Dr. Bob Bryant

webBob-Bryant

Kristin Herrington Professor of Bible
Chair, Department of Religion and Philosophy
Office location: Neville Hall 305
Office phone: 864-833-8348
rabryant@presby.edu
B.S., Virginia Tech
M.Div., Union Presbyterian Seminary
Ph.D., Union Presbyterian Seminary
Joined PC faculty in 1998

Courses Taught:

Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, Studies in the Synoptic Gospels, Pauline Epistles, Johannine Literature, Hebrews and the General Epistles, Ecology and the Bible, Science and Religion, Women in the Bible, Beginning and Advanced Greek.

Professional Interests:

Professionally, my area of specialization is biblical studies. I work with the Bible’s original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) in the quest to better understand and interpret biblical and other related ancient texts for today. It is a discipline I find infinitely fascinating and important for our time, but as much as I love it, it’s certainly not a field I could have anticipated in high school or early in college. My present areas of research include: Paul’s letters and theology, Gospel Passion Narratives,
Greco-Roman rhetorical and epistolary practices, and interfaith religious pedagogy.

One of the reasons that I enjoy teaching in a liberal arts college is that its broad interdisciplinary approach to learning helps students appreciate life’s interconnectedness even as it helps them discover and develop their passions while strengthening their weaknesses—all in a highly supportive community. Certainly, my favorite thing about teaching and doing research at PC, however, is the people. Our students make learning and teaching a joy, and faculty colleagues make serving together a pleasure. I’m also enthusiastic about the college’s mission as a church-related liberal arts college. Faith and reason find ready traction here for a life of service.

Along with my work at Presbyterian College, I have served as a Visiting Scholar at Duke University, taught at Union Presbyterian Seminary, and been a Visiting Professor at the Pädagogische Hochschule Karlsruhe (Germany) as a German Academic Exchange Fellow. I am also an Adjunct Faculty member for the Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies and have been taking students to Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan since 2001. My professional associations include the Society of Biblical Literature, the Southeastern Commission for the Study of Religion, and the Catholic Biblical Association.

Personal Interests:

Recreational, if it’s outdoors I’m in! Hiking, camping, backpacking, canoeing, bird watching, or just spending time outdoors in most any other activity is always a pleasure, especially with family and friends. I also enjoy woodworking and have been steadily renovating my family’s old bungalow-style home. I’m an avid reader, too, and I love to travel. I find refreshment in playing my guitar and banjo, and my wife and I also enjoy serving in the Clinton community and in others.

Books:

The Risen Crucified Christ in Galatians (The Society of Biblical Literature, 2001); The Gospel of Matthew: God With Us (Kerygma, 2006); First Corinthians: One in Christ (Kerygma, 2010).

Articles and Reviews:

Interpretation, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Lectionary Homiletics, Feasting on the Word Commentary Series, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World, and the Handbook of Biblical Criticism.

Awards:

Martha O. and Fred R. Stair Fellowship; James A. Jones Fellowship; Belk Fellowship; Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst Stipendium; Presbyterian College Faculty Scholar Award; Kyle Spencer Oxford Fellowship.

Dr. Erin McAdams

Associate Professor of Political Science
B.A., Allegheny College
M.A., Ph.D., Ohio State University
esmcadams@presby.edu
Joined PC in 2012

Professional interests
American campaigns & elections, voting behavior, public opinion & polling, religion & American politics, media & American politics, gender & American politics, American legal studies & constitutional law, and quantitative research methods

Courses taught
Introduction to American Government; Elections and Campaign Management; American Public Opinion & Polling; Introduction to Political Analysis; Religion & American Politics; American Political Parties & Behavior; Gender & American Politics; Introduction to Legal Studies; and American Constitutional Law I and II.

Dr. McAdams also serves as the Pre-Law Advisor at PC and as the faculty advisor to the College Republicans, College Democrats & the Political Science Club.

A graduate of Allegheny College (P.A.), Dr. McAdams earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from The Ohio State University in 2009.  Before joining the faculty at PC, she taught at Ohio State, Dickinson College (P.A.) and the College of Charleston (S.C.). Her courses focus on the processes of American government and political behavior in the U.S., reflecting an analytical, social scientific approach to understanding and thinking critically about politics. In 2017, she was named Presbyterian College’s “Professor of the Year” and earned an “Excellence in Teaching” Award from the South Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities (SCICU) association.

Published in Electoral Studies (2009, with Dr. Herb Weisberg), Politics and Religion (2013, with Dr. Justin Earl Lance) and the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (2015, with Dr. Brian Fisher), her research focuses on the group-based dynamics of partisan identity and the sources of Americans’ political attitudes and voting behaviors. Her forthcoming book examines the changes in the Republican Party since the rise of the Tea Party movement in 2010 and offers recommendations for the party’s short- and long-term success.

Dr. McAdams is also deeply committed to service to the PC and broader Laurens County community.

Please contact Dr. McAdams by phone at (864) 833-8347 or via email at esmcadams@presby.edu. You can also stop by her office in H-P Room 305.

Dr. Jerry Slice

Professor of Economics and Business Administration
B.S., Clemson University
M.S., Ph.D., Mississippi State University
Joined PC Faculty: 1989
jkslice@presby.edu

Courses Taught

Principles of Microeconomics;
Principles of Macroeconomics;
Intermediate Microeconomics;
Capitalism: Foundations and Function;
Globalization;
International Marketing;
International Trade;
Environmental Economics;

Areas of Specialty

Microeconomics, international economics, environmental economics

Professional Membership

Regional Advisory Commission to State Board of Economic Advisors, 2001-present

Attends USC Economic Outlook Conference and UNCW Teaching Economics Conference annually

Community Service Activities include:

Laurens County Senior Options, Laurens County SC Humane Society, Community Outreach and College Connection of First Presbyterian Church

Publications and Professional Development

Slice and Lipford. “Adam Smith’s Roles for Government and Contemporary U.S. Government Roles: Is the Welfare State Crowding Out Government’s Basic Functions?” The Independent Review 11, no. 4:485-501.

Slice, Lipford, and Yandle, “South Carolina’s Jocassee Gorges–Private Vice or Public Virtue?” PERC Research Study RS 02-2, Political Economy Research Center, Bozeman, MT. Presented to Association of Private Enterprise Education Conference, April 2004.

Slice and Malone. “Marketing Alternatives for Broilers of Various Sizes” and “The Relative Profitability of Producing Broilers of Various Weights” MAFES Publications, 1986.

Wye Faculty Fellow, sponsored by The Aspen Institute, 2005.

Hobbies

Canoeing and kayaking

Dr. Jim Thompson

webJames-Thompson
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Ph.D., University of Chicago
M.Div., Union Theological Seminary in Virginia
A.B., Princeton University
jthompson@presby.edu

Dr. Julia Wilkins

Middle Level and Secondary Education Coordinator
Associate Professor of Education
B.Sc., Swansea University
M.Sc., Bristol University
M.S., D’Youville College
M.Ed., Clemson University
Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo
Office:  HP 435, ext 8279
jwilkins@presby.edu

Originally from London, England, Julia Wilkins holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She taught middle and high school students in Buffalo, NY, where she earned an M.S. in Special Education. She recently earned her third master’s degree, an M.Ed. in Literacy from Clemson University.

Prior to coming to PC, Dr. Wilkins was a research associate at the National Dropout Prevention  Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) at Clemson University. In addition to  conducting research reviews on dropout prevention, she provided technical assistance to state  and local education agencies on implementing evidence-based school completion practices.

Dr. Wilkins has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, her most recent articles focusing on successful dropout prevention initiatives, reengaging school dropouts with  emotional and behavioral disorders, and strategies for developing literacy-focused family-school  partnerships. In addition to numerous state and national conferences, Dr. Wilkins has presented at international conferences in Spain, Portugal, and Bulgaria.

Julia Wilkins is the author of Group Activities to Include Students with Special Needs, published  by Corwin Press, and co-author of two other activity books for teachers.

In her spare time, Dr. Wilkins enjoys traveling, watching documentaries, taking nature photos,  and playing with her dogs.