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Welcome back, Dr. Joe Paul!

Southern Miss's 11th President

Just a few weeks ago, I was honored to be named the eleventh President of the University of Southern Mississippi. I have been working hard these past few months to remind us all of our unique Southern Miss culture; one of grit. At Southern Miss, we chase audacious goals with passion and persistence. We never give up and never give in as we take our university To The Top. I’m thrilled to kick off this issue of the School of Humanities newsletter. Faculty and students in English, History, Philosophy, and Religion represent the soul of our University and our unique culture. Our Humanities faculty, students and alumni help us to stay ethically centered, and to think broadly and inclusively. The rich history of the Humanities of Southern Miss unites, fortifies, and makes us better. At Southern Miss, we must always remember that at our core, we are a human enterprise.  Keep reading for a taste of accomplishments from our Humanities community. And next time you see me on the USM campuses or around town, I hope you’ll say hello. Southern Miss to the Top! 

Faculty Spotlight on

Dr. Shane Wood

I am the director of composition and assistant professor of English at the University of Southern Mississippi, where I teach undergraduate classes in first-year writing, digital literacies, public writing and rhetoric, and a graduate course in composition theory and pedagogy. My main aim as the director of composition is to support students and instructors. As a writing program administrator (WPA), I prioritize listening and value collaboration. I care about establishing relationships with students and colleagues, becoming aware of issues and concerns within classrooms, and constructing practices and policies that are meaningful and equitable. Some of my responsibilities include designing and developing first-year writing curriculum, overseeing our mentoring program, collaborating with Composition faculty, leading orientations, and conducting program assessment. One of my goals as WPA is to advocate for first-year writing students and instructors, and to make visible the dynamic nature of our classes. First-year writing encourages students to be curious, think critically, analyze, innovate, discover, synthesize, summarize, research, and make meaning about how reading and writing work within their communities and the world. 


Alumni Spotlight on

Autumn Sobel

Autumn graduated in 2017 with a degree in History and currently works as an Account Manager with Alcon Vision care, previously Autumn worked as a Zone Business Manager at Frito Lay North America. As someone who holds a degree unlike many in the sales field, she has been able to make unique contributions to her teams and provide insight from a different perspective than that of her colleagues.  Autumn credits the History department at Southern Miss with developing key analytical skills that have contributed to her success. Additionally, the rigorous course work and consistent deadlines taught her invaluable time management skills necessary for her current role.  Autumn considers her decision to pursue a degree in history at Southern Miss an integral part of her career success to date!

Humanities Career Pathways
Join USM's Exclusive House of Humanities LinkedIn Group!

Graduate Student Spotlight on

Katrina Gaffney

Katherine Gaffney, a second-year PhD student in USM’s Center for Writers, recently won the Tampa Review Prize for Poetry. This prize includes publication by Tampa University Press in both soft and hard cover of her first full-length collection Fool in a Blue House along with $2,000This manuscript is a revised version of her MFA thesis—Gaffney completed her MFA at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. What follows is an excerpt from the Tampa Reviewjudges’ praise “[I]n choosing this extraordinary year-spanning Fool in a Blue House as the winner of the Tampa Review Prize for Poetry, we were struck by Gaffney’s intense working between curation and assurance, this against the poetic life and body in its ongoing amendments of scale.” Gaffney is also the author of a chapbook Once Read as Ruin.


Undergraduate Student Spotlight on

Mikayla Moore

I am Mikayla Moore, a senior at USM, majoring in Philosophy. I thoroughly enjoy my major and find it to be truly interesting as I progress daily in my problem-solving capacities. I find philosophy to be very important as it helps me with my daily life, motivating me to be a better person. Philosophy gives me the freedom to improve how I evaluate certain situations, as well as advance my critical thinking skills. As for my personal interest, I love to go to the gym and engage with nature. Recently, I’ve found myself very pleased with taking long walks as a way to release anxiety and stress. I also enjoy reading. I must say, going to school, working, and making time for my personal life is no easy task; however, I would do it all over again as my time at the University of Southern Miss has been absolutely amazing. 

Mississippi Book Festival:

A Literary Lawn Party!


In August, at the 2022 Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson, MS, the School of Humanities showed up and showed well! Graduate students from the Center for Writers including Brooke Harries, Tyler Smith, and Keri Miller taught a writing workshop for conference attendees. Dr. Adam Clay moderated the Poetry Panel and represented The Mississippi Review as editor-in-chief, along with graduate student editors Corinne Deckers and Brooke Harries. The Centers for Digital Humanities and Oral History & Cultural Heritage were also represented by Drs Susannah Ural and Kevin Greene, respectively. Dr. Olivia Clare Friedman was a featured author at the Mississippi Book Festival's Coast Kick-Off Event in Pass Christian, MS. At the festival in Jackson, she was on a panel titled "Southern Fiction." She was also interviewed about her debut novel HERE LIES for the festival's podcast, "Write On, Mississippi." And finally, our School of Humanities Director Matthew Casey served as a moderator for a panel called "History on the Open Sea." That panel was filmed for C-Span2, and you can watch it on their website.

Affiliate Center Faculty from the School of Humanities include:


Dr. Sam Bruton (Philosophy)

Dr. Emily Stanback (English)

Dr. Ian Dunkle (Philosophy)

Dr. John Winters (History)

The Center for Ethics and Health Humanities


This organization sponsored a recent screening of the film Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution in the Joe Paul Theater. Jim LeBrecht, the co-director of the documentary then joined the audience from his home in Berkeley for a Q&A following the showing. This fall, the Center will also host a panel discussion on November 7th focused on the issue of disability accommodation and recent lawsuits filed against the Disney corporation. The panel will include three prominent disabilities scholars and a lawyer who represents some of the Disney plaintiffs.  In general, the Center hosts events and activities related to ethics and its intersection with medicine, disabilities, and other health-related matters. The featured topic for the 2022-2023 academic year is disabilities. See the website for more details: https://www.usm.edu/humanities/center-ethics-health-hu



School of Humanities Faculty Bookshelf

Dr. Joseph Peterson's book Sacred Rivals: Catholic MIssions and the Making of Islam in Nineteenth-Century France and Algeria will be forthcoming with Oxford UP in January 2023.


Dr. John C. Winters's forthcoming book The Amazing Iroquois and the Invention of the Empire State

is also forthcoming with Oxford UP in January 2023!

School of Humanities Grad Student Bookshelf

David Greenspan's book of poems One Person Holds So Much Silence was published by Driftwood Press in March 2022.

Jennifer Poison Peterson's chapbook Must Resemble Leisure was published by Seven Kitchens Press in August 2022. It was selected bt Ron Mohring as Number 3 in Volume Ten of the Summer Kitchen Chapbook Series.


Want to support the School of Humanities and our work? Click here

Engaging with a wide range of ethical questions, this season's Philosophy and Religion Forum brought brilliant scholars from Columbia University, Northeastern University,and Rice University to campus to share their work!

USM Games Studies Group


The USM Game Studies Group, created and advised by Dr. Craig Carey (English), is a student organization that explores the literary, aesthetic, and narrative affordances of contemporary video games. Comprised of faculty, alumni, and students, the group hosts and organizes game jams, critical forums and discussions, live streaming events, workshops and tutorials, and other gaming activities. It also publishes the online student journal Quest Log, which features student writing about games, and hosts an annual Interactive Writing contest called “Texts and Twine,” which showcases games designed and composed by students. The group has an active Discord server with 175+ members and meets twice a month in LAB 334 to play and discuss games, write and design games, and collaborate on game-related projects. For more information about the group, email Dr. Carey (craig.carey@usm.edu).

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Dr. LaPierre


Dr. Luckhardt

Humanities Current Events Series


On September 29th, Dr. Brian LaPierre delivered a lecture titled: "The Death of Gorbachev and the Origins of Putin's War in Ukraine." This talk followed upon the death of the former President of the Soviet Union in August and addressed his pivotal role in Russian history. Dr. LaPierre also continued his analysis of the significance of the ongoing struggle in Ukraine.




On November 2, Dr. Courtney Luckhardt gave a lecture titled "Witches! Demons! The Medieval History of Halloween." There was candy, and costumes were welcome and encouraged. This event is jointly sponsored by USM's History Club and by the School of Humanities' lecture series on current events. 

Common Read Launch Party


On September 20, the first-year writing program hosted the Common Read Book Launch Party for our English 100e students. The event included catered food, instructor reflections on the book, videos from the author, door prizes, a photobooth, and more. This year students read Elizabeth Acevedo's Clap When You Land. The Common Read event was led by Kelli Sellers, the Basic Writing Program Coordinator. You can check out what students had to say about the book by searching #USMCR22 on Instagram.  


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