Graduate Assistant Shines Light on Associate Department Head
Ashley Cornell is a graduate assistant with the UT Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies. She is a second-year MA student in the Department of History with a pre-modern history (Late Antiquity) focus under the direction of Professors Jacob Latham and Tina Shepardson.
Ashley obtained a BA in religious studies from UT in 2021 and a BS in information systems security from American Military University (AMU) in 2022. Ashley is a member of campus chapters of Eta Sigma Phi and Phi Beta Kappa. Ashley is interested in understanding of the bodies of religious figures in Late Antiquity, particularly bodies of people who were perceived to be in some way liminal.
Ashley’s current thesis project centers upon a number of Greek-language hagiographical narratives of “transvestite saints” from the second through ninth centuries CE. Her research goal is to illuminate the contents of these primary source documents, investigate what functions and motivations these texts may be expressing, and what details or events are or are not present in the Greek-language versions of these narratives when compared to the narrative of these same saints in other languages.
Ashley is also pursuing a graduate certificate in digital humanities and anticipates that her capstone project will tie into her thesis. Ashley has a background in computer science, and during the Covid-19 pandemic, she became interested in the ways in which digital formats can be more or less helpful in enhancing understanding, assisting in tasks, or enabling remote collaboration. Intrigued by how “adding technology and stirring” does not always produce a “good” end product (we all remember having to rapidly adapt to Zoom – sometimes with comedic or disastrous results) she would like to engineer accessible, highly effective ways to make technologies “work” for students, interested lay-persons, researchers, and professionals engaging with religious studies, Judaic studies, history, and digital humanities.
When not on campus, Ashley enjoys slow runs outdoors, studying Greek with her large dogs (who are of no help, but great support), and exploring all of the excellent restaurants in and around Knoxville with her partner Travis.
Rachelle Scott is an associate professor with, and is now the associate department head of the Department of Religious Studies. Professor Scott studies Theravada Buddhism in South and South-East Asia with an emphasis on contemporary Buddhism in Thailand. Professor Scott’s current research focuses on stories of powerful female ascetics and spirits, the impact of new media on religious authority and community, and the role of the Buddhist sangha in global Buddhism.
Recently, Ashley Cornell interviewed Professor Scott to discuss her new position in the department.
What do associate department heads typically do?
It varies from department to department—in the Department of Religious Studies, the associate head of the department is usually in charge of scheduling classes. This includes communicating with professors about what classes they are teaching or would like to teach in the future. Also, the associate head will manage course times so that there are not any scheduling conflicts for professors, for instance making sure that there is not a situation where they would be scheduled to be teaching two classes in different places at the same time. This also means that the associate department head will verify that each semester, the department is scheduling all of the classes that we can provide to fulfill students’ academic needs and provide courses that meet their interests as well.
As incoming associate department head, how do you envision the role?
I was associate department head under Rosalind I. J. Hackett (emerita professor and former department head), and as religious studies is a small department, I envision the role as being there to help the department head with anything she may need, in addition to the scheduling responsibilities. Because this is my second time being associate head of the department, I am looking forward to bringing my skills and experience to the position.
Are there any opportunities for the religious studies department that you are excited to explore during your tenure as associate department head?
I am excited to think broadly about the intersections of Religious Studies with various fields. This year I am also chairing the Department of Religious Studies’ curriculum committee and its assessment committee, which I think will complement and enhance my work as associate department head.
We have students that are coming to the Department of Religious Studies from, or are jointly affiliated with, psychology, communications, child and family studies, global studies, math, chemical engineering, forensic anthropology, criminology, pre-law, biomedical engineering, social work, pre-medicine, and more. As I am now working with scheduling, I want to be sure to ask where we have demand for a class and where we do not and what we can do to meet the needs of our students. The Department of Religious Studies is an integral part of the College of Arts and Sciences and very intersectional so there are a lot of existing connections between fields, as well as connections that can be made, which we want to make sure that we continue to support.
Do you have any hopes for this year that you would like to conclude the interview with?
This year, I sense a lot of enthusiasm on campus. I feel like last year the feeling on campus at the beginning of the year felt cautiously optimistic as far as everyone trusting that we were truly back on campus and able to be together in-person again. The feeling was still a little tentative, as though everyone was collectively still a bit hesitant to connect and gather in-person. My hope is that in the main office of the religious studies department, we can again be a place where students can come to read, come and lounge, and come together around all of our tables. It would be great if this year we could bring back that feeling that we lost during the Covid pandemic.