College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

At its first meeting of the academic year, the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) at Georgia Southern University honored two outstanding faculty members. Professor Janice H. Kennedy received the Ruffin Cup, named for and endowed by the late Professor David A. Ruffin, a professor at Georgia Southern from 1962 to 1981. Last year’s Ruffin Cup winner, Professor Gary Dartt, presented the award to Kennedy. Interim CLASS Dean Sue Moore presented the CLASS Award for Excellence to Sonya Huber, assistant professor of creative writing. Both honorees are residents of Statesboro. More...

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College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences welcomes four new department chairs

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Georgia Southern University welcomes four new department chairs at the opening of the 2008-2009 academic year. The new appointments are William Thomas Allison, Department of History; Peggy G. Hargis, Department of Sociology and Anthropology; Eric J. Kartchner, Department of Foreign Languages; and Richard E. Mercier, Department of Music.

“These new leaders are the result of several nationwide searches,” said Interim Dean Sue Moore. “We extend a warm welcome to them and look forward to benefiting from their expertise.”

Allison comes to Georgia Southern from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, where he was a tenured professor of history. He received the George and Beth Lowe Innovative Teaching Award at Weber State in 2006. He teaches American military and diplomatic history, and serves on the Department of the Army Historical Advisory Committee. He is the author of several books on military history, including "Military Justice in Vietnam: The Rule of Law in American War" (University Press of Kansas, 2007) and "The Tet Offensive" (Routlege, 2008). He also serves on the editorial board of The Journal of Military History. Allison earned his Ph.D. at Bowling Green State University. He is currently working on books on My Lai for Johns Hopkins University Press and 1968 for the University Press of Kansas.

Hargis is a professor of sociology at Georgia Southern University and has served as the graduate director of two Master of Arts programs housed in her department. She received the Award of Distinction in Scholarship from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in 2003, the CLASS Excellence Award in 1998, and earned a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship in 2001. Her research investigates the historical underpinnings of persistent racial inequality in America , especially that which is tied to land ownership. Because her interests span disciplines, she has published in a wide array of journals including the American Sociological Review, the Journal of Southern History, the Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Agricultural History, Historical Methods, Southern Literary Journal, and Southern Cultures. In addition to sitting on the editorial review boards of Social Forces and Southern Cultures, she serves as the book review editor for Historical Methods and as the associate editor for the Southern Classics series from University of South Carolina press. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

Kartchner, a leader in proficiency-oriented foreign language instruction, comes to Georgia Southern from Colorado State University-Pueblo, where he transformed the university's philosophy toward language learning and teaching. During his tenure at CSU-Pueblo, the number of foreign-language majors tripled and their language proficiency increased dramatically. Kartchner has served as a leader in both Texas and Colorado to develop K-16 language-proficiency and teacher-certification requirements and to train language educators in proficiency-oriented instruction. He received his doctorate in Hispanic literature and linguistics from Indiana University-Bloomington in 1998 and has published and presented widely on a variety of topics. At CSU-Pueblo, Kartchner's combined teaching, service, scholarship, and administrative contributions earned him the honor of Outstanding Faculty Member in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences for 2007-08.

Mercier, formerly chair of music at Georgia College and State University, is the author of several books and articles, including "The Songs of Max Reger" (Scarecrow Press, 2008) and "The Songs of Hans Pfitzner" (Greenwood Press, 1998). In addition to piano performances across the U.S., and in Europe and China, he has staged and directed opera and musical theatre and served as assistant conductor with regional opera companies. Besides participating in many professional development opportunities, Mercier has served as adjudicator for the Macon Symphony Concerto Competition, for the Georgia Music Educators Association in Savannah, and for the Macon Morning Music Club, and he has organized and directed the Central Georgia Junior Piano Olympics since 2002. He is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the College Music Society, the Music Teachers National Association, and the Music Educators National Conference. Mercier earned his D.M.A. in piano accompanying from the Manhattan School of Music.