A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Professor of Geography Caitie Finlayson
Professor of Geography Caitie Finlayson was featured on the With Good Reason public radio show in an episode titled “The Food That Makes Us.”
In a segment of the show, titled “Gumbo, BBQ, and biscuits” Finlayson discusses the fusion of cultures – African food brought by enslaved people, British and French food brought by early European colonists – that created a mouthwatering Southern cuisine. Listen to this episode of With Good Reason.
From the classroom to the bookshelf, University of Mary Washington faculty authors are making their mark. This year’s titles span disciplines from mathematics to religion, offering thought-provoking takes on history, culture and the world around us. Whether looking to explore a new field of study or simply enjoy a compelling read, these faculty-authored selections offer fresh perspectives for curious minds this summer.
The Importance of Being Different: Disability in Oscar Wilde’s Fairy Tales
By Professor of English Chris Foss
Published by University of Virginia Press, 2025
Best known for his plays and clever wit, Oscar Wilde also wrote fairy tales full of emotion, struggle and characters who don’t quite fit in. Foss’s book examines these often-overlooked stories through the lens of disability studies. He shows how Wilde’s characters – marked by physical (as well as, often, social) difference – invite readers to embrace compassion and imagine a more inclusive world. Foss highlights a lesser known but more utopian side of Wilde.
German Memorials, Motifs and Meanings: A Cultural History in Bronze, Wood and Stone
By Associate Professor of German Jennifer Hansen-Glucklich
Published by University of Massachusetts Press, 2025
Hansen-Glucklich explores Germany’s hidden landscape of mysterious stones, magical trees and symbolic monuments tucked away in small towns and villages. Rather than focusing on famous sites, her book uncovers the colorful and often surprising stories behind lesser-known markers that have survived for centuries through wars, political upheavals and changing national identities. This cultural study of German memorialization reveals how symbols of death, rebirth, sacrifice and community have endured from medieval times to today.
Quadratic Ideal Numbers: A Computational Method for Binary Quadratic Forms
By Professor of Mathematics Larry Lehman
Published by De Gruyter, 2025
Lehman’s newest book builds on his earlier work in number theory, introducing quadratic ideal numbers as a subject of study in their own right, with applications to binary quadratic forms and related topics. Written for readers with minimal background in number theory – much of which is reviewed in the text – it emphasizes computational methods throughout, making it well-suited for independent study or undergraduate-level research.
Contentious Unions: Black Baptist Schools and White Money in the Jim Crow South
By Professor of Religious Studies Mary Beth Mathews
Published by University of Tennessee Press, 2025
Mathews explores the intertwined histories of three historically Black institutions: Richmond Theological Seminary in Virginia, Central City College in Georgia and American Baptist Theological Seminary in Tennessee. She examines how these schools, supported in part by white Baptist donors, navigated the complexities of financial dependence while striving for autonomy and advancing civil rights. Mathews reveals how, what she calls “oppositional spaces,” became essential platforms for Black educators and students, with ties to such leaders as John R. Lewis and Jo Ann Gibson Robinson.
Gender Violence in Late Antiquity
By Associate Professor of Religious Studies Jennifer Barry
Published by University of California Press, expected on Sept. 23, 2025
Barry’s book investigates how early Christian texts shaped ideas of gender and violence. By analyzing stories of saints and theological writings, she reveals how male authors used portrayals of female suffering, including martyrdom and abuse, to define ideals of holiness and power. Drawing on trauma studies and womanist theory, Barry challenges traditional readings and sheds new light on how ancient narratives still influence modern views about gender and faith.
Human Geography: A Connected Approach
By Associate Professor of Geography Caitie Finlayson
Independently Published, 2024
This open-access textbook by Finlayson introduces readers to the ways humans relate to place, space and one another. Designed to be engaging and accessible, the book connects global systems with personal decisions, encouraging readers to see geography as a living, evolving story. It builds on Finlayson’s earlier open textbooks while inviting reflections on how our environment shapes us – and is shaped by us.
Proximity to Power: Rethinking Race and Place in Alexandria, Virginia
By Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon
Published by University of North Carolina Press, 2025
Alexandria, Virginia – located just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. – has long held a unique position due to its closeness to the nation’s capital. This relationship profoundly impacted the everyday lives of African American residents, including access to schools, transportation and other resources compared to other southern communities. Moon examines the experiences of Alexandria’s Black residents from the mid-19th century to today, highlighting their long-standing advocacy and resilience and adding nuance to our understanding of how geography shapes racial experience.
University of Mary Washington faculty members who have authored books are encouraged to share their publications with University Communications for inclusion in future features. Alumni-authored publications can be found in Class Notes.
Associate Professor of Geography Caitie Finlayson
Associate Professor of Geography Caitie Finlayson’s open textbook, Human Geography: A Connected Approach, has been published.
Human Geography: A Connected Approach provides an engaging and comprehensive introduction to the study of how we, as humans, are connected to one another and to the world around us. Building on the legacy of the open textbooks World Regional Geography and Introduction to Human Geography, this expanded text delves deeper into the core concepts of Human Geography, from global systems to personal choices, offering a richer understanding of how geography shapes both past and future. With its accessible approach, this text goes beyond traditional textbooks by framing Human Geography as an evolving story that each of us is a part of, inviting reflection and curiosity along the way.
You can find the textbook at https://viva.pressbooks.pub/connected/. There are also printed copies available to purchase through Amazon.
Associate Professor of Geography Caitie Finlayson
UMW Associate Professor of Geography Caitlin Finlayson was featured in an article titled “Cracker Barrel Is Finally Regaining The Older Customers It Relies On,” which ran in the publication Tasting Table. The chain’s stores “cultivate a strong sense of place through careful theming, generating a distinct sense of rural America and nostalgia for home,” University of Mary Washington researchers Meredith Gregory ’18 and Caitlin Finlayson observe in Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research. Read more.
A message from the Provost.
To all faculty and staff:
As we end the academic year and head into summer activity, I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the significant work of the Center for Teaching and announce some changes. As you are aware, the Center for Teaching (along with Digital Learning Support) played a critical role in supporting our efforts to transition to remote instruction this past spring. The Center for Teaching is now fully engaged in summer faculty development and preparations for fall.
It is important to recognize that the foundation for this effort owes much to the leadership of Dr. Caitie Finlayson who served on special assignment as the Faculty Program Director during the past two years. Caitie’s task was to work with faculty to plan and develop a Center for Teaching responsive to the needs and interests of our diverse faculty. Thanks to her efforts, the Center has a clear direction, offers a variety of programs and resources, and works collaboratively with other areas to provide faculty development and support.
As part of this effort, Caitie also led the national search for a full-time administrator for the Center, which brought us one of our own: Dr. Victoria Russell. I am pleased to share that Victoria will now continue on in an expanded role as the Director of the Teaching Center.
This summer, Caitie has elected to conclude her special assignment having successfully completed the task of designing and launching the Center for Teaching. I know you join me in thanking Caitie for her outstanding service and leadership to the University over the past two years, and in welcoming Victoria to her additional responsibilities.
We are also pleased to announce that Dr. Elizabeth Johnson-Young has accepted a position as a Faculty Fellow in the Center for Teaching. Elizabeth will be joining our current Faculty Fellow, Dr. Melissa Wells, in providing teaching support through consultations and program initiatives. Elizabeth brings experience in digital and online practices, as well as an interdisciplinary understanding of effective teaching, that will strengthen the Center’s continued growth and collaboration with our Digital Learning Support colleagues.
Nina Mikhalevsky
Provost
Caitie Finlayson, assistant professor in the Department of Geography, recently published a research article in Fennia, a peer-reviewed, open access journal published by the Geographical Society of Finland since 1889. The article developed out of a research project that was supported by a Jepson Fellowship and examined consumer perceptions of fresh produce quality – essentially how we view “ugly” or imperfect foods and how this view is dependent upon geography.
She previously presented the paper at a national geography conference in a special session on food geographies and was invited by the session organizer to submit the manuscript to Fennia. The journal is indexed by the Directory of Open Access Journals and the article is available free and openly under the Creative Commons license.
Caitie Finlayson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, published the cover photograph and cover art essay in the Southeastern Geographer, Volume 56, Number 2, which is available through Project Muse (https://muse.jhu.edu/article/622279). The photograph of Providence Canyon in Stewart County, Ga., was taken last fall as UMW geography students and faculty traveled to the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers in Pensacola, Fla.