Barre Wins Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship and University Teaching Award

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Betsy Barre, a Ph.D. candidate in religious ethics, was recently awarded one of 29 Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships for the 2008-2009 academic year. Administered by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, this award is designed to encourage original and significant study of ethical or religious values in all fields of the humanities and social sciences and attracted over 450 applicants this year.

Barre's winning dissertation proposal is entitled "Reconciled to Liberty: Catholics, Muslims, and the Possibility of Overlapping Consensus." In this work, she compares recent Muslim debates about liberalism, democracy, and the separation of religion and politics to similar debates that arose within the Catholic tradition around the time of the Second Vatican Council. To improve this project, she plans to serve out the tenure of her award as a Visiting Fellow of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, Emory University.

Barre has also recently received an Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award for her work as an instructor of REL3170: Religious Ethics and Moral Problems. This award program recognizes graduate students for excellence in instructional skills, course structure, accessibility, rapport with students, evaluation of learning, scholarship, and professionalism. The winners were selected from among nominations received from students and faculty.

To learn more about Barre's research and teaching, you can visit her website here.