The Center
People2006-2007 CSRC Graduate Fellows
Elizabeth Covington is a graduate student in the Department of English at Vanderbilt University. Elizabeth obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa with a major in Religious Studies and a minor in Chemistry. In 2002, she completed a Master of Arts in Religion (Ethics) at Yale University and subsequently worked in medical ethics and regulatory compliance at Baylor College of Medicine and Tulane University until deciding to obtain her Ph.D. in English Literature. Elizabeth's studies at Vanderbilt focus on 20th century American and British literature, narrative theory, and the employment of religious and medical imagery in narratives of war.
Jon Hansen is a graduate student in the History Department at Vanderbilt University. He graduated from UCLA in 2004 with a B.A. in Religious Studies and a minor in Philosophy. After graduating Jon spent two years working for Campus Crusade for Christ, a Christian missions organization. Jon's studies at Vanderbilt focus on 20th century American history, with an emphasis on the interplay between religion and popular culture.
Leah Payne is a graduate student in the History and Critical Theories of Religion (HACTOR) program in the Graduate Department of Religion at Vanderbilt University. In 2006 she earned a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School. Leah's research interests include studying Pentecostal hermeneutics within its context in the United States, as well as how this very American religious tradition is necessarily modified when translated to a Latin American context.
2005-2006 CSRC Graduate Fellows
Louis Betty is a graduate student in the French Department at Vanderbilt University. He graduated from California State University, Bakersfield, with a double major in French and Religious Studies. His personal interests range from philosophy, philosophy of language, and linguistics, all the way to parapsychology and paranormal studies. Religious studies and French fall somewhere in between. As an exemplar of interdisciplinarity, Louis aims to pursue research interests that satisfy all the various university entities with which he is affiliated, while keeping true to his own passions.
Kyle Galbraith is in the Ethics program in the Graduate Department of Religion at Vanderbilt University. He graduated from Vanderbilt Divinity School with an MTS degree in May 2005. His research revolves around religious understandings of genetic information and religious dimensions of access to health care.
2004-2005 CSRC Graduate Fellows
Katy Attanasi is a student in the Ethics and Society Ph.D. program in the Graduate Department of Religion at Vanderbilt University. She earned a Masters of Theological Studies (2003) and Masters of Education in International Education (2004) from Harvard University. Katy's broad research interest is in how Pentecostal churches are addressing HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Ipsita Chatterjea is a Ph.D. student in the History and Critical Theories of Religion program (HACTOR) in the Graduate Department of Religion (GDR) at Vanderbilt University. Ipsita integrates sociology, history and critical theory to study identity construction in contemporary American Christianity. Under the auspices of her CSRC fellowship, she has served as a teaching fellow for Aspects of World Religiosity at the Divinity School.
James Grady is a Ph.D. student in the Philosophy Department at Vanderbilt University. He earned a BA (2002) in Philosophy and Religion at Emory University and an MTS (2004) at Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2002, focusing on medieval Jewish and Christian theology. In the Philosophy Department, James continues to focus on the medieval period--philosophy of religion in general and Jewish philosophy. http://people.vanderbilt.edu/~james.a.grady/
2003-2004 CSRC Graduate Fellows
David Perkins is working on the Ph.D. in the HACTOR program in the Graduate Department of Religion. He previously earned the M.Div. at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Dave comes to us after a lengthy and successful career in the music performance and recording industry. As part of his CSRC work, Dave is working with Vanderbilt faculty to develop a research project in the areas of music, religion, and the south.
Kevin York-Simmons is a Ph.D. student in Ethics in the Graduate Department of Religion. Kevin's primary work is concentrated on the intersection of theological ethics and political economy. Kevin's additional interests include Latin American studies, philosophy, and social theory. Kevin has worked as a Research Assistant for the Religion and Economy faculty research group and has served as a Teaching Assistant in the Philosophy Department and Divinity School. Prior to coming to Vanderbilt, he completed his undergraduate studies at Duke University and a Master of Arts in Religion (Ethics) at Yale University.
James Newell (2005-2007), received his PhD in the History and Critical Theories of Religion (HACTOR) program in the Graduate Department of Religion. James' methodological approach is Ethnomusicology. His dissertation focused on music in Islam, with a special emphasis on the South Asian practice of qawwali (Sufi devotional music). James received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Tennessee State University, and his master's degree in pastoral counseling and theology at the Vanderbilt University Divinity School in December, 2001. James is a working musician who continues to perform locally and internationally. Check out James' homepage.
Ellen Lerner is a PhD student in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel program in the Graduate Department of Religion. Her research interests include the social and cultural history of ancient Israel and women in Israel and the ancient Near East. Ellen earned her MA in Hebrew & Judaic Studies (Hebrew Bible track) at New York University and her BA in History at the University of Connecticut.
Joe Fanning is a Ph.D. candidate in the Ethics and Society program in the Graduate Department of Religion. His research interests are in theological ethics, religion and science, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of language. His research takes up the question of how genetic information should be communicated to patients who use religious resources to understand it. Joe previously earned a M.Div. and Th.M. from Princeton Theological Seminary and a B.A. in Religion from Birmingham-Southern College.
Jewly Hight is a Master of Theological Studies candidate in General Studies. Her research interests include American Southern and roots music and various intersections of gender, sexuality, religion and popular music. She is a journalist and music critic, contributing to a wide range of local and national publications.
Lisa Battaglia is a Ph.D. candidate in the History and Critical Theories of Religion (HACTOR) program in the Graduate Department of Religion. Her research interests include Asian Religious Traditions, Buddhism, Women and Religion, Anthropology of Religion, and Cross-Cultural Feminist Theory. Her dissertation examines the debate surrounding the establishment of a Theravada Buddhist Nuns’ Order in Thailand and the development of gender and religious identity among Thai Buddhist renunciant women. Lisa previously earned a M.A. in Women’s Studies from the University of Alabama and a B.A. in Religion from Duke University. (2005-2006)
Graduate Research Fellows
Virginia Bartlett, Graduate Department of Religion
Rachel Kwee, Vanderbilt Divinity School
Dan Morrison, Graduate School, Sociology
Jeffrey Sheehan, Graduate Department of Religion (2005-2006)
Derek Spires, Graduate School, English
