KNOXVILLE — A University of Tennessee, Knoxville, professor has been named an American Academy of Arts and Sciences Visiting Scholar for 2009-2010.
Dawn ColemanDawn Coleman, an assistant professor of English, will spend the academic year in residence at the academy, an active research center that supports the work of younger humanists, public policy analysts and social scientists who show promise of becoming leaders in their field, especially those who work on multidisciplinary topics.
Coleman was awarded the fellowship for a book project titled “Preaching and the Rise of the American Novel,” which examines Protestant preaching as a dynamic and immensely authoritative religious practice in 19th-century American culture and argues that a range of antebellum authors — male and female, black and white, popular and literary — sought to take the spiritual authority of the pulpit and capture it in novels.
“This prestigious fellowship is a wonderful opportunity for Dawn to immerse herself in further research and to write about a fascinating and original topic,” said Chuck Maland, professor and head of the UT Knoxville English Department. “Winning the award is a testament to her academic excellence.”
Located in Cambridge, Mass., the academy was founded during the American Revolution by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock and other leaders who contributed to the establishment of the nation. The mission was to provide a forum for a select group of scholars, members of the learned professions, and government and business leaders to work together on behalf of the democratic interests of the republic. More on the program is available at http://www.amacad.org/visiting.aspx.
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Contact:
Dawn Coleman (865-974-1730, dcolema7@utk.edu)
Chuck Maland (865-974-6927, cmaland@utk.edu)
Charles Primm (865-974-5180, charles.primm@tennessee.edu)