HISTORY – Professor and Humanities Hub Director James Burns presented on the Humanities Hub’s Mellon Foundation Teacher Scholar Grant at two national conferences in Washington D.C. The first was the Annual Conference of the Assocation of Undergraduate Educating Research Universities. The second presentation, with a different cohort of Teacher-Scholars, was at the Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
HISTORY – Professor Vernon Burton appeared with Andrew Sullivan on NPR’s The Middle with Jeremy Hobson to discuss the topic “Is democracy really at risk?” in January. On Feb. 4, Burton was the lead historian for an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on maintaining the integrity of the Georgia election system (Case S25A0490 Brief of AmiciCuiae History Professors in Support of Appellees External Vigilance Action, inc., et al.). Burton has also been appointed to the South Carolina Sesquicentennial Commission (SC250) Advisory Council for Scholars to assist the Commission in helping shape educational programming, public history initiatives, and commemorations that highlight South Carolina’s essential contributions to the Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution. On Feb. 3, he spoke at Wofford College on the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina. On Feb. 13-14, he participated in a radio program in Chicago on Abraham Lincoln’s legacy and a conference at the University of Illinois on Lincoln and Liberty. Lastly, on Feb. 25, he chaired a panel as a commissioner at the annual conference of the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission at the State Archives.
LANGUAGES – Jody Cripps, Associate Professor of American Sign Language, and his colleague, Dr. Anita Small had published a chapter titled “Exploring the Creation of Lyrics, Composition, and Performance in Signed Music” in “Lights: The Real Us Behind the Scenes & Activity Guide.”
ENGLISH – Assistant Professor Stevie Edwards’ poem “Father’s Day” was featured as The Best American Poetry’s “Pick of the Week.” Additionally, their poems “Heat Wave,” “After Watching Thelma & Louise,” and “With Wings” were published in The Screen Door, a journal for literary voices of the queer south.
PHILOSOPHY – Assistant Professor Quinn Hiroshi Gibson published a chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Delusion, edited by Ema Sullivan-Bissett. It was published early in the year, though I don’t know exactly when. His chapter, ‘Delusion and Rationality’, (Chapter 14, pp. 214–227) discusses the philosophical positions on the relation between delusions and rationality and argues that delusions are best understood as irrational beliefs, as opposed to non-beliefs, or rational beliefs. He further argues that, given this interpretation, delusions should be modeled in terms of where the irrationality enters, at the stage of entertainment, the stage of formation, or the stage of maintenance.
Hiroshi Gibson also published a post on the American Philosophical Association’s blog entitled ‘Reconciling the Manifest and Scientific Images of Addiction‘ in which he argues that by appealing to a leading neuroscientific theory of addiction, we can make progress understanding addiction in ordinary interpersonal, psychological, and moral terms.
RELIGIOUS STUDIES – Associate Professor Elizabeth Jemison has joined the Steering Committee of the Afro-American Religious History Group of the American Academy of Religion, where she will serve a three-year term.
PHILOSOPHY – Professor Charlie Kurth’s paper, “Shames and Selves: On the Origins and Cognitive Foundations of a Moral Emotion” was accepted at the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, the premier venue for philosophical research on the sciences. In the paper, Kurth draws on work from a range of disciplines—philosophy, anthropology, psychology, primatology, cognitive science and history—to argue that evolutionary forces equipped humans with a distinctly moral form of shame.
ENGLISH – The Writing Program Administrators (WPA) team composed of Associate Professor Michelle Smith, Senior Lecturer Mary Nestor, and Post-Doctoral Fellows Kelly Sauskojus, Matthew Burchanoski, and Jagadish Paudel participated in and presented at the Carolinas Writing Program Administrators Meeting on February 7 at Furman University in Greenville, SC. The presentation, “Questions From a WPA Team,” was a roundtable discussion featuring Smith’s reflections on a plan for transitioning and changing Clemson’s first-year writing (FYW) program. Smith highlighted the introduction of a new WPA postdoctoral fellows’ program and topics for revising the first-year curriculum, which incorporates inquiry-based research and reflective writing.
PERFORMING ARTS – Visiting Assistant Professor Kimbery Souther has been appointed to the Executive Board of the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) as Chair of Development. In this role, she will help CODA activate their strategic plan, increase enrollment, develop methods for financial contributions, and improve the quality and impact of publications, policies, advertising, and fund-raising. The chair of development also implements new policies and aids the organization in increasing accessibility and effectiveness for all collegiate orchestra directors and graduate students.
HISTORY – On February 1, 2025, D’Ondre Swails, Assistant Professor of History and Global Black Studies, delivered the keynote address at the 44th annual King’s Feast hosted by the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. The event celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
LANGUAGES – Éric Touya published the new book Penser la ruralité en Aquitaine : Saubusse (1930-2020). Héritage, Territoire, Transmission (Bordeaux: Presses Universitaires de Bordeaux) The book explores France’s past and present from a rural perspective, a topic not often studied or understood. It examines the transformations of rural France over the past century (including the collapse of agriculture and the rise of technology and globalization) and what these changes mean for our perception of what constitutes a community, the common good, civic engagements, democratic values, and the future of France. The book has been reviewed by Damien Bouhours in Le Petit Journal.com, Philippe Miquel: “Landes: l’histoire du village de Saubusse sous la loupe d’un universitaire américain”, in Sud-Ouest, and Nathalie Benoy in Radio France Bleu Gascogne on January 12, 2025 ; Histoire et Sociétés Rurales, Vol. 63, 2025, and Dalhousie French Studies: Revues d’études littéraires du Canada, Vol. 127, 2025.
