Poverty and Human Capability Studies
- Department Interdisciplinary
- Academic Division The College
- Offerings Minor
The Shepherd Program integrates thought and action to prepare students from different majors, different career paths, and different political perspectives to understand and address the causes and consequences of poverty in ways that respect the dignity of every person.
Poverty
Poverty gives rise to some of today’s most pressing moral and social problems. The Shepherd Program integrates thought and action to prepare students to understand and address the causes and consequences of poverty in ways that respect the dignity of every person.
Students weave together poverty-related courses across campus (economics, education, law, philosophy, politics, sociology, and more) and hands-on service and internship experiences around the county and the world to supplement their major areas of study. Those pursuing a minor in poverty studies also undertake capstone research projects that connect their concerns about poverty and inequality with their future civic and professional lives.
Career Paths
Although each student’s experience is unique, there are several common pathways through our program. Coordinated interdisciplinary coursework, summer internships and community-based learning prepare students for careers in economic development, education, health and medicine, law, public policy and more.
Summer Internships
Summer interns work with nonprofit, governmental and non-governmental agencies providing high-quality anti-poverty services within under-resourced communities. Students learn firsthand about poverty and community development in the U.S. or abroad by living with and working alongside professionals, community members and other college students who share their passion for reducing poverty and promoting opportunity. Internships — in economic development, education, healthcare, legal services, housing, hunger, immigration and refugee services, and more — help students to develop the insights and skills needed for civic involvement and future employment. Shepherd collaborates with over 100 organizations, including Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, D.C. Public Defenders, Harlem Children’s Zone, Cluj School of Public Health in Romania and Colegio de Bachilleres in Puerto Morelos, Mexico.
Research
The Shepherd Program is premised on the idea that both careful scholarship and collaborative community engagement are essential in the fight against poverty. Students have numerous opportunities to conduct high quality research into the many dimensions of poverty and inequality.
Prior to graduation, all poverty studies minors work with faculty members to complete a capstone research project or discipline-based thesis on a poverty-related issue. Projects connect coursework and/ or internship experiences with students’ academic, civic or professional interests. Some students also participate in the program for Summer Research Scholars (SRS), working alongside Shepherd affiliate faculty to examine an aspect of poverty through one or more disciplinary lenses.
Additionally, some students conduct research under the guidance of The Community-Academic Research Alliance (CARA), our community-based research (CBR) initiative. CARA pairs W&L students with faculty and community partners in the Rockbridge area and beyond to address community-identified needs or challenges. CARA provides students with rich experiential learning as researchers and consultants, strengthening professional skills, while having meaningful impact within the community.
Opportunities for First-Years
Service & Leadership Opportunities
Shepherd students lead pre-orientation service-learning trips for incoming students. Trip themes include: housing and hunger (Washington, D.C.); education policy (Baltimore, Maryland); healthcare (Richmond, Virginia); and civil rights (Greensboro, North Carolina).
10-12 Shepherd students per class are selected to participate in a four-year structured service and leadership development program. Bonners commit to 1800 hours of training and service in an area of personal or professional interest prior to graduation.
Shepherd students lead fellow undergraduates and community volunteers in efforts to reduce food insecurity and food waste in our local community, while building positive relationships with community members. Campus Kitchen Leaders and volunteers provide over 35,000 meals per year to food insecure children and adults in the surrounding area.
Shepherd students collaborate with local community agencies to organize regular service days in the local community and also lead alternative break service-learning trips each year. Each student-led trip integrates direct service and learning about a pressing poverty-related issue. A recent trip to Atlanta partnered with Friends of Refugees.
Shepherd graduates who secure employment with social impact organizations in participating cities continue their academic, civic and professional development through mentorship and learning opportunities supported by alumni in the area.
“I had never thought about issues of poverty from an academic perspective. I knew that I had found something meaningful.”
Kara Karcher
Class of 2011
W&L Joins the Project Pericles National Consortium for Civic Learning
Membership in the consortium gives the university access to grants and fellowships that support civic learning for students and the local community.
W&L To Host Social Impact Careers Summit and Inaugural Shepherd Affinity Weekend
The Social Impact Summit and Shepherd Affinity event will be held Nov. 6-8.
Zanita Akinkugbe ’27: Summer in Pictures
Zanita Akinkugbe ’27 shares snapshots from her summer internship with Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center.
A Full-Circle Summer
Four rising sophomores spent their summer cooking, gardening, delivering food and grant writing for Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee.
What’s Next for Natalie Richards ’26
Richards, a strategic communication major, will be working at Rational 360 as a Public Relations Fellow.
Campus Kitchen and the Connolly Center Cook Up New Ideas
A new partnership between the Campus Kitchen and the Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship is giving student food businesses a commercial home on campus.
Three W&L Students Awarded Boren Scholarships for Global Language Study
With the scholarship, the graduating seniors will conduct intensive language studies in Indonesia and Japan.
Making Civic Magic
Shepherd Program students spent their Winter Term imagining how to create healthy spaces for civic discourse in the Rockbridge area.
Beyond the Classroom
Lela Casey ’25 took her education around the world with a series of immersive language learning opportunities made possible by W&L’s Office of Fellowships.
W&L’s Patrick Solcher Awarded Fulbright to Spain
For Solcher, teaching English in Spain is an opportunity to meaningfully immerse himself in a new culture and continue building his language skills.
Meet the Faculty
At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Howard Pickett
Director of the Shepherd Program; Professor of Ethics and Poverty Studies; Adjunct Professor of Law
Pickett teaches poverty studies courses on dignity and human rights, oppression and privilege, human capability and Martin Luther King Jr. He researches ethics, poverty, distributive justice and modern religious thought.
Melina Bell
she/her
Professor of Philosophy and Law
- P: 540-458-8899
- E: bellm@wlu.edu
Bell is a part of the faculty in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability, and the Law, Justice, and Society Program. She also teaches at the Law School. Professor Bell’s primary research interests are in political philosophy, philosophy of law, and feminist philosophy.
Marisa Charley
Director, Bonner Program; Instructor of Poverty Studies
- P: 540-458-8131
- E: charleym@wlu.edu
Marisa Charley oversees student activity in the Bonner program, teaches introductory poverty studies courses, and serves as the coordinator of the Community-Academic Research Alliance.
Jenny Davidson
Assistant Director of the Shepherd Program
Jenny, who graduated from W&L in 2008 with degrees in sociology and politics, and a minor in poverty and human capability studies, advises Volunteer Venture and the Nabors Service League while managing communications and events for the Shepherd Program.
Jonathan Eastwood
William P. Ames, Jr. Professor of Sociology
Professor Eastwood is a social theorist who also has a strong interest in quantitative methods. He teaches seminars on classical and contemporary theory as well as a series of courses that train students how to use quantitative and computational tools to answer sociological questions.
Fran Elrod
Associate Director of the Shepherd Program
- P: 540-458-8230
- E: elrodf@wlu.edu
Fran Elrod helps oversee and run the Shepherd Poverty Program. Previously, she worked for the Rockbridge Area Community Services Board, and also worked extensively with youth on the Navajo reservation in Arizona and New Mexico.
Art Goldsmith
Jackson T. Stephens Professor of Economics
Goldsmith’s courses are often interdisciplinary and draw from insights in other disciplines to foster a deeper understanding of topics in economics.
John D. King
Clinical Professor of Law, Director of Experiential Education and Director, Criminal Justice Clinic
- P: 540-458-8518
- E: kingj@wlu.edu
In addition to designing and supervising the Criminal Justice Clinic, King teaches criminal procedure and evidence. His scholarship focuses on indigent criminal defense systems and the right to counsel, as well as criminal defense and prosecution ethics.
Molly Michelmore
S. Blount Mason, Jr. Professor of History
Michelmore teaches courses on race, class and politics in postwar America, the age of Reagan, the 1960s, and the Cold War. She has researched fiscal policy and welfare state formation, as well as American political development.
Karla Murdock
Jo M. and James M. Ballengee Sr. Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Science
- P: 540-458-8248
- E: murdockk@wlu.edu
Among Murdock’s courses are Introduction to Clinical Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology. Her research program examines associations between technology use and indicators of health, well-being and cognitive performance.
Marcos Perez
Associate Professor of Sociology
- P: 540-458-8793
- E: mperez@wlu.edu
Perez teaches courses such as What is Power?, Poverty and Marginality in the Americas, and Global Urban Sociology. His research interests include political sociology, urban studies, stratification and Latin American studies.
Katharine L. Shester
Professor of Economics and Interim Department Head
- P: 540-458-8607
- E: shesterk@wlu.edu
Shester teaches courses on urban economics, women in the economy and U.S. economic history. Her research interests include American economic history, urban and labor economics, demography and education.
Erin Taylor
Associate Professor of Philosophy
- P: 540-458-8051
- E: taylore@wlu.edu
Erin Taylor teaches and writes on normative ethics, medical ethics, research ethics, and AI alignment. Her research asks how people, institutions, and AI systems can determine the right thing to do in particular situations.