C U R R I C U L U M V I T A E
MELINDA BOLLAR WAGNER
AUGUST 2008
EDUCATION: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ph.D., 1977 (Anthropology)
Dissertation: Metaphysics in Midwestern America:
Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship
Fellowships: Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies
Fellowship 1971-72, 1972-73, 1975-76
Rackham Dissertation Research Grant 1974-75
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
B.A. with Distinction, with honors in Social Science, 1970
(Sociology major, Anthropology minor)
Honors Thesis: Divination: A Cross-Cultural Test of an
Hypothesis
Awards and
Scholarships: President's Academic Award for 1968, 1969,
1970
HSSE Social Science Honors Program
Delta Rho Kappa Honor Society for
Humanities and Science
Hoosier Scholarship 1966-1970
President's Scholarship 1967-1968
Mortar Board Scholarship 1968-1970
PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE: Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Radford University
Radford, Virginia
Professor of Anthropology, 1989-Present
Associate Professor of Anthropology, 1983-1989
Assistant Professor of Anthropology, 1977-1983
Chairperson, Appalachian Studies Program, 1979-1982
Associate Chairperson, Appalachian Studies Program, 1983-
Present
Project Director, "Ideologies and Institutions," a
study of Christian schools (K-12) funded by the National
Science Foundation (BNS 8520070, $46,441),
The Radford Foundation, and the
Radford University Faculty Development Leave Program,
1986-1987
Department of Anthropology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Lecturer in Anthropology, 1973
Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan
Research Assistant, 1973-1976
Institute for the Study of Mental Retardation and Related
Disabilities
University of Michigan
Research Assistant, 1971-1972
Human Relations Area Files
Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library
University of Michigan
Guide and Filing Secretary, 1971, 1973
Department of Psychology
University of Michigan
Secretary, 1971
Human Performance Center
Department of Psychology
University of Michigan
Senior Secretary and Subject Pool Secretary, 1970
Dr. Martin Patchen
Department of Sociology
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
Professor's Assistant, 1969
HONORS: Radford University Foundation Award for Excellence in
Teaching, May 1986
Radford University nominee for Commonwealth of Virginia
Council of Higher Education Outstanding Faculty Awards
Program, 1987, 1988, 1992, 2001
Virginia Social Science Scholar in Anthropology Award,
1988
College of Arts and Sciences Award for Distinguished
Teaching, 1993-1994
Omicron Delta Kappa Honorary, initiated 4/19/98
Author of the Month, Radford University Bookstore, October 1998
Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, 2000 (nominated ~4 times)
Guest Lecturer, University of Tennessee Anthropology Department Visiting Lecturer Series, September 26-27, 2000
Keynote speaker, Small Membership Congregations Conference, November 20, 2000.
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia Distinguished Faculty Achievement Certificate, 2001
Featured in Radford University 2001-2002 Annual Report, one of three faculty members from the College of Arts & Sciences featured
Radford University Programming Excellence Award 2003-2004 to the Appalachian Events Committee, April 2004 (Faculty Advisor)
Alpha Lambda Delta, Freshman Honorary, inducted Spring 2004 (members vote for one or two professors to honor each year)
President, Appalachian Studies Association, 2004-2005
Radford University Department of Sociology and Anthropology established Melinda Bollar Wagner scholarship, 2008
CONTRIBUTIONS
TO THE
UNIVERSITY: Courses Taught:
Cultural Anthropology
Physical Anthropology
Practicing Ethnographic Research Methods
Appalachian Cultures
Appalachian Studies Seminar
North American Indian Cultures
Cultural Variations in Personality
Anthropology of Religion
Experiencing Cultural Diversity
Practicum in Anthropology
Minority Groups
Introduction to Sociology
Course Load:
Quarter system: 4 sections/quarter, 6 preparations/year,
1977-1984
Semester system: 4 sections/semester, 5-6 preparations/
year, 1985-Present
Founder and Coordinator Anthropology Curriculum for the
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, 1977 - Present
Vice Chairperson, Department Personnel Committee, 1978 - 1981, 1983 - 1986, 1988 - 1994
Chairperson, Department Promotion to Full Professor
Committee, 1993 - 1994
Co-Chairperson, Department Personnel Committee, 1994 - 1995
Founding Chairperson, Appalachian Studies Program, 1979 -
1982
Associate Chairperson, Appalachian Studies Program, 1982 - Present
Chairperson, Appalachian Events Committee, 1982 - 1984
Sponsor 5 - 6 events each year, with a budget of $12,000 - $25,000 from the Student Activities Budget Committee
Treasurer/Budget Coordinator, Appalachian Events Committee,
1983 - 1986, 1988 - Present
Faculty Advisor, Appalachian Events Committee, 1988 - Present
Faculty Advisor, RU Cloggers (Clogging Dance Team), 1998 -
2000
Co-ordinator, Student Enrollment in Field Schools in Archaeology, 1977 -1983
Sponsor, Sociology/Anthropology Club, 1980 - 1982
Member, Vice-President's Ad Hoc Committee to Review Grant
Proposals, 1982
Consultant to Library staff on Human Relations Area Files,
1982 - Present
Member, Southern Accreditation Self-Study Committee on
Research, 1983
Member, School of Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee,
1984 - 1986
Coordinator of visit to campus by Dr. Vernie Davis with regard to "Culture, Perception and Communication," and "Ethnographic Tools for Intercultural Understanding," co-sponsored by Intercultural Communications Center, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and Special Projects Committee, Fall 1985
Member, Graduate Committee, Pamela Spiggle (Education),
Spring 1986
Member, Graduate Committee, Jean Reed (English), Spring
1986
Member, Writing Across Curriculum Task Force on WAC Grant,
Pipestem, West Virginia, May 11-15, 1986
College of Arts and Sciences Representative to the Faculty
Professional Development Leave Committee, 1988 - 1989, 1991
- 1992
Member, Committee on International Studies, 1988 - 1989
Consultant to University Planning Advisory Committee,
Spring 1990
Writing Across Curriculum Off-Campus Weekend Retreats
Coordinator, 1990 - 1993
Member, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
(SACS) Study Committee on Faculty, 1991 - 1992
Aide to Coordinator, Proposal for Anthropology B.A./B.S.
degree to State Council of Higher Education of Virginia,
1991-1993
Member, Task Force on College Mission and Goals
(appointed), 1991
College Representative to Faculty Professional Development
Leave Committee (elected), 1991-1992
Sponsor, annual presentations at the Radford University
Undergraduate Forum, 1992 - Present
Member, Graduate Committee for Christi Leftwich (English
Department), 1991-1992
Member, Graduate Committee for Phil Leonard (English
Department), 1991-92
Member, SACS Committee on Faculty, 1991-1993
Ad Hoc Committee for Research Policy (appointed), Fall 1991
Ad Hoc Committee for Indirect Costs Policy (appointed), 1992
Acting Chair, Appalachian Studies Program, Fall 1993
Communication with Board of Visitors Committee, Spring 1994
General Education Council Subcommittee on Student
Assessment, Spring 1994 - Present
Department Equipment Acquisition Committee, Fall 1994
College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award
Committee, 1995 - 1999
College of Arts and Sciences Strategic Plan Assessment
Committee, Fall 1995
Radford University Foundation Robert Glen Toney Scholarship
in Appalachian Studies Selection Committee, Spring 1997
Chair, Department Strategic Planning Committee, 1997-98
Program Review for Anthropology, 1998 - 2000
Department Curriculum Committee, ? - Present
Ad Hoc Committee to Research Software and Equipment for
Teaching Ethnographic Research Methods (with Mary LaLone),
Spring 1999-Present
Chair, Search Committee for Adjunct Faculty in Anthropology (7 sections), Fall 1999
Chair, Search Committee for Full-time Temporary Assistant
Professor in Anthropology 2000-2001, Spring 2000
Anthropology Program Restructuring Committee, 2002-2003
Chair, Search Committee for Department Chair, 2005-2006
Search Committee for Three Faculty Positions, 2005-2006
Coordinator, Anthropology Program Review, 2004-2006
Search Committee for Two Anthropology Faculty Positions,
2006-2007
Search Committee for Two Sociology Faculty Positions, 2007-
2008
Lectures and Workshops at Other Institutions and in Community:
"North American Indians," and "What does an Anthropologist Do?", Belle Heth
School, October 1977.
"North American Indians," Belmont Community Cub Scouts, November 1977.
"Trigg Site Artifacts," Belmont Community Cub Scouts (at Radford
University), November 1978.
"Human Evolution: Some New Thoughts on Old Bones" (slide/lecture),
Archaeological Society of Virginia, Wolf Hills Chapter, Abingdon, Virginia,
October 15, 1978.
"North American Indians: The First Americans" (slide/lecture), Daughters
of the American Revolution, Alleghany Chapter, Blacksburg, Virginia, March
4, 1982.
"Appalachian Cultures," Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia, March
28, 1983.
Academic Saturday Seminars: Anthropology Workshop, Montgomery County
Gifted and Talented Program of the Montgomery County Public Schools,
Christiansburg Elementary School, April 7, April 14 (with students Laura
Binder, Thelma Peck, Bobbi Willis), April 28, 1984.
"Writing about Local Cultures" (with students Thelma Peck and Bobbi
Willis), Southwest Virginia Writers' Project Summer Institute, Tazewell,
Virginia, June 14, 1984.
"Modernization of the Appalachian Man," The Baptist General Association of
Virginia Appalachian Awareness Conference, Claypool Hill, VA, July 12-13,
1984.
"New Religions Among Middle-Class Americans," Northside Presbyterian
Church, Blacksburg, VA, January 20, 1985.
Commentary and Discussion on the Snake-handling Churches of Appalachia,
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Blacksburg, VA, February 9, 1985.
"Appalachian Religion," Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Blacksburg, VA,
February 10, 1985.
"Metaphysical Religious Groups in Midwestern America," Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship, Blacksburg, VA, February 9, 1986.
"Metaphysics in Midwestern America," Sociology 350, Sociology of Religion,
Department of Sociology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University, Blacksburg, VA, March 6, 1986.
"Native Americans," American Studies Pilot Project, Montgomery County Public Schools Programs for the Gifted, Shawsville and Auburn High Schools,
Montgomery County, Virginia, September 23, 1988, (with C. Clifford Boyd).
"Native Americans Yesterday and Today," Second Period Social Studies,
Eighth Grade, Dalton Intermediate School, March 29, 1994
Floyd County High School Career Awareness Day, "About Anthropology," May 4, 1995.
Floyd County Gifted and Talented Program, "Workshop on Cultural Anthropology and Writing," Sixth Graders from all Floyd County Elementary Schools, May 12, 1995.
"Between Blue Mountains," Craig County Historical Society and Citizens to Preserve Craig County, New Castle, Virginia, April 22, 1996 (with students Meredith Burk, Neil Epperly, Shawn Harrison, Sam Linkous, Christy Landreth, Angela Vaughan, David Wooldridge).
"Anthropology in College," Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth College Colloquium, Virginia Tech, Saturday October, 1996.
"Anthropological Methods and the Anthropology of Religion," Humanities 4414 Contemporary Issues in Appalachian Religion, Virginia Tech, March 3, 1998.
"Ethnography and Applied Anthropology at Radford University: Application to Cultural Attachment to Land," Wythe County Board of Supervisors Meeting, October 12, 1999.
Workshop Leader, "Workshop for Interview Coordinators for Cultural Attachment to Land Project," Bland and Wythe Counties, Bland County Library, Bland, VA, October 26, 1999.
University of Tennessee Anthropology Department Visiting Lecture Series:
"The Collective Self in Appalachia and Cross-Culturally", September 26, 2000, for undergraduate students, faculty, and the public;
"Measuring Cultural Attachment to Land," September 27, 2000, for graduate students, faculty, and the public. Honorarium $200 plus $165.47 expenses.
Keynote speaker for second day of three day conference, Small Membership Congregations Conference, Presented by the Ecumenical Planning Group in Southwest Virginia, Hungry Mother State Park, November 20-22, 2000:
"The Ministry of the Church and the Culture of the Mountain Empire."
Honorarium $500 + $50.56 expenses.
"Studying Cultural Attachment to Land: Methods and Discussion," Tropical Ecology Class taught by Arthur L. Buikema, Jr., Alumni Distinguished Professor of Biology,, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, March 2001.
"North American Indian Cultures," Read with a Child, Read Across America, a National Education Association Project, Indian Valley Elementary School, Floyd County, Virginia, March 2, 2001.
"Appalachian Cultures," including viewing of "Between Blue Mountains," student-created video/slide presentation, Floyd County Courthouse Chapter of the DAR, Roanoke, Virginia, March 5, 2002.
Workshop Leader, "Interviewing for Oral History for Community and Family," Floyd County Old Church Gallery and Museum and Floyd County Historical Society, Floyd County High School, Floyd, Virginia, March 19, 2002.
"Appalachian Cultures and Communication," Blacksburg Lion's Club, Blacksburg, Virginia, August 6, 2003.
“Memories of Migration [In and Out of Floyd County],” with students Jessica Baciu, Brittony Fitzgerald, Morgan Hawkins, Patricia Jacobs, and Kathy Murphy, Jesse Peterman Library (Floyd County Public Library), Floyd, Virginia, April 14, 2007.
“Direct and Indirect Communication Styles,” Fort Chiswell High School Appalachian Arts and Studies in the Schools (AASIS) Students and Teachers Visitation to the Farm at Selu, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, May 23, 2008
GRANTS
AND CONTRACTS: Radford University Foundation Faculty Instructional
Development Grant:
"Distribution of Student-Written Books: The ABC's of
Appalachia, a book for children, and Beyond the ABC's of
Appalachia, an accompanying book for parents and teachers,"
with students Laura Binder, Thelma Peck, Bobbi Willis,
($400), 1984-85
Humanities Consultant, National Endowment for the
Humanities Youth Project:
"Awareness of Appalachian Heritage," Dr. Grace Toney
Edwards, Project Director, 1985.
Radford University Foundation Faculty Professional
Development Grant:
"Research on Ideologies and Institutions and Computer
Management of Anthropological Data," ($1,250), 1985-86.
National Science Foundation Grant:
BNS 8520070, "Ideologies and Institutions," ($46,441),
1986-87.
Radford University Faculty Professional Development Leave,
Fall 1987.
Lilly Endowment and the Institute for the Study of American
Evangelicals:
"The Demise of Denominationalism and the Rise of Ecumenism
within Educational Voluntary Associations," part of
Evangelicals, Voluntary Associations and American Public
Life Project, ($2500), 1989-1991.
Radford University Foundation Faculty Instructional
Development Grant:
"Computer Software for Teaching Qualitative Methods and
Sharing Research Data with Students," ($2800), 1989-1990.
Radford University Foundation Faculty Professional and
Instructional Development Grant:
"Faculty and Students as Colleagues in the Study of
Conservative Christianity and American Popular Culture,"
($1000), 1991-1992.
Radford University Foundation Faculty Professional and
Instructional Development Grant #92-17:
Appalachian-Scottish Studies Program, University of
Edinburgh, Scotland (Administered with the Center for
Appalachian Studies and Services at East Tennessee State
University) -- Study Tour in Scotland, July 17 - August 6,
1993, joined with a private trip to Northern Ireland,
August 7 - August 12, 1993. ($2000), Summer 1993.
Academic Enrichment Program Discretionary Funds:
to supplement undergraduate travel funds for Matt Laferty
and Allison Sutherland to present papers at the Society for
the Scientific Study of Religion meeting, Raleigh, North
Carolina, ($90) October 29-31, 1993.
Radford University Foundation Faculty Professional and
Instructional Development Grant #93-20:
to support Anthropology 421, Anthropology of Religion,
Religion and Conflict Symposium, Spring 1994: two student
projects and a public presentation by "The Family," a
controversial religious group with headquarters in
Washington, D.C., Spring 1994
Radford University Foundation Faculty Professional and
Instructional Development Grant #94-10:
"Student Faculty Collaborative Research: Cultural
Attachment to Land in Craig County, Virginia," ($3386),
1994
Citizens to Preserve Craig County:
to support the Cultural Attachment to Land in Craig County,
Virginia Study, ($1500), Summer 1994
Radford Foundation Grant Discretionary Fund 002, Center for
Academic Enrichment ($315.16) for supplies for archiving
the Craig County Cultural Attachment to Land Project
interviews and analyses, Spring 1995
Radford Foundation Grant Discretionary Fund 013, Center for
Academic Enrichment ($425.00) (100 hours @$4.25) for
student aid to archive Craig County Cultural Attachment to
Land Project interviews and analyses, Spring 1995 - Summer
1995
V-QUEST Contract, ($5,305) to evaluate the effectiveness of
the V-QUEST effort by collecting baseline data via
ethnographic interviews with science and mathematics teachers
(K-12), Spring 1995 - Fall 1995
Radford Foundation Grant Discretionary Fund, Center for
Academic Enrichment ($1200) for student research assistant
and supplies for Cultural Attachment to Land in Craig and
Giles Counties Project, 1997-98
Radford University Seed Grant ($2691) "'It May Not be Heaven,
But It's Close': Community and Place in Rural America,"
Spring 1998
Radford Foundation Discretionary Grant ($754)
Student assistant/mentor for Cultural Attachment to Land Project, 1998-99
Radford University Foundation Grant ($2,691), Reassigned Time for Professional Activity, Spring 1999
Greater Newport Rural Historic District Committee ($200), for student Dana Stein to write report based on ANTH 411
research on cultural attachment to land in Giles County,
Spring 1999
Undergraduate Travel Funds for presenters at the
Appalachian Studies Conference, Society for the Scientific
Study of Religion, and the Southern Anthropological
Society, 1990 - Present
Radford University Foundation Faculty Professional and Instructional Grant, Student-Faculty Collaborative Research in Two Projects: Cultural Attachment to Land/Floyd County Traditions in Floyd County Virginia and Y2k of the Gods Projects, Fall 1999-Spring 2000, #9900-13, ($1,482.11).
Contract, Bland and Wythe Counties Boards of Supervisors, Analysis of an Ethnographic Study of Cultural Attachment to Land ($19,710.00), Spring 2000
Radford University Faculty Professional Development Leave 2000-2001.
Radford University Foundation Funds for Sociology and Anthropology Department, Cultural Attachment to Land Project ($126.19), July 2000,
Honors Program, for Floyd County Traditions Project in ANTH 121 Honors, Fall 2001.
Radford University Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Grant, Bibliographic Assistance for book re cultural attachment to land ($1,500), Spring 2002.
Radford University QEP Award (Quality Enhancement Program/Student Engagement), Office of Academic Programs, student assistant for Appalachian Studies Association President ($1,545), 2004-2005.
Radford University Faculty Professional Development Leave and Research Support, reassigned time for planning Appalachian Studies Conference 2005 and activities as President of the Appalachian Studies Association ($2,600) Spring 2005.
Appalachian Regional Commission, Appalachian Studies Association Annual Conference (for scholarships for participants), ARC Contract No. XX-14137-C3 ($5,000), 2/1/2005-6/30/2005.
Radford University Quality Enhancement Plan Implementation Grant, Faculty Development Center, student assistant and other assistance for Anthropology Program Review ($2,000), Spring 2006.
CONFERENCES
ORGANIZED:
Appalachian Studies Conference, "Vital Words and Vital Actions: Partnerships to Build a Healthy Place", with Parks Lanier, Program Chair, and Ricky Cox, Local Arrangements Chair, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, March 18-20, 2005.
PUBLICATIONS:
BOOKS:
Metaphysics in Midwestern America. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University
Press, 1983.
(Reviewed in American Anthropologist, Vol. 87, No. 1, pp. 155-157.)
God's Schools: Choice and Compromise in American Society. New Brunswick,
New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1990.
(Reviews can be found in several journals concerned with religion.)
CHAPTERS:
Environmental Interventions in Emotional Disturbance. In Rhodes, W.C. and
M.L. Tracy, Editors. A Study of Child Variance: Volume 2, Interventions.
Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1974.
Appalachia in America's Future: Alternative Cultural Forms, In Simon,
Rick, Editor, Critical Essays in Appalachian Life and Culture. Boone, NC:
Appalachian Consortium Press, 1982, pp. 88-97.
Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship, In Fichter, Joseph H., Editor, Alternatives
to American Mainline Churches, New York: Rose of Sharon Press, 1983, pp.
45-66.
Images of Appalachia: A Critical Discussion. With Allen Batteau and
Archie Green. In Buxton, Barry M., Editor, The Appalachian Experience:
Proceedings of the 6th Annual Appalachian Studies Conference. Boone, NC:
Appalachian Consortium Press, 1983, pp. 3-9.
Appalachia: A Tourist Attraction. With students Donna Lynn Batley, Kai
Jackson, Bill O'Brien, Liz Throckmorton. In Lloyd, Jim and Anne G.
Campbell, Editors, The Impact of Institutions in Appalachia: Proceedings
of the 8th Annual Appalachian Studies Conference. Boone, NC: Appalachian
Consortium Press, 1986, pp. 73-87.
The Parkway and the People: Then and Now, Discussion. In Buxton, Barry
and Steven Beatty, Editors, Blue Ridge Parkway: Agent of Transition. Boone,
NC: Appalachian Consortium Press, 1987.
Metaphysics: "A Practical Religious Philosophy," In Greil, Arthur L., and
Thomas Robbins. Religion and the Social Order: Volume 4: Between Sacred
and Secular: Research and Theory on Quasi-Religion. (Series Editor, David
Bromley). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1994.
Christian Schools: Walking the Christian Walk the American Way. In White, Daryl and Kendall White. Religion in the Contemporary South: Diversity,
Community, and Identity. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press,
1995.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Donna Lynn Batley, Kai Jackson, Bill O'Brien, Liz
Throckmorton. Appalachia: A Tourist Attraction? In Higgs, Robert J.,
Ambrose Manning, and Jim Wayne Miller, Editors. Appalachia Inside Out: A
Sequel to Voices from the Hills, Volume II Culture and Custom, 572-580. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1995.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Shannon T. Scott, and Danny Wolfe. Drawing the Line
Between People and Power: Taking the Classroom to the Community. In
Wallace, James M. Practicing Anthropology in the South, 109-118. Athens, Georgia:
University of Georgia Press, 1997.
(Shannon Scott and Danny Wolfe are RU alumnae.)
The Anthropological Study of Religions in American Society. In Stephen D.
Glazier, ed. Anthropology of Religion: A Handbook of Theory and Method.
Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1997.
Hrezo, Margaret S. and Melinda Bollar Wagner. Civility or the Culture Wars
in Politics and Religion: Case Study of Oliver North in Virginia. In
Williams, Rhys H., ed. Cultural Wars in American Politics: Critical
Reviews of a Popular Thesis. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter, 1997.
Monolith or the Tower of Babel? Ultimate Sacred Postulates at Work in Conservative Christian Schools. In Ecology and the Sacred: Engaging the Anthropology of Roy A. Rappaport, edited by Ellen Messer and Michael Lambek. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2001.
Space and Place, Land and Legacy. In Howell, Benita J., ed. Culture, Environment, and Conservation in the Appalachian South. Champaign-Urbana:
University of Illinois Press, 2002.
Connecting What We Know to What We Do: Modifying Interview Techniques for
the Collective Self in Appalachia. In Keefe, Susan E., ed.
Culturally-Relevant Practice in Appalachia, Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 2005.
Religion. In A Handbook to Appalachia, Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 2006.
The Black Church – Connecting a Community. In Brown, Deborah L. Pride and Preservation: Mountain View Cemetery. Radford, VA: Radford University Center for Experiential Learning and Career Services, published by a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, 2008.
Playing the Power Game: The Limits of Participatory Development. In Keefe, Susan E., ed. Participatory Development in Appalachian Communities: Essays on Cultural Identity, Social Capital and Sustainability, University of Tennessee Press, in press.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar. Education: Lose Yourself, Find the Other, Find Yourself. In Geller, Carol, ed. Tentative title Teaching Excellence at a Student-Centered University, in progress.
ARTICLES:
Metaphysics in Midwestern America, Journal of Popular Culture, Volume 17,
Number 3, 1984, pp. 131-140.
Analyzing the ABC'S OF APPALACHIA: University Students Write a Children's
Book. Focus: Teaching English Language Arts, Volume X, Number 2, Winter,
1984, pp. 19-25.
Teacher's Corner: Beyond the Classroom Walls: University Students Create A
Children's Book, AnthroNotes, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural
History Bulletin for Teachers, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 11-13, Spring 1994.
A Cross-Cultural Study of Ethnopersonality: The Scottish and Appalachian
Sense of Self, ALCA-LINES, the Journal of the Assembly of Literature and
Culture of Appalachia (National Council of Teachers of English), Vol. III,
#1, 1994; Vol. IV, #1, 1996.
Generic Conservative Christianity: The Demise of Denominationalism in
Christian Schools, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 1997, 36
(1):13-24.
Measuring Cultural Attachment to Place in a Proposed Power Line Corridor, Journal of Appalachian Studies, Fall 1999, 5(2):241-246.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar and Kristen L. Hedrick. ‘You Have a Culture to Preserve Here, But We Have Power Line to Stop’: University/Community Study of Cultural Attachment to Place, Practicing Anthropology, Spring 2001, 23(2):10-14.
Christian Schools. In Samuel S. Hill and Charles Lippy, The Encyclopedia of Religion in the South, Mercer University Press, 2005.
Central Appalachia: People, Hardwood, and Coal, MapGuide to Appalachia, National Geographic, 2005, Enclosed in National Geographic Traveler, Volume 22, Number 3, April 2005.
We are All Activists, In Ballard, Sandy and Tal Stanley, eds. Special Issue of Appalachian Journal Honoring Stephen Fisher, Activists, and Activism in Appalachia, 2008.
NEWSLETTERS:
Appalachian Studies Conference, Newsletter of New River Valley Planning District Commission, Fall 2004.
President's Message, Appalink, The Newsletter for the Appalachian Studies Association, Volume 28, Number 1, Fall 2004.
President's Message, Appalink, The Newsletter for the Appalachian Studies Association, Volume 28, Number 2, Spring, 2005.
Thank You column; Steering Committee column; Conference Notes column, Appalink, The Newsletter for the Appalachian Studies Association, Volume 28, Number 2, Spring, 2005.
VIDEOS:
Arment, Lisa, Charles Cosmato, Audrey C. McDowell, Bobbi Montgomery, Wendy Turner, and Catherine Vest, Melinda Bollar Wagner, Images of Appalachia, Fall 1992.
Carden, Darlene H., Caryn Ergenbright, Brad Jackson, Kimberly Ledbetter
Comerford, Brad Nyholm, Amy Sokoloff, Rebecca Taylor, Danny Wolfe, Melinda
Bollar Wagner, Drawing the Line Between People and Power. Spring 1994.
Meredith Burk, Neil Epperly, Shawn Harrison, Sam Linkous, Christy Landreth, Angela Vaughan, David Wooldridge, Between Blue Mountains: Cultural Attachment to Land in Craig County, Virginia, Fall 1995, Spring 1996.
Anna Klick, Jennifer Neel, Tiffany Shifflett, Holly Hyler, Kathryn Ballard, Melinda Bollar Wagner, The Little River Talks Back: University/Community Study of Environment and Culture in the Little River Watershed, Spring 2003.
Alex Elvis Badillo, Justin Paul Miller, Kathy Martin Murphy, Keith B. Nunn, Sherry Lynn Tejada, Robert Scot Trent, Donald Avery White, Melinda Bollar Wagner, Vital Words and Vital Actions: Partnerships to Build a Healthy Place: Appalachian Studies Conference 2005, Spring 2005
Ashley Herwald, Brittony Fitzgerald, Patricia Jacobs, and Jeffrey Wood, edited by Brittony Fitzgerald and Melinda Bollar Wagner, Floyd County High School Place-Based Education Project, Spring 2008 (8 versions ranging in length from 10 to 42 minutes)
RADIO AND TELEVISION:
Williamson, Seth. Virginia Bookshelf. Interview concerning Metaphysics in
Midwestern America, WVTF National Public Radio, Roanoke, Virginia, taped
December 15, 1983, aired January 2, 1984.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, James Mathisen, and Host Chris Fabry, "Open Line:
T-Shirt Evangelism," Chicago: Moody Broadcasting Network, August 23, 1994.
(Available on cassette from Moody Broadcasting Network, 820 N. La Salle
Blvd, Chicago, IL 60610-3284.)
Wagner, Melinda Bollar and Mark Raterman. The Future of Appalachia (Cultural Attachment to Land), All Things Considered (WVTF segment), Roanoke, Virginia, WVTF Radio (National Public Radio), November 16, 1998.
Appalachian Events Committee and ANTH 411 Appalachian Cultures(Melinda Wagner, Faculty Advisor and Teacher). Blue Ridge Excursions. Appalachian Awareness Day, sponsored by the Appalachian Events Committee, WVTF Public Broadcasting System, Roanoke, Virginia, Spring 2005.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Parks Lanier, Ricky Cox, and Grace Toney Edwards. Community Speaking. Appalachian Studies Conference, post-Conference Interview, Radford University Media, for local news channel, Spring 2005.
EXHIBITS:
Exhibit Researcher and Coordinator of Student Researchers, National Park Service Exhibit of Spiritual and Cultural Significance of Mountains in National Parks, Permanent exhibit at Great Smoky Mountains National Park Headquarters, beginning Summer 2000. (INVITED)
REVIEWS:
"Born Again: Life in a Fundamentalist Baptist Church," a film by James
Ault, American Anthropologist, 1989.
Appalachian Atlas by Clifford a Grammich, Jr., published by the Commission
on Religion in Appalachia, 1994. Appalachian Journal, Vol. 22, No., 4,
Summer 1995.
MONOGRAPHS:
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Jean Kappes, Shannon Scott, Megan Scanlon, Stacy
Viers. 'It May Not be Heaven, but it's Close' Land and People in Craig
County, Virginia. 92 page report.
Submitted to National Forest Service by Citizens to Preserve Craig County;
cited in Forest Service Environmental Impact Statement.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Jean Kappes, Shannon Scott, Megan Scanlon, Stacy
Viers. Position Paper to Accompany Documentation of Certain Intangible
Elements of Cultural Heritage, Folklife, and Living Culture: Cultural
Attachment to Land in Craig County, Virginia. 29 pages.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, with the assistance of Jean-Paul Charbonneau, Brain
Corboy, Magdalene Drewnowski, Rachael Eagan, Julia Everett, Kristen
Hedrick, Michelle Heizer, Christine Hicks, Susan Hudson, Thomas Hunt,
Heather Krantz, Michelle Matney, Patricia Pugh, Anne Ruifrok, Gregory
Souder, Dana Stein, Angela Stump. Preliminary Report of an Ethnographic
Study Documenting Certain Intangible Elements of Cultural Heritage,
Folklife, and Living Culture: Cultural Attachment to Land In Clover Hollow
and Plow Screw, Giles County, Virginia, October 5, 1996.
Submitted to National Forest Service by Preserve Clover Hollow and Plow
Screw.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar and Mary LaLone. Project Manual (for use with ethnographic research projects), 1999.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Kristen L. Hedrick, Melissa Lamb, Daliah Macon, Matthew Schrag, Christopher Shedd, and Elaine Staab. Analysis of a Preliminary Ethnographic Study Documenting Certain Intangible Elements of Cultural Heritage, Folklife, and Living Culture: Cultural Attachment to Land in the Eastern Portions of Bland and Wythe Counties, Virginia. Submitted to the Virginia State Corporation Commission, March 2000.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar. Report to the State Corporation Commission regarding Cultural Attachment to Land in Bland and Wythe Counties, Spring 2002.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Maple R. Potts, Kathryn Ballard, Melissa Bellows, Matt Burgess, Jennifer Cline, Lindsay Coada, Ashley Crabtree, Nicole Danhauser, Dixine Darist, Christine England, Rosalynn Good, Rachel Greene, Joseph Gregory, Jessica Hamby, Megan Holzbauer, Holly Hyler, David Jones, Robert Ketner, Anna Klick, Ivan Levin, Jennifer Neel, Amy Phillips, Ashley Robbins, Kelly Schwenk, Tiffany Shifflett, Beth Smit, Tammy Stiles, Steven Storer, Emily Talbot. Fall 2002 Little River Project Summary Report, Submitted to the New River Land Trust, December 17, 2002.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Project Director, Final Report, Appalachian Regional Commission, Appalachian Studies Association Annual Conference, ARC Contract Number: CO-14137-C3-05, $5,000, 2/1/2005-6/30/2005.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, with analysis by Shai Cullop and Sherry Tejada, Appalachian Studies Association (ASA) Conference Evaluation Results: "Vital Words and Vital Actions: Partnerships to Build a Healthy Place," Radford University, March 18-20, 2005
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Natalie Brooks, Brittony Fitzgerald, Ashley Herwald, Patricia Jacobs, Adam Richardson, and Jeffrey Wood. Floyd County High School Place-Based Education Project, Spring 2008
IN-HOUSE PUBLICATIONS:
Appalachia: America's Alter Ego, Radford Magazine, Fall 1981, pp. 6-9.
Practicing Anthropology and "Good" Writing, In Self, Warren and Rich
Murphy, Editors. Working Papers on Writing and Learning: Essays by
Faculty on Writing Across the Curriculum. Radford University, 1983.
Learning. In Self, Warren and Rich Murphy, Editors, Writing from Pipestem
Writing Across Curriculum Workshop 1984, Radford University, 1985.
A Look Inside America's Christian Schools, Radford Magazine, Fall 1991.
Christian Schools the American Way. Radford Magazine, February 1992, pp.
34-35.
Mr. Harper, History, North Vermillion High School, Vermillion County,
Indiana, IN Jones, Myrl, Reflections of Excellence: Essays on Teaching,
Radford University, 1994.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar and Mary LaLone. Beyond the Classroom Walls,
InterActions, The Newsletter of the Faculty Development Center, October
1996.
Includes commentaries from students Kristen Hedrick, Alicia Gallant, Stacie
Haynes, Alex Sweeney, Sam L. Linkous, David Wooldridge, Meredith Burk, and
Angela D. Vaughan.
Faculty Development Leave Program, InterActions, The Newsletter of the Faculty Development Center, April 1998.
PRESENTATIONS AT PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS
(JURIED PAPERS OR INVITED PARTICIPATION):
"Metaphysics: A Practical Religious Philosophy," Society for the
Scientific Study of Religion, San Antonio, Texas, October 26-28, 1979.
"Metaphysics in Midwestern America," American Anthropological Association,
Cincinnati, Ohio, November 28-December 1, 1979.
"I am God: The Metaphor of Metaphysics," Society for the Scientific Study
of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 31-November 2, 1980.
"Religious Diversity in the United States: Case Study of the American
Metaphysical Movement," Popular Culture Association, Cincinnati, Ohio,
March 25-29, 1981.
"Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship," Alternatives Religions Conference
(invitational conference), Loyola University and the Institute for the
Study of American Religion, Chicago, Illinois, May 5-7, 1981.
"Spiritual Science," Society for the Scientific Study of Religion,
Baltimore, Maryland, October 30-November 1, 1981.
"Healing Beliefs and Practices" (invitational panel), Society for the
Scientific Study of Religion, Baltimore, Maryland, October 30-November 1,
1981.
"Paranormal Phenomena in Religion" (invitational panel), Society for the
Scientific Study of Religion, Baltimore, Maryland, October 30-November 1,
1981.
"Identity and Metaphor" American Anthropological Association, Los Angeles,
California, December 4-6, 1981.
"Appalachia in America's Future: Alternative Cultural Forms," Appalachian
Studies Conference, Blacksburg, Virginia, March 26-28, 1982.
"Workshop on Improving Field Studies of New Religious Movements" (session
organizer), Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Providence, Rhode
Island, October 22-24, 1982.
"Sci and Psi: The Joining of Science and Religion," American
Anthropological Association, Washington, D.C., December 4-7, 1982.
"Images of Appalachia: A Critical Discussion" (session convener and
discussant), Appalachian Studies Conference, Pipestem, West Virginia, March
18-20, 1983.
"The Functions of Reincarnation in Everyday Life," Society for the
Scientific Study of Religion, Knoxville, Tennessee, November 4-6, 1983.
"Community and Communitas: America and Appalachia," American Anthropological Association, Chicago, Illinois, November 16-20, 1983.
"The ABC's of Appalachian Studies" (with students Laura Binder, Thelma
Peck, Bobbi Willis), Appalachian Studies Conference, Unicoi State Park,
Helen, Georgia, March 23-25, 1984.
"Anthropology for the Everyperson: Beginning with the Third Grader,"
American Anthropological Association, Denver, Colorado, November 15-18,
1984.
"Images of Appalachia in Tourist Literature: Commercialization of Cultural
Difference?" (with students Donna Lynn Batley, Kai Jackson, Bill O'Brien,
and Liz Throckmorton), Appalachian Studies Conference, Berea College,
Berea, Kentucky, March 29-31, 1985.
"The Parkway and the People: Then and Now." With students Kimberly
Burnette and Pamela Frye. The Blue Ridge Parkway Conference Celebrating
the Golden Anniversary, Boone, North Carolina, Appalachian State
University, September 9-11, 1985 (Session convener and discussant).
Discussant, "New Developments in Contemporary Christianity," Society for
the Scientific Study of Religion, Savannah, Georgia, October 25-27, 1985.
"Framing the Ethnographic Question: To Hypothesize or Not to Hypothesize,"
American Anthropological Association, Washington, D.C., December 4-8, 1985.
Session organizer and convener, "Teaching Ethnography," American
Anthropological Association, Washington, D.C., December 4-8, 1985.
"The 'Appalachian Attitude' Toward Land," Appalachian Studies Conference,
Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, March 21-23, 1986.
"Alternative Christian Schooling: How Alternative Is It?," Society for the
Scientific Study of Religion, Chicago, Illinois, October 28-30, 1988.
"Christian Schools: Walking the Christian Walk the American Way," American
Anthropological Association, Phoenix, Arizona, November 16-20, 1988.
Moderator, "Following Alternative Lifestyles in a Technological Society," New River Community College, Dublin, Virginia, April 10, 1989.
"Christian Schooling as `Revitalization' Process," Virginia Social Science
Association, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Blacksburg, Virginia, April 14, 1989.
"The Conservative Christian 'Sense of Self,'" Society for the Scientific
Study of Religion, Salt Lake City, Utah, October 27-29, 1989.
Critic, "Author Meets Critics: Alternate Reality: Religion in a
Pluralistic World, by Felicitas D. Goodman," Society for the Scientific
Study of Religion, Salt Lake City, Utah, October 27-29, 1989.
"Ideology and Pragmatism in the Teaching of Ethnography," American
Anthropological Association, Washington, D.C., November 15-19, 1989. (In a session including Radford University student Bradley Bowden, and
graduates Sheila Swart, Sherri Dawson, and Christie Corrao.)
Convener and Discussant, "Appalachian Regionalism: Definitions and
Doubts," Appalachian Studies Conference, Unicoi State Park, Helen, Georgia,
March 23-25, 1990.
"Research Report on the Demise of Denominationalism and the Rise of
Ecumenism Within Educational Voluntary Associations (Christian Schools),"
Research Consultation for "Evangelicals, Voluntary Associations, and
American Public Life" Project, funded by the Lilly Endowment and the
Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals, Stowe, Vermont, June
28-July 1, 1990.
"The Meaning of Metaphysics in Everyday Life: Spiritual Frontiers
Fellowship and the Association for Research and Enlightenment," Society for
the Scientific Study of Religion, Virginia Beach, Virginia, November 9-11,
1990.
"Which Side are You on? Negotiating the Role of Ethnographer in
Non-Mainstream Religious Groups," American Ethnological Society,
Charleston, South Carolina, March 14-16, 1991.
"The Demise of Denominationalism and the Rise of Ecumenism Within Christian
Schools," Evangelicals, Voluntary Associations, and American Public Life
Conference, sponsored by the Lilly Endowment and the Institute for the
Study of American Evangelicals, Wheaton, Illinois, June 13-15, 1991.
"Beyond Classroom Walls: Community as Teacher," Appalachian
Teachers' Network Conference, Radford University, Radford, Virginia,
September 14, 1991.
Author, "God's Schools: Author Meets Critics," Society for the Scientific
Study of Religion, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 8-10, 1991.
Panelist, "Qualitative Approaches to the Study of Religion: A Panel
Discussion," Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, November 8-10, 1991.
"Student Field Experiences," in "Workshop on Teaching Sociology and
Anthropology: Beyond the Lecture Format for Engaging Student
Participation," Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, November 8-10, 1991.
"Negotiating Loyalties in Anthropological Fieldwork," American
Anthropological Association, Chicago, Illinois, November 20-24, 1991.
Arment, Lisa, Charles Cosmato, Audrey C. McDowell, Bobbi Montgomery, Wendy
Turner, and Catherine Vest, with the assistance of Melinda Bollar Wagner,
"What is Appalachia? Images of Appalachia," Appalachian Studies
Conference, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina, March
20-22, 1992.
"When Religion is Therapy," Society for the Scientific Study of Religion,
Washington, D.C., November 6-8, 1992.
"God's Schools: Choice and Compromise in American Society," in the Key
Symposium on Religion in the South, Southern Anthropological Society, March
24-27, 1993, Savannah, Georgia.
Convener, "Community Change; Tourism and Volunteerism," Appalachian
Studies Conference, March 19-21, 1993, East Tennessee State University,
Johnson City, TN.
"Cultural Parallelism Across the Sacred/Secular Divide: If the Medium is
the Message, What are the Conservative Christians Saying?" Society for the
Scientific Study of Religion, Raleigh, North Carolina, October 29-31, 1993.
Session Convener, "Popular Culture, Mass Media, Conservative Christianity,"
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Raleigh, North Carolina,
October 29-31, 1993.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar and Mary B. LaLone, "Ethnography as a Teaching Tool:
Immersing Students in the Local Culture."
Wagner: "Issues: Teaching Beyond the Classroom Walls";
LaLone: "Case Studies: Teaching Economic Anthropology by Immersing
Students in the Local Culture," American Anthropological Association,
Washington, D.C., November 17-21, 1993.
Carden, Darlene H., Caryn Ergenbright, Brad Jackson, Kimberly Ledbetter
Comerford, Brad Nyholm, Amy Sokoloff, Rebecca Taylor, Danny Wolfe, Melinda
Bollar Wagner. "Drawing the Line Between People and Power," half-hour
videotape and slide presentation, and 25 page written script, Appalachian
Studies Conference, Blacksburg, Virginia, Virginia Tech, March 11-13, 1994.
Loyola University Guest Lecture Series in Sociology and Anthropology of
Religion: Religion and Culture in Contemporary Society. "Christian
Schools: Walking the Christian Walk the American Way," Loyola University of
Chicago, November 30, 1994. (Other speakers in the series included R.
Stephen Warner, Mark Juergensmeyer, and Harvey Cox.) Honorarium and travel
expenses received.
"The Demise of Denominationalism in Christian Schools," Society for the
Scientific Study of Religion, Albuquerque, New Mexico, November 4-6, 1994.
"Anthropology Students and Community Action: Studying an Environmental
Controversy," American Anthropological Association, Atlanta, Georgia,
December 1994.
(Note: Student Shannon Scott attended, and joined the discussion.)
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Shannon T. Scott, Megan Scanlon, Stacy L. Viers,
Jean A. Kappes, with the assistance of Allyn Beth Motley and Lola Coleman
(Presented by Shannon Scott; Scanlon, Viers, Motley joined in the
discussion). "Cultural Attachment to Land In Craig County, Virginia: A
University Project in Service to a Changing Community," Appalachian Studies
Conference, West Virginia University, March, 1995.
"Drawing the Line Between People and Power: Taking the Classroom into the
Community," Southern Anthropological Society, Raleigh, North Carolina,
April 20-22, 1995.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, and Margaret S. Hrezo. "Civility or the Culture
Wars in Politics and Religion: Case Study of Oliver North in Virginia,"
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, St. Louis, Missouri, November
4-6, 1995.
With Mary LaLone and Eight Students. "Beyond the Classroom Walls, Writing
Across Curriculum Colloquy," January 31, 1996.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Meredith Burk, Neil Epperly, Christy Landreth, Sam
Linkous, Angela Vaughan, David Wooldridge. "Radford University Students
Engage Craig County Residents," Appalachian Studies Conference, Unicoi
State Park, Helen, Georgia, March 29-31, 1996.
Brooks, Jerusha, Julia Everett and Melinda Bollar Wagner. "The Production
of Public Religion in Community Newspapers," Society for the Scientific
Study of Religion, Nashville, Tennessee, October 1996.
Critic in Author Meets Critics for Material Christianity: Religion and
Popular Culture in America by Colleen McDannell, Society for the Scientific
Study of Religion, Nashville, Tennessee, October 1996.
Brooks, Jerusha, Julia Everett and Melinda Bollar Wagner. "Public Religion
in Community Newspapers: Appalachia and Non-Appalachia Compared,"
Appalachian Studies Conference, Ft. Mitchell, KY, March 14-16, 1997.
Author Meets Critics: Anthropology of Religion--A Handbook, edited by Stephen Glazier, (as one of the authors), Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, San Diego, CA, November 6-9, 1997.
Panel Discussion on Defining Religion: "Marking the Boundaries Between Sacred and Secular," Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, San Diego, CA, November 6-9, 1997.
"Drawing the Line Between People and Power: Measuring Cultural Attachment to Place in a Proposed Power Line Corridor," in session Measuring Cultural Attachment to Place: Issues for Impact Assessment, organized by Benita Howell, American Anthropological Association, Washington, D.C., November 19-23, 1997.
Reviewer/panelist, "A Discussion of Howard Dorgan's In the Hands of a Happy God: The 'No-Hellers' of Central Appalachia and Adda Leah Davis's Here I am Again, Lord: Landon Colley, An Old-Time Primitive Baptist Universalist Preacher," Appalachian Studies Conference, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, March 20-22, 1998.
Convener, "Preserving the Appalachian Coal Mining Heritage" (Montgomery County Coal Mining Heritage Project), Appalachian Studies Conference, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, March 20-22, 1998.
Participant, "The Appalachian Handbook Project," Appalachian Studies Conference, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, March 20-22, 1998.
"Beyond Denomination: Cultural Style in Christian Schools," Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Montreal, Canada, November 5-8, 1998.
Organizer, with David Brady from Preserve Clover Hollow and Plow Screw (Giles County, VA), "Defending the Community: University Community Cooperation in Environmental Study/Environmental Action," Appalachian Studies Conference, Emory and Henry College and Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Abingdon, VA, March 19-21, 1999.
(Student Dana Stein, Alumna Kristen Hedrick, Giles County residents Nancy Kate Givens and Doris Link, and University of Tennessee anthropologist Benita Howell also participated in this session.)
"Introduction to the Cultural Attachment to Land Project," Appalachian Studies Conference, Emory and Henry College and Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Abingdon, VA, March 19-21, 1999.
Session Chair, "Religion in American Life," Anthropology of Religion Section of the American Anthropological Association and Central States Anthropological Society joint meeting, Chicago, IL, April 16-18, 1999.
"Christian Schools: Culture Wars or Compromise?" Anthropology of Religion Section of the American Anthropological Association and Central States Anthropological Society joint meeting, Chicago, IL, April 16-18, 1999.
"The Sacred in the Land: 'It May Not be Heaven, but It's Close in Traditional Agrarian Appalachia," Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Boston, Massachusetts, November 6, 1999.
"The Sacred in the Land: 'It May Not be Heaven, but It's Close' in Rural Appalachia," Appalachian Studies Conference, Knoxville, Tennessee, March 24, 2000.
Participant, "The Appalachian Handbook Project," Appalachian Studies Conference, Knoxville, Tennessee, March 24, 2000.
"Appalachian Events Committee: Appalachian Heritage Lives in Our Students," Appalachian Studies Conference, Knoxville, Tennessee, March 26, 2000.
Author Meets Critics: panelist, "The Book of Jerry Falwell: Fundamentalist Language and Politics, by Susan F. Harding" (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000), Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Houston, Texas, October 22, 2000.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Kristen L. Hedrick, Melissa E. Lamb, Dahlia Macon, Matthew Schrag, Christopher Shedd, and Elaine Staab, "Taking the Power to the People: Assessing Cultural Attachment to Land in a Proposed 765 kV Power Line Corridor,"4'x8' for poster session Engaging a Localized Public Anthropology: Forming Partnerships with the Communities in Which We Work, organized by Luke Eric Lassiter and Samuel R. Cook (Radford University alumnae), American Anthropological Association, San Francisco, California, November 17, 2000.
Participated as Councillor, Southern Anthropological Society, Nashville, Tennessee, April 6-7, 2001.
Facilitator, "Workshop on Teaching Social Sciences of Religion: Critical Thinking Exercises for the Wired Generation," Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Columbus, Ohio, October 19-21, 2002.
With alumnus Christopher Shedd, "Taking the Power to the People: Assessing Cultural Attachment to Land in a Proposed 765 kV Power Line Corridor,"4'x8' poster, Society for Applied Anthropology, Atlanta, Georgia, March 7-10, 2002.
Convener, "Community Study and Collaboration" (including papers by three Radford University students), Appalachian Studies Conference, Unicoi State Park, Helen, Georgia, March 15-17, 2002.
"The Sacred in the Land: 'It May Not be Heaven, but It's Close in Rural Appalachia," Society for the Anthropology of Religion Section of the American Anthropological Association, Cleveland, Ohio, April 5-7, 2002.
Panel on "Issues Raised in Personal Knowledge and Beyond: Reshaping the Ethnography of Religion, edited by James V. Spickard, J. Shawn Landres, and Meredith B. McGuire," 2002: New York: New York University Press, Society for the Anthropology of Religion Section of the American Anthropological Association, Cleveland, Ohio, April 5-7, 2002.
"Environmental Justice, Anthropology, and the Law: Cultural Attachment to Land in a Proposed 765,000 volt Power Line Corridor," The Anthropology Policy Conference: Environment, Resources, and Sustainability: Policy Issues for the 21st Century, Athens, Georgia, September 7-8, 2002, sponsored by Culture and Agriculture Section of the American Anthropological Association (AAA), Anthropology and Environment Section of AAA, AAA Public Policy Committee.
"Engaging Students Through Experiential Learning," Virginia Collegiate Honors Council Fall Director's Conference: Honoring Appalachia: Engaging Students Through Cultural Studies, Radford University (Best Western Radford Inn), September 20, 2002.
"The Impact of Modernity Theory on Environmental Policy in Appalachia," in Session Global Forces in the Mountain South, Susan Keefe, Organizer, American Anthropological Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 20-24, 2002.
"Religion and Conflict: From the Celts vs. the Romans to Jerry Falwell vs. Secular America," Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Salt Lake City, Utah, October 31 - November 3, 2002.
Wagner, Melinda Bollar, Anna Klick, Jennifer Neel, Tiffany Shifflett, Holly Hyler, and Kathryn Ballard, "The Little River Talks Back: University/Community Study of Environment and Culture in the Little River Watershed" [video and presentation], Appalachian Studies Association, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky, March 28-30, 2003.
"Religion in Appalachia," Appalachian Teachers' Network, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, October 30, 2004.
"Cultural Attachment to Farmland in Tough Economic Times," Appalachian Studies Conference, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, March 18, 2005.
Convener and Organizer, Keynote Plenary Session, "Vital Words and Vital Actions: Partnerships for a Healthy Region," Appalachian Studies Conference, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, March 19, 2005.
"Culture Wars and Ultimate Sacred Postulates:" A Case Study of Conservative Christian Schools (A Paper in Honor of Roy A. Rappaport), Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Rochester, New York, November 4-6, 2005.
"Connecting What We Know to What We Do: Modifying Interview Techniques for the Collective Self in Appalachia," Appalachian Studies Conference, Dayton, Ohio, March 17-19, 2006.
Leader, Mentoring Session, Appalachian Studies Conference, Dayton, Ohio, March 17-19, 2006.
Convener, Video and Discussion, Wagner, Melinda Bollar, , Alex Elvis Badillo, Justin Paul Muller, Kathy Martin Murphy, Keith B. Nunn, Sherry Lynn Tejada, Robert Scott Trent, Donald Avery White. Vital Words and Vital Actions: Partnerships to Build a Healthy Place: Appalachian Studies Conference 2005 (at Radford University) (DVD), Appalachian Studies Conference, Dayton, Ohio, March 17-19, 2006.
Appalachian Mountain Religion: A Collective Church for a Collective Culture, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Portland, Oregon, October 20-22, 2006.
Moderator, Visiting [A Handbook to Appalachia’s] Authors’ Discussion on the Current State of Appalachian Affairs in Their Respective Disciplines, Appalachian Teachers Network Conference, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, November 4, 2006.
Panelist, Appalachian Studies: A Discussion about Appalachia, the Study of Appalachia, and the Appalachian Studies Association, Appalachian Studies Conference, Maryville College, Maryville, Tennessee, March 23-25, 2007. (INVITED Panel)
Bridging Community and University: Restoration of an African-American Cemetery in Radford, Virginia (with RU faculty and staff Theresa Burriss, Teresa Dickens, Kathy Jordan, and students Jessica Baciu, Brittony Fitzgerald, and Morgan Hawkins), Appalachian Studies Conference, Maryville College, Maryville, Tennessee, March 23-25, 2007.
Panelist, Piecing the Appalachian Experience: Celebrating 25 Years at Radford University!, Appalachian Studies Conference, Maryville College, Maryville, Tennessee, March 23-25, 2007.
Convener, Arrivals and Departures: In and Out Migration, Floyd County, Virginia (with Ricky Cox, Jessica Baciu, Brittony Fitzgerald, Morgan Hawkins, Patricia Jacobs, and Kathy Murphy), Appalachian Studies Conference, Maryville College, Maryville, Tennessee, March 23-25, 2007.
Convener, The New Organizational Ties that Bind, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and Religious Research Association, Tampa, Florida, November 1-4, 2007.
Participant, Shape Note Singing Ensemble (Octet) Illustration of “Poland” for Presidential Plenary Address “Singing and Solidarity” by R. Stephen Warner, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Tampa, Florida, November 1-4, 2007.
Convener, Floyd County, Virginia Place-Based Education: Exploring World War II (with Ashley Herwald, Brittony Fitzgerald, Patricia Jacobs, and Jeffrey Wood), Appalachian Studies Conference, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, March 28-30, 2008.
The Black Church in America and in Radford, Virginia, in Session Mountain View Cemetery: Community and Archaeology, organized by Cliff Boyd, Upland Archaeology in the East Symposium, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, May 16-17, 2008.
CONSULTATIONS:
"Writing Across Curriculum at Radford University," Workshop and one day
consultation at William Paterson College, Wayne, New Jersey, April 14,
1986.
"Evangelicals, Voluntary Associations, and American Public Life" project,
funded by the Lilly Endowment under the auspices of the Institute for the
Study of American Evangelicals, research consultation, Stowe, Vermont, June
28-July 1, 1990.
Expert Witness on Cultural Attachment to Land, State Corporation Commission Hearing, May 10, 2000, Richmond, Virginia.
Consultation with attorney for Bland and Wythe Counties concerning cultural attachment to land, Spring 2000
Contributed information and papers to Dr. Benita Howell, Anthropology Department, University of Tennessee, for workshop on measuring cultural attachment to land for the Applied Ethnography Program of the National Park Service, Tucson, Arizona, Spring 2003.
Friends of Pendleton County, West Virginia, Case Number 05-1740-E-CS, Liberty Gap Wind Force, LLC, Public Service Commission of West Virginia, June 2006.
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:
Memberships:
American Anthropological Association (AAA)
Southern Anthropological Society
Lambda Alpha Honorary for Anthropology
Society for Psychological Anthropology
Society for the Anthropology of North America (AAA)
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
Society for the Anthropology of Religion (AAA)
Religious Research Association
Anthropology and the Environment Section (AAA)
Appalachian Studies Association
Assembly for the Literature and Culture of Appalachia
Virginia Social Science Association
ODK Honorary
Alpha Lambda Delta Honorary
Offices and Committees:
Councillor, Southern Anthropological Society, 1998-2000.
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Nominating Committee,
1988-1989, 1998-99.
Appalachian Studies Association, Program Committee, 1993-94.
Appalachian Studies Association, Chairperson of Subcommittee to plan
plenary session, "Appalachia and the Politics of Culture: Theory and
Praxis," 1993-94.
Southern Anthropological Society, Membership Recruitment Committee, 1998.
Southern Anthropological Society, Nominating Committee, 1999.
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Nominating Committee, 1999.
Religious Research Association, Nominating Committee, 2001-2003.
Vice President/President Elect, Appalachian Studies Association, 2003-3004.
Chair, Nominating Committee, Appalachian Studies Association, Fall 2003
President, Appalachian Studies Association, 2004-2005.
Past President, Appalachian Studies Association, 2005-2006.
Reviewer:
Forest Science
National Science Foundation, reviewer of proposals for Social and Cultural
Anthropology in the Anthropology Program
Journal of the Appalachian Studies Association
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
Review of Religious Research
University of Illinois Press
AltaMira Press