معرفی
C. Melissa Snarr holds the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Chair of Ethics and Society and is an Associate Professor of Ethics and Society in the Graduate Department of Religion at Vanderbilt University. She also serves as Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program and maintains affiliations with Community Research & Action and Women and Gender Studies programs.
Her educational background includes a B.A. from Furman University (1992), an M.Div. from Emory University (1995), and a Ph.D. from Emory University (2004).
Prof. Snarr's research centers on the intersection of religion, social change, and political ethics, employing sociological and political theory alongside comparative religious ethics to examine how religious traditions transform societies. Her work emphasizes interfaith leadership, labor movements, and responses to moral shocks such as school shootings and police brutality, specifically analyzing how religious resources facilitate transitions from private grief to public lament and political action for democratic change.
Recent publications reveal consistent exploration of interfaith labor organizing dynamics, economic justice frameworks, and the role of religious communities in addressing vulnerabilities of low-wage workers, with increasing focus on trauma-informed approaches to social activism following events like school shootings and climate disasters.
She has been honored with the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Chair of Ethics and Society.
As Director of the Integrative Chaplaincy DMin program, Prof. Snarr mentors students in integrating evidence-based mental health practices into chaplaincy care contexts, bridging religious leadership with psychological science. Her ecclesial engagement includes active lay leadership in the United Methodist Church and service on the board of the Wesley Foundation at Vanderbilt, demonstrating practical application of her academic work in community settings.
