Summary of Qualifications:
Dr. Chism has a PHD in Religious Studies (specifically African American religious history). His dissertation involved the description and analysis of African American Pentecostals’ contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in Memphis, Tennessee.
Dr. Chism completed several hours of graduate coursework in history in the History Department at Rice University, including: “Southern History;” “The Origins of Afro America;” “The History of Human Rights;” “Post-1945 US History,” and “Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.” While studying at Rice, Chism also completed comprehensive qualifying exams in African American Religion and African American Religious History from the antebellum period to the present. Dr. Chism demonstrated proficiency in topics such as transatlantic slavery, the Great Migration, race and religious diversity, civil rights, black power, and hip hop culture. In his introductory-level course, US History to 1877 course, Dr. Chism provides a basic survey of the United States from colonial origins through independence, the establishment of the Republic, territorial expansion, Civil War, and Reconstruction. These topics are covered in more detail in a plethora of upper-level courses available to History majors. Dr. Chism teaches upper-level courses related to his graduate training and dissertation research such as “History of the New South After 1865” and “The History of the Civil Rights Movement.”
Graduate Coursework:
Graduate course work includes 9 hours in HIST and REL courses related to history: Reformation to the present, history of black religion, MLK and Malcolm X, etc.
HIST 583: Southern History
HIST 539: Origins of Afro America
HIST 568: Post-1945 U.S. History
RELI 520: Reformation to the Present
RELI 545: The Study of Black Religion
RELI 546: MLK and Malcolm X Teaching Experience:
2014-present Lecturer United States History, UHD
2012-2013-Adjunct, Lone Star College
2011, Graduate Teacher’s Assistant, Rice University
Academic Scholarship/Research/Creative Endeavors:
Breaking Bread, Breaking Beats, co-authored with Anthony Pinn, Christopher Driscoll, Paul Easterling, Biko Gray, Darrius Hills, Jason Jeffries, Terri Laws, Aundrea Matthews, and Margarita Simon Guillory. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014).
“‘The Saints Go Marching’: Black Pentecostal Critical Consciousness and the Political Protest Activism of Pastors and Leaders in the Church of God in Christ in the Civil Rights Era.” In Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. Edited by Amos Yong and Dale Coulter. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. 35 (2013): 1-20.
“March Against Fear.” In Encyclopedia of the Black Power Movement. Edited by Andrea Field and Matthew C. Whitaker. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. (Forthcoming).
“Meredith, James.” In Encyclopedia of the Black Power Movement. Edited by Andrea Field and Matthew C. Whitaker. ABC-CLIO. (Forthcoming).
