Program History
Ph.D. in Arts, Literature, and Religion
Completed in May 2023, my major focus for this degree was in the area of Arts, Literature, and Religion. As such, my coursework focused around how art and literature reflect religious ideas, such as ethics, community-building, identity-construction, and healing. We explored these ideas in art and literature both through the symbols that art offers, but also how the forms of art and literature create space to explore personal identity, connect with others, and find meaning and healing together. My coursework culminated in a doctoral dissertation, To Cuiviénen There is No Return: English and American Fantasy Literature as a Second Hagiography, under the direction of Dr. Carolyn M. Jones Medine (Committee: Dr. Sarah Bogue, Dr. Jonathan Evans, and Dr. Wayne Coppins).
Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies
The Museum Studies Certificate at UGA focuses on developing knowledge and skills in museum practice, particularly around museum ethics, community engagement, and collection diversity as they relate to museum history. Completed in May 2023, my coursework included a focus on Art Museums and Special Collections Libraries, with an emphasis on museum education and curation. The interdisciplinary nature of this certificate encouraged me to bring my knowledge of Art, Literature, and Religion into the sphere of museums to utilize museum curation and education for meaning-making and healing.
Master of Theological Studies
Completed in May 2018, the coursework for this degree included a mix of Church History, Biblical Studies/Languages, and Ethics. Longterm, the most transformational courses for me were related to early Christian theology of saints and the Holy Spirit and ethics courses on pain, suffering, and the Holocaust. My coursework culminated in a masters thesis, The Fall of Angelomorphic Pneumatology: A Theological History of Alexandria under the direction of Dr. Susan Hylen.
Bachelor of Arts
Completed in May 2016, I majored in Religion and minored in Biology. Religion coursework included surveys of major world religions, with an emphasis on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I was especially interested in the History of Theology and Theologies of Sin and Suffering. I initially entered school with the desire to study Biology, but fell in love with my first Religion class and decided to change my primary area of study. I still wanted to explore Biology, hwoever, so I kept a minor to take courses that interested me, such as Herpetology and Marine Biology.