Close
Faculty Profile
Name: Brian Pennington
Title: Professor of Religion, Chair, Division of Humanities
Courses taught: World Religions, World Cultures: Indian Subcontinent, First Year Seminar 140 on Islam in America, Religion in the Southern Appalachians, and upper-level courses related to Hinduism and religions of India.
Education: B.A. from Georgetown University, Washington, DC; M.A. & Ph.D. Emory University, Atlanta, GA
At MC since: 1998
What attracted you to Maryville College?
First and foremost the students. In my interview I was able to have extended conversations with many of them and we hit it off right away. I was also impressed with the college’s commitment to cultivating international understanding among its students and providing them opportunities for international travel.
What do you enjoy most about teaching at MC?
That’s easy: the students. I spend a fair amount of time at other institutions and I am regularly reminded of something I think our students can’t always see themselves: they are a truly distinctive community, different from many other student populations I encounter. As a group the are people who really want to do good in the world, who are decent and kind to one another, who respect their professors, who work hard, and who value what the college has to offer them. And when I bring guests from other colleges into contact with our students, they are always impressed, no matter where they come from.
What do you enjoy most about teaching at MC?
Of my many roles on campus, probably my favorite is as thesis adviser. I enjoy working one-on-one with students and helping to guide them through a long project of doing original historical research. Thesis students often begin believing that they don't have enough to say in 45 pages, and they usually finish wishing that they'd have another semester to add more.
What are your goals for your students?
To see the world with new eyes, to think carefully and critically about it, and to leave here prepared to lead in it.
What matters to you?
Politics, art, equity, my wife and teenage sons, my beloved people and places in north India, making grass grow in stubborn Tennessee red clay, rock music of many sorts, the academic study of religion
Quick Fact
With 118 acres of campus dedicated to the College Woods, there’s always a way to get-a-way for a hike or steal some time for reflection. And if 118 acres aren’t enough, there’s always the big back yard (aka, The Great Smoky Mountain National Park).
Humanities Faculty
 | Dr. Aaron Astor Associate Professor of History Education: B.A., Hamilton College - 1995 M.A., Ph.D., Northwestern University - 2006 Anderson 205A (801) 349-8889 aaron.astor@maryvillecollege.edu My Website |
 | Dr. Andrew Irvine Associate Professor of Philosophy & Religion Education: B.A., University of Sydney; M.T.S., S.T.M., Ph.D., Boston University. Anderson 305 (865) 981-8340 andrew.irvine@maryvillecollege.edu My Website |
 | Dr. Daniel Klingensmith Professor of History Education: A.B., Harvard University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Chicago Anderson Hall 205B (865) 981-8024 dan.klingensmith@maryvillecollege.edu My Website |
 | Dr. Nancy Locklin-Sofer Associate Professor of History, Chair of the Maryville Curriculum Education: B.A., Hartwick College M.A., University of Wisconsin Ph.D., Emory University Anderson Hall 205D (865) 981-8233 nancy.locklin@maryvillecollege.edu My Website |
 | Dr. William Meyer Professor of Philosophy and the Ralph W. Beeson Professor of Religion Education: B.A., Northwestern University; B.D., University of Edinburgh; M.A., Ph.D., University of Chicago Anderson Hall 306 (865) 981-8022 bill.meyer@maryvillecollege.edu |
 | Dr. Brian Pennington Professor of Religion, Chair, Division of Humanities Education: B.A., Georgetown University; M.T.S., Candler School of Theology, Emory University; Ph.D., Emory University Anderson Hall 206 (865) 981-8254 brian.pennington@maryvillecollege.edu My Website |
 | Dr. Phillip Michael Sherman Assistant Professor of Religion Education: B.A., Emory & Henry College; M.Div., Candler School of Theology, Emory University; Ph.D., Emory University Anderson Hall 210A (865) 273-8806 phillip.sherman@maryvillecollege.edu My Website |
 | Dr. Doug Sofer Associate Professor of History Education: B.A., Hartwick College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin Anderson Hall 205 C (865) 981-8265 doug.sofer@maryvillecollege.edu My Website |
Humanities Extended Staff
 | Ms. Carolyn Potter Administrative Assistant Anderson Hall 210B (865) 981-8224 carolyn.potter@maryvillecollege.edu |
Experiential Learning Opportunities:
Humanities majors have recently held internships and practica setting up exhibits and cataloging materials for the East Tennessee Historical Society, doing youth ministry in a United Methodist Church, serving as a summer intern for the Auld Kirk of Southern Ayrshire, Scotland, and working as support staff at the Sam Houston School House.
Many Humanities majors enhance their understanding of History, Religion and Philosophy through travel/study experiences to destinations such as India, Turkey, Malta, Morocco, Tibet, China, Ghana, and other international locales.
Dr. Aaron Astor, assistant professor of history, is taking a January Term 2010 class on a visit to Tennessee’s Civil War history sites. Students will be able to explore the enduring landscape of a war that divided Americans – and Tennesseans – nearly 150 years ago.
Dr. Doug Sofer, Assistant professor of history, serves as the adviser to Maryville's chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honors society. In that role, he accompanies students to Phi Alpha Theta's regional conferences, held each year in a different part of Tennessee. While here, students present their original historical research and take part in the process of doing history on a professional level.