Author: Rebecca Barrettfox

I blog about higher education with a focus on online education, equity, and justice. In addition to my scholarship on higher ed, my research addresses hate, religion, politics, and the law in the contemporary US. My PhD in American studies has allowed me to teach courses in sociology, history, anthropology, and women's and gender studies. I'm currently in academic administration, where my work focuses on supporting faculty for sustainable, just teaching during the time of COVID.

Driving Satan from Congress

No, really, that was the goal of late November's Congressional-Clergy Townhall. The event was organized by Wallbuilders, led by pseudo-historian David Barton, and the Jefferson Gathering, a weekly Wednesday night non-denominational contemporary worship service held especially for members of Congress. Wallbuilders promotes a vision of "America's forgotten history and heroes with an emphasis on our moral,... Continue Reading →

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What American Studies Does Best

The need to teach and research on the intersections of race and ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and religion is as great as it ever has been, and I've never been prouder of the work American studies has been doing. Below, a call for contributions from those who are members of the American Studies Association, to... Continue Reading →

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Grant to Support Anti-Hate Work

Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, is a nonprofit that works to "build vibrant and tolerant societies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people." As part of that effort, it awards grants to organizations working against hate. Those interested in applying can join a conference call on December 8... Continue Reading →

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Review of _Faith in the New Millennium: The Future of Politics and Religion_ now available

The American Academy of Religion's Reading Religion is one of my favorite websites. If your reward for grading a stack of papers is to take 20 minutes to browse through academic publisher's catalogs, you'll probably like it, too. Reading Religion just published my review of Faith in the New Millennium: The Future of Politics and Religion (Oxford 2016), edited by Matthew Avery... Continue Reading →

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Sending Some Love to Mother Emanuel

White supremacist Dylann Roof stands trial this week for the June 2015 deaths of nine black parishioners in this historic church, the oldest black congregation south of Baltimore. Above, Mother Emanuel AME Church, Charleston, SC Early in its history, in 1814, its leaders were arrested for violating a state law prohibiting the gathering of enslaved... Continue Reading →

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Teaching Trumpism Book Stack Contest!

What will you be teaching next semester to help your students make sense of a world in which Donald Trump could be president? Any teacher of any kind--preschool to PhD, gradeschool to Sunday school--is welcome to submit ideas. Share an assignment, a project, a syllabus, a citation to an article or other text, a book stack,... Continue Reading →

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How Do We Learn Who is Bad?

Content Warning: Images of bodies injured and killed in state-sponsored violence. The images and stories out of Standing Rock in the last 48 hours are horrifying. Peaceful protesters trapped by water cannons in below-freezing temperatures, rubber bullets shot at close range. The risk to human life is great. And police and security forces are eager to... Continue Reading →

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