Faculty & Curriculum

1962-1969

1962 Dr. O.K. Webb (1926-2004) was appointed to teach Philosophy & Religion. His departmental home -- Social Studies -- included Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, and Sociology as well. A graduate of The Citadel, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. candidate at Duke University on arrival at AppState, he went on to have an enormous influence on campus by helping develop Watauga College, the Honors Program, and a meaningful first-year experience, among other initiatives. He served both as the Dean of Student Affairs and the Dean of the General College.

Dr. Webb primarily taught in Philosophy, which had a strong list of offerings such as Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance, Modern, and Contemporary Philosophy, Ethics, Aesthetics, Logic, Philosophy of Religion, and Philosophy in America in the 1963 catalog (their first appearance). The courses listed in Religion included Old Testament History, Old Testament Prophets and Their Message, The Life and Religion of Christ, The Life and Letters of Paul, Religions of the World, and The Bible as Literature. By 1964 , REL 201 (Old Testament History) and REL 203 (The Life and Religion of Christ) met the Humanities Requirement for all students seeking the B.S. Degree as of 1962 or later.

Eldon Griffith ("E.G.") Woodcock (1930-2016), a Duke doctoral candidate, came in 1963 as an Instructor in Religion and stayed until approximately 1966 when he went on to Methodist College (Fayetteville, NC ) and then Nyack College in New York. He taught many of the early religion courses.

Dr. Daniel Rice joined the newly formed Department of Philosophy & Religion in 1965 and taught both subjects (he would leave for the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire in 1970). His spearheaded a major lecture series to bring diverse voices to the North Carolina mountains on key issues of the day.

Dr. Webb served as the first Chair of the department, although the title was "Acting Chair."

Many of the records of these years were lost in the fire that destroyed the second administration building on December 29, 1966.

1966 Dr. William C. Strickland (1917-2004) was hired as Chair of the Department of Philosophy & Religion. An experienced educator as a Professor of New Testament at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, he arrived after being pressured to resign from that institution along with two others over their embrace of Rudolf Bultmann's approaches to the text. Dr. Strickland would become the first Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences in 1968 and serve in that capacity until 1984 where his contributions to the campus were immeasurable.

With the start of a separate department in 1965, the major led to a Bachelor of Arts degree. This breakup of "Social Studies" into its component parts anticipated the change from Appalachian State Teachers College to Appalachian State University in 1967.

1967 Dr. Charles T. Davis, III (1939-2013) joined the faculty as a New Testament scholar and taught until his retirement in 2005. He served as Chair from 1971-1973.

1968 Dr. James T. Stines came on board in Philosophy of Religion and remained a vital part of the department until his retirement in 1996. He served as chair from 1973-1975 and directed General Honors for six years.

Dr. Arthur W. Rudolph also arrived that year, primarily to teach Philosophy courses. He stayed for two years. His interests in Asian thought perhaps sparked the department to add courses in this area. The date of his death is unknown to surviving members of the department and not available in internet searches.

Rapid expansion of the curriculum and faculty meant that by 1968 the list of courses available included all of the original offerings (except the Bible as Literature), as well as Religion in America, Hebrew Poetry and Wisdom Literature, Christian Ethics, Early Christian Thought, Medieval Christian Thought, The Reformation, Christian Thought From the Reformation to 1900, Contemporary Religious Thought, and Religious Ideas in Literature. The Humanities Requirement now included 3 hours satisfied by any course in Philosophy or Religion.

The first five graduates of the new Philosophy & Religion program came in 1968.

The department moved from the D.D. Dougherty Building to the newly completed Sanford Hall in 1969.

1970s

1970 Dr. Rich Humphrey, a specialist in American religion with an interest in Appalachia, was hired. He held the position of department chair from 1975-1977 and again in 1981-1982 before he left the faculty in 1982.

The Philosophy faculty added Dr. Ray Ruble at this time. He "retired" after 40 years in 2010, including serving as Department Chair from 1977-1979. Dr. Gordon Wingard (d. 1990) joined the department in 1970 as well.

1971 Dr. O'Hyun Park, a specialist in Asian religions, became a part of the program. He served as department chair from 1979-1981 and remained at Appalachian until his retirement in 2006.

Dr. Daniel J. Simundson (1933-2013) also joined the faculty for one year in religion before accepting a position at the Luther Seminary in St. Paul where he taught until his retirement.

In busy year, Dr. Wingard departed and was replaced by Dr. Mark Titus on the philosophy faculty.

Appalachian State University became a part of the University of North Carolina in 1971 -- setting the stage for significant growth of the institution.

Major curricular revision also began at this time. Starting in 1971-1972, the department remained combined, but offered a Philosophy & Religion track as well as separate emphases for both areas (documents acknowledge that they were not authorized to offer separate degrees and a decision not to move in that direction was made).

To complete study with a focus on religion, students were required to complete the History of Israel, the Life and Teachings of Jesus, the Life and Letters of Paul, two Religions of the World courses (one covered the ancient Near East through Islam and the other the religions of India, China, and Japan), Religions of America, and Contemporary Religious Thought in addition to elective hours and a seminar. A complex division of the religion courses into various areas mapped out how the department understood the field (The Nature of Religion, The Major Religious Traditions of The World, Religion and Culture, comprised the general headings).

With integration into the UNC system, the General Education requirements changed. Now students needed to complete 18 q.h. from three of eight areas, which included both Philosophy and Religion. Two of those courses had to meet a "literature" requirement as well and Religion managed to get five eligible entries for that designation: The History of Israel, The Life and Teachings of Jesus, The Life and Letters of Paul, The Gospel of John, and Religious Ideas of Literature. This set-up allowed Religion to become a mainstay in General Education for many years.

1972 Dr. Alan Hauser became a member of the faculty. A specialist in biblical studies, he began phased retirement after more than 40 years of service to the department - including 15 years as department chair from 1982-1997.

Among the philosophers, Mark Titus left after two years and in 1973 philosophers Dr. Mary Ann Carroll (Richter) and Dr. Frans van der Bogert (d. 2007) joined the department.

1974 Dr. Anis Ahmad was hired as an Instructor to teach Islam. He stayed until 1976 and went on to establish the faculty of Islamic learning at the International Islamic University in Islamabad among other accomplishments.

The mid-1970s featured a changeover from the quarter system to semesters (with Fall 1975 as the implementation point). Departments confronted a mandate to cut one-third of their courses -- and the program did just that, notably contracting its biblical studies offerings to Old Testament Literature and New Testament Literature, for example.

The degree remained a B.A. in Philosophy & Religion with the option for students to emphasize one or the other, but the dramatic reduction in the number of courses meant that the faculty outlined no specific required course of study for such a track. The language requirement for the B.A. also emerged during this era.

The department managed to maintain its strong position in General Education as one of nine areas for the 12 hours humanities requirement (students selected three areas). Three courses now met the one course literature requirement: 1100 Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; 2000 Old Testament Literature; 2100 New Testament Literature.

1976 Dr. Ahmed Shams Al-Haggagi was appointed Assistant Professor and stayed for two years. He returned to Egypt for a year in 1978, came back to Appalachian for a couple of weeks in the Fall of 1979, and then departed to pursue his career in Cairo.

1978 Dr. William M. Hutchins accepted a one-year appointment to the faculty as the specialist in Islam. In 1979, Dr. Ghulam Haider Aasi served as an instructor when Dr. Al-Haggagi left suddenly. Dr. Hutchins returned to stay in a tenure track line in 1980. He was a winner of the Banipal Prize for Arabic literary translation in 2013.

1980s

1982 Dr. Maria Lichtmann became an assistant professor in religion. She left Appalachian in 1988 to teach elsewhere, but returned from 2001-2010 and 2013-2015 as an Adjunct Instructor.

Religion courses, especially in General Education, exploded in popularity in the mid-1980s. From 1982-83 to 1985-86, the percentage increase in students taking Religions of the World was 150%, Hebrew Bible 333%, and New Testament 669%. From that point to near-term peak numbers, Religions of the World grew another 38% (1989-1990), Hebrew Bible an additional 87% (1987-1988), and New Testament took another 120% leap (1992-1993). These numbers demanded the department employ a number of adjunct faculty in addition to faculty teaching at least four packed courses per term.

In November 1983, the department moved from Sanford Hall to I.G. Greer. Once the home of the School of Music, the faculty offices were spacious enough to serve as classrooms for smaller sections!

1988 Dr. Conrad E. Ostwalt was hired to specialize in the study of Religion and Culture, with a specialty in American Religion - specifically Appalachian Religion. He served as the Director of the Honors Program from 1999-2004 and as chair of the department from 2004-2014.

In Philosophy, Dr. Patrick Rardin joined the faculty in the same year.

Dr. Jesse Taylor came in 1989. Dr. Taylor would serve as chair of the Department from 1997-2004.

1990s

1991 Dr. Rodney K. Duke, a specialist in biblical studies, joined the faculty to help handle the growing demand for courses in this area. He also teaches Hebrew.

1992 Dr. Richard A. Spencer accepted a joint appointment in P&R and Foreign Languages and Literatures. A specialist in New Testament and Classics, he eventually made his home primarily in P&R until his retirement in 2016.

1996 Dr. Sandie Gravett joined the faculty to teach biblical studies and religion and culture. She also served as the Director of the Women's Studies Program from 1997-2000.

In the Spring of 1998, the department returned to a practice (first started in the 1970s with several other departments) of taking students abroad. Drs. Rick Spencer and Sandie Gravett did spring break tours of Israel and Jordan in 1998 and 1999. They each continued to offer opportunities abroad when the political situation in Israel prevented continuing travel there -- with Dr. Spencer taking a group to Greece in the early summer for 13 years and Dr. Gravett taking various groups to Italy and to France over spring breaks through 2005. Drs. Reed and Kwong followed suit with a combined Philosophy and Religion summer course to Rome and Paris ("Love, Sex, and Power in the History of Christianity") beginning in 2009, with Dr. Ammon joining in over the years. And Dr. Arthur accompanied students to China for several summer experiences.

March 1998 at the "Good Fence" on the border of Israel and Lebanon.

Throughout the 1990s, both Religion and Philosophy enrollments held steady. Biblical studies courses in particular, probably as the result of sustained hiring, showed an uptick by the late 1990s. The opportunities for growth, however, remained limited. When new faculty lines became available, the department typically alternated between advertising in Philosophy and Religion unless a compelling reason existed to vary from that pattern.

In 1998, Dr. Kim Q. Hall became a member of the faculty in Philosophy. She also served as Director of Gender, Women's, & Sexuality Studies from 2014-2017. In 1999, Dr. Robbin Derry came to the department as the James E. Holshouser Distinguished Professor of Ethics -- a position she held for two years before leaving the University.

2000s

The start of the next decade featured a series of Philosophy hires including Dr. Kristin Andrews, who stayed from 2000-2002 before departing for York University in Toronto, Dr. Ashwani K. Peetush who came in 2002 for a single year and is now at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, and Dr. Sheila Lintott, who taught from 2002-2006 before moving to Bucknell University.

2005 Dr. Thomas B. Ellis came to the department as a specialist in the religions of South Asia, particularly Hinduism. His interest in the theoretical study of religion demonstrated a movement toward the latter in the department.

Dr. Lynn Neal also joined the faculty in religion to teach biblical studies courses with an additional focus on religion in popular culture. She departed after one year to teach at Wake Forest University.

The Philosophy program welcomed Dr. Jack Kwong.

2006 Dr. Shawn Arthur arrived to teach the Religions of Asia, especially Chinese religion, and the anthropology of religion. He remained on the faculty until 2014 and then went to Wake Forest University.

The Fall of 2007 was a watershed moment for the department. After several years of planning, the program remained tied administratively, but offered separate majors in Philosophy and Religious Studies. It turned out to be advantageous for both areas. Each program largely recruits majors from introductory courses and the new course prefixes helped them thrive. In Religion, general education courses such as Religions of the World and New Testament all shot up in numbers, with Hebrew Bible holding steady. Additionally, a clearer sense of identity for the majors developed. As a result, graduates in religious studies also increased peaking at 21 in AY2014-2015.

2007 Dr. Randall Reed joined the faculty to teach biblical studies. His interest in the sociological study of religion continued a trend toward hiring persons with expertise in various methodological approaches to the study of religion.

The Philosophy faculty added Dr. Chris Bartel in the same year.

Philosopher Dr. Monique Lanoix arrived in 2008 and stayed until 2013 when she went to the Saint-Paul University in Ottawa.

A revision of General Education on campus began a troubling shake-up that changed the placement of Religious Studies courses and altered the trajectory of the program overall. The arrangement of courses in "themes" immediately had a negative impact on Hebrew Bible, with Religions of the World beginning a decline shortly thereafter. The percentage decrease in the former was 46.5% from AT 2007-2008 to AY 2011-2012 and 12% in the latter. New Testament, on the other hand, grew outrageously -- 75% -- to the largest number of students in the history of the department over the course of a year at 1037.

2010s

2010 Dr. Laura Ammon arrived as a part of an academic affairs program called Faculty Fellows, which promoted diverse scholars. A Historian of Religion, Dr. Ammon's research focuses around Church and State in Latin America.

In 2011, Dr. Anna Cremaldi became a part of the faculty in Philosophy.

2014 Dr. Kevin Schilbrack came from Western Carolina University to serve as Chair of the department. Although a philosopher of religion, he considers himself a "generalist" and teaches a variety of Religious Studies classes

2015 Dr. Cuong Mai a specialist in the religions of Asia, particularly the history of Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhism, joined the faculty. His work focuses on religion and ritual, and religion, sexuality, and gender.

Dr. Davis Hankins became Assistant Professor after several years in a Lecturer position. His expertise in biblical studies alongside his theoretical background brought the right mix of skills to the faculty.

Dr. Rick Elmore became a member of the Philosophy faculty.

In 2015, General Education 2.0 -- a revision of the program started in 2009 -- kicked in. By that point, Religions of the World and Hebrew Bible had declined to numbers not seen since AY1983-1984 and New Testament was steadily losing students. When combined with an increased number of transfer students arriving on campus not needing Gen Ed credits, the long-term success strategy of the department began to waver. The faculty responded with a series of new courses (Religion Goes to the Movies, Religion & Contemporary Issues, Religion & Imaginary Worlds, Confronting Death) at the introductory level, integrated them all into General Education, and achieved mixed success. The number of majors, not surprisingly, also begin to turn back slightly and the department began to place increased emphasis on recruiting students.

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