Dr. Andrew Walker-Cornetta has had a busy year! He taught several new courses including Disability and Memoir, and Religion, Race, and Health in Modern America. Dr. Walker-Cornetta also spent time working on his first book project, a history of cognitive disability and US Catholics in the 1950s. He presented parts of the project at different conferences over the course of the year, including at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion. Keep reading to find out more about what he has been up to this semester.
What courses have you taught this year? What have you enjoyed about these courses and being in the classroom?
Courses I taught this year: Disability and Memoir; Religion, Race, and Health in Modern America; and Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion. I was floored by the knowledge and experience students brought to these classes. I learned so much from them: about the contemporary politics of end-of-life care; about Atlanta’s queer BIPOC rave scenes; about Muslim community organizing in the city; and about “Tombstone Tiktok”—to name only a few. I always think that the best gifts students can bring to the classroom are their own interests and I’ve felt more than spoiled in my time at GSU so far!
Tell us about your research- are you working on any major projects?
I’ve spent the year working away on my first book project, which is a history of cognitive disability and US Catholics in the 1950s. I’ve had the chance to present parts of the project in different fora over the course of the year: In November, I presented a paper at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion entitled “Praying the Child Different” as part of a panel I organized for the Childhood Studies and Religion Unit. I presented selections of a chapter about Flannery O’Connor’s second novel at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis in the fall and presented some additional research at a conference hosted by Marquette University this spring. My paper was titled “‘It would be hard to live without the Lord’: Disability, Agency, and the Trouble with Religion.” I’ll continue my research this summer which will include trips to the archives of various religious orders in the Midwest and visits to O’Connor’s papers here in Georgia.
What are some of your interests and hobbies outside of work? What are you reading/watching/listening to lately?
Outside of work, I’ve been delighted by the beauty of Atlanta’s surroundings. I’ve been spending lots of time at the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. I also make bread and am starting to mess around in the garden. On my screens, I’ve found a lot of comfort in British reality TV. Family members turned me onto The Great British Bake Off, but I have a particular devotion to The Great Pottery Throw Down and Gardeners’ World. In my headphones, I’ve been listening to a lot of Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Christine and the Queens, and Neko Case.
Why should students take your classes in the fall?
I’m really excited about my fall courses. They’re both classes that I’d really like to take myself. The graduate seminar “New Directions in American Religion” will provide a survey of American Religious Studies through the lens of recently published books and articles in the field. We’ll get to read quite broadly in order to get a sense of the field’s breadth and ambitiousness.
My undergraduate course “What is a Saint?” interrogates how and why humans make other humans special. We will explore a variety of religious traditions and will focus on how assignments of holiness often correspond with challenges to various social boundaries, including gender, sexuality, and race.