C. Melissa Snarr
Assistant Professor of Ethics and Society

B.A. (Furman 1992)
M.Div., Ph.D. (Emory 1995, 2004)

Email: melissa.snarr@vanderbilt.edu

Curriculum Vitae (.pdf)

 

Professor Snarr's writing, teaching, and community involvements center on the intersection of religion, social change and social/political ethics. She teaches courses ranging from "Modern Christian Political Thought" and "Religion and War in an Age of Terror" to "Religion and Social Movements." Her work employs a variety of methodologies within Christian social ethics, comparative ethics (focused on Islamic political thought), philosophical ethics, and sociological theory that continually place the construction of normative commitments in conversation with socio-historical context.

Her most recent book, Social Selves and Political Reforms, focuses on Christian views of moral formation and their affect on political engagement. Her current book project (and activist engagement) explores the role of gender and religion in the U.S. living wage movement. She has also published generally in the area of feminist theological ethics.

Before coming to Vanderbilt, Professor Snarr directed the Ethics and Servant Leadership program at the Center for Ethics at Emory University (a program connecting ethics and leadership studies). Prior to that, she worked with the Youth Theological Initiative at Emory, a national center for practicing theology and social engagement with youth.