Art Department, teaches courses in Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Art History.  He is widely published in his field of Italian Renaissance Art, having authored numerous catalogue and encyclopedia contributions and major articles in leading academic journals.  A former Fulbright fellow to Italy, his research has been supported by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The Samuel H. Kress Foundation, among others. Opportunities in the 2012 Institute will focus on art-related projects, especially ones that engage with the community. Examples might include research initiatives that utilize the resources and collections of local museums or the making of art work that somehow reaches a broad local audience through content or exhibition. Topics will vary according to student interest.

Liz Daggett is an Assistant Professor in Art, and teaches courses in photography and filmmaking. She is also the Director of CODA, the Center for Outreach in the Development of the Arts, www.rhodes.edu/coda, has made many award-winning documentaries and experimental films, and was named an “expert” in documentary film by the US State Department. As part of the Rhodes Institute in 2012, she will supervise students interested in making short documentary, narrative, animated, or experimental films that relate to Memphis or the region. Some video and editing experience required. Please contact daggette@rhodes.edu with questions.


Leigh M. Johnson, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, teaches courses in social/political philosophy, ethics and contemporary European philosophy, including courses on Existentialism, Humanism and Human Rights, Feminist Theory and the Philosophy of Race.  She is also a participating faculty member in Rhodes′ African-American Studies Program, the Gender and Sexuality Studies program, and the interdisciplinary-humanities Search for Values program.  Her research and publications primarily focus on issues of justice, democracy, human rights and their violation.  In the 2012 Institute, she will direct research projects focused on “questions of (moral, political, or aesthetic) value.”  Students interested in philosophy, political theory, ethics, aesthetics, democracy and law should contact Professor Johnson for more information about her projects.

 

Charles McKinney, Associate Professor of History, is a specialist in African-American history and twentieth century U.S. social history, particularly the history of the Civil Rights Movement. He is the author of Greater Freedom: The Evolution of the Civil Rights Struggle in Wilson, North Carolina, which chronicles a movement from the 1930s to the 1970’s. His current research focuses on the impact of local leadership on civil rights activity in Memphis, and his regional interests include the history of segregation, civil rights, and social justice movements in Memphis.  Opportunities in the 2012 Institute include historical research on Civil Rights activity in Memphis and surrounding communities; research on African American political activity in Memphis; and gender dynamics within the Civil Rights movement.