Jacksonville State University College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences

05/28/2026

05/27/2026

Associate Professor of English Christopher Douglas recently published a pedagogical essay entitled "Teaching with Birth of the Public Sphere: Pedagogical Approaches for a Glorious Revolution Classroom Coffeehouse" in New Perspectives on the Eighteenth Century. This article explores teaching suggestions for incorporating a Reacting to the Past game into the core curriculum classroom, based off of student feedback from a class he taught the Spring 2023 semester.

05/25/2026

05/23/2026

05/21/2026

Introducing our Assistant Director of Bands, Mr. Chris Benedetti! Mr. Benedetti comes to the Marching Southerners after serving as Director of Bands at Gadsden City High School in Gadsden, Alabama from 2021–2026. A native of Peachtree City, Georgia, he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Instrumental Music Education from Jacksonville State University and is currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education at William Carey University.

Mr. Benedetti is excited to join the faculty at Jacksonville State University. He and his family are deeply grateful for the opportunities and support they have received from the Jacksonville community and are excited for the opportunity to give back to a place that has had such a meaningful impact on their lives.

05/15/2026

The Jacksonville State University College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences mourns the loss of Dr. Michael Burns. Please read the official University announcement below.

05/15/2026

On Thursday, May 28th, at 6:00 pm, we will be showing a screening of the new documentary, "My Home's in Alabama, the Randy Owen Story," at the ROC Concert Hall.

Randy Yeuell Owen was born on December 13, 1949, in Fort Payne, Alabama, to Martha and Gladstone. From church singings to country chart toppers, this documentary spans a life of humble beginnings to superstardom. One thing has been consistent; Randy’s home has always been in Alabama, atop Lookout Mountain on the beautiful rim of Little River Canyon. Join us for this special screening before the documentary premieres on Alabama Public Television.

Tickets are on sale now!

https://jaxstatearts.evenue.net/event/26ROC/MHIAD052826

04/30/2026

Dr. Christopher Douglas, Associate Professor of English, and Dr. Tray Ridlen, Associate Professor of Art History, were both honored to receive the Martha F. Bowden Teaching Prize from the Southeastern American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies (SEASECS) for their co-taught ART 439 / EH 325 courses from Fall 2025 on the topic of Realism in 18th-century Art and Literature. The Martha F. Bowden Teaching Prize is awarded to faculty who show "innovative pedagogies for teaching the [eighteenth-century] to students at the undergraduate or graduate level." The awards committee in their selection noted "Drs. Ridlen and Douglas impressed the committee with their interdisciplinary approach, especially the group assignment in which students analyzed eighteenth-century art criticism and literature together," and praised their hands-on paper marbling activity as an active-learning exercise that engaged students directly in learning about eighteenth-century material culture.

04/30/2026