Emory University

Graduate Student, Graduate Division of Religion

Ph.D. Student - Ethics and Society

Graduate Division of Religion

About

James W. McCarty III is Director of the Ethics and Servant Leadership Program at Oxford College of Emory University. He is also a doctoral student in the Ethics and Society course of study at Emory University’s James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies in the Graduate Division of Religion. In this program he has concentrations in “Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding” and “Religious Practices and Practical Theology.” Prior to coming to Emory he earned an M.A. in Ethics (concentration Peace and Justice studies) from Claremont School of Theology and a B.A. in Religion from Pepperdine University.

As a scholar, James is a Christian Social Ethicist. Christian Social Ethics is a dynamic field of study that integrates historical and constructive theological reflection with social theory and philosophy to address the pressing social and political issues of the day. In this broad field of study his particular interests include: the relationship between religion, conflict, violence and peace; the theology and ethics of forgiveness, justice, and reconciliation, especially as they are embodied in transitional justice processes; the lives and theologies of Martin Luther King, Jr., Desmond Tutu, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer; race, theology, and religion in the United States; and religion and politics in the United States. He has presented papers and published articles on immigration, race and religion in the United States, nonviolence, reconciliation, torture, and the thought of Martin Luther King, Jr.

As a teacher, James integrates critical reflection and engagement with the history of ideas (especially theology, philosophy, and social theory) with active social engagement and service. His goal as a teacher is to help shape persons who are able to engage society in a way that makes the world a more just and peaceful place. Currently, he does this by directing the Ethics and Servant Leadership Program at Oxford College of Emory University. In this program students engage in a year-long process of self reflection, community service, team building, and independent research, in addition to two academic courses, to gain a deep understanding of the complex dynamics of ethical social engagement and servant leadership. In addition to the EASL program at Oxford, James has taught courses at Emory University’s College of Arts and Sciences and its Candler School of Theology. Representative courses he has taught are: Introduction to Christian Ethics; Voices of Nonviolence; Ethics and Servant Leadership; Religion, Human Rights, and Civil Society; and Nonprofit Management.