Christy Cobb
Christy Cobb is a Ph.D. candidate in the area of New Testament/Early Christianity at Drew. She received a B.A. in Religion from Carson-Newman College (Jefferson City, TN), a M.Div. in Biblical Studies with Languages from Campbell Divinity School (Buies Creek, NC), and a M.A. in Early Christianity from Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC) where her master’s thesis was entitled “The Motif of Lovesickness in the Acts of Paul and Thecla and the Acts of Andrew.” Christy’s research focuses on issues of gender and sexuality in early Christian texts and she particularly enjoys reading and writing about ancient fiction. Currently, Christy is a teaching facilitator for Biblical Literature II (Gospels, Epistles, and Apocalypse) with Dr. Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre. Additionally, she is serving as co-chairperson for the Graduate Division of Religion Student Association from Fall 2011 to Spring 2013.
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K. Jason Coker
Jason Coker, a candidate for the Ph.D. in New Testament and Early Christianity, received the B.A. from William Carey University (Hattiesburg, Miss.), the M.A.R. from Yale University Divinity School, and the M.Phil. from Drew University. His scholarly interests center on postcolonial theory, race theory and the letter of James. Coker is an Adjunct Lecturer at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT, and the Pastor of Wilton Baptist Church in Wilton, CT.
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Kathleen Gallagher Elkins
Kathleen Gallagher Elkins earned her Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Greensboro College (Greensboro NC) and Master of Arts in Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary (Richmond VA). She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in New Testament & Early Christianity, with a concentration in Women’s & Gender Studies. Her research interests include feminist hermeneutics, childhood studies, and post-Shoah interpretations of the Bible. Her dissertation, “Mother, Martyr: Reading Self-Sacrifice and Family in Early Christianity,” examines the texts and interpretations of several ancient representations of mothers and children in contexts of social-political violence. Kathleen has served as a teaching assistant for Introduction to Biblical Literature I (Hebrew Bible) and II (Christian Testament), in addition to teaching Exegetical Skills II.She is currently the Submissions Editor for the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion and served as the GDRSA co-chairperson in 2010-2011.
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Grant Gieske
Grant Gieseke received a B.A. from Southeastern College (Lakeland, FL) and an M.A. in Biblical Studies from Iliff School of Theology (Denver, CO) where his master’s thesis was entitled, “The Climax of Acts: Paul Puts the Roman Empire on Trial (Acts 24-26)”. He is a Ph.D. student at Drew University in the field of New Testament studies. His interests include postcolonialism and cultural studies. He served as a student convener for the Biblical Studies Area in 2007-2008.
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James N. Hoke
 A Ph.D. student in New Testament and Early Christianity, James received his B.A. in Religion and Women/Gender Studies from Furman University and his M.Div. from the University of Chicago. His research focuses on queer and feminist theory in and around the Pauline epistles. His teaching interests are primarily in biblical literature (both New Testament and Hebrew Bible) and gender studies, and he has also served as a Teaching Assistant for “Church @ Worship: Preaching” in the Theological School. James is also an amateur chef (and recipe blogger) and sings in the choir at a local PC(USA) congregation.
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Sharon Jacob
Sharon Jacob received her Bachelor of Commerce from Bangalore University in India and her Master of Divinity from Lancaster Theological Seminary in PA. She then went on to Yale Divinity School to earn her Master of Sacred Theology. Her current reaserach includes: gender and sexuality, postcolonialism and issues of race and ethnicity within contemporary India. Sharon served as the Administrative Officer for the GDR Student Association in 2007-2008, and is serving as Co-chairperson for the 2008-2009 academic year.
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Donna J. Laird
A candidate for the Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible, Donna received her B.S. in Education from Penn State University, and the M.A. in Biblical Studies from Ashland Theological Seminary, defending the thesis, “Michal, Abigail, Bathsheba, and Abishag: A Study of Women and Their Voices in the Old Testament Text.” She received the M. Phil. from Drew University in Hebrew Bible. Her research interests include narrative, feminist and social-scientific criticisms. Her current research focuses on community identity formation and the intersection of religious or symbolic language and social constructions. Her dissertation, “Community Identity, Orthodoxy, and Self-interest,” will trace the social contours of symbolic language in Ezra-Nehemiah. As part of her research into the physical and social contexts of Ezra-Nehemiah, she participated in two seasons of the archeological dig at Ramat Rahel in 2009 and 2010. She served as student co-convener for the Biblical Studies area for 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, and as a student representative for the Society of Biblical Literature in 2008-2009. Donna has served as a teaching assistant for sections of Hebrew Bible and New Testament and taught as an adjunct for Ashland Theological Seminary and Drew University Theological School.
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Christina C. Riley
Christina received her Bachelor of Arts (Cum Laude) from Western Washington University (WWU) in Bellingham, WA in 2005 receiving an award as the Outstanding Graduate for the Liberal Studies Department. She went on to receive her Masters of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School in 2008. At Yale she received the Abraham J. Malherbe Award for Further Study in New Testament and Early Church History. Christina began at Drew in 2008, where she is currently pursuing her doctorate in Biblical Studies with concentrates in New Testament/Early Christianity and Women’s Studies. Her primary research interests include gender and sexuality, literary criticism, and ecological hermeneutics of the New Testament, most specifically, applying these areas of critical scholarship to the book of Revelation. She has served in several capacities for Drew University including as the Biblical Studies Area Co-Convener in 2009-2010 and the Graduate Division of Religion Student Association Administrative Officer in 2009-2010. She has very much enjoyed working with Dr. Stephen D. Moore as his Teaching Assistant for Biblical Literature II (Introduction to the New Testament) in the springs of 2010 and 2011, respectively, as well as working as an adjunct instructor for a class entitled, “Exegetical Skills,” in the springs of 2011 and 2012, respectively.
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