2024-2025 University Catalog
Poverty and Human Capability Studies (POV)
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Poverty and Human Capability Studies
The Shepherd Program integrates thought and action to prepare students from different majors, career paths, backgrounds, passions, and political perspectives to understand and address the complex causes and consequences of poverty and inequality 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 related service and internship experiences across the county, the country, and the world. Those pursuing a minor in poverty and inequality studies also complete capstone research that connects their concerns about poverty and inequality with their future civic and professional lives.
Interdisciplinary Learning. Our unique combination of academic coursework and community-based learning complements any undergraduate major or course of study in the College, the Williams School, or the School of Law. Undergraduate students may pursue a minor in poverty and inequality studies, which integrates introductory and advanced coursework, volunteer and research opportunities as well as subsidized summer internships (local, domestic, and international) in partnership with social impact organizations and their surrounding communities. See Poverty and Human Capability Studies minor .
Community-Based Learning and Leadership. Shepherd students also participate in and serve as leaders of our community-based learning programs, including the Blue Ridge Mile Clinic, the Bonner Program, the Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee, Nabors Service League, and Volunteer Venture (a pre-orientation trip that connects incoming students with one another, with upper-division trip leaders, and with anti-poverty organizations in surrounding cities).
Career Paths. Shepherd students, whether minoring in poverty and inequality studies or not, choose from a wide variety of academic and internship opportunities that help develop insights and skills to inform their future professional and civic lives. There are as many paths through Shepherd as there are students. Common career pathways include business, data analysis, education, health care, law, non-profit management, politics, and social services. Seniors and young alumni continue their learning beyond graduation through the Elrod Fellowship, a one or two-year opportunity for employment with a public-interest agency that collaborates with and supports low-income communities in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. areas. Elrod Fellows are supported by alumni mentors and alumni-sponsored seminars for continuing education. In addition, the Shepherd Alumni Mentorship program connects Shepherd seniors with alumni mentors who offer advice and encouragement during the transition to life after graduation.
Our History. The Shepherd Program (est. 1997) was made possible through the support of Tom (Class of 1952) and Nancy Shepherd and many other generous supporters. We are committed to the W&L mission to prepare graduates for “life-long learning, personal achievement, responsible leadership, service to others, and engaged citizenship in a global and diverse society.”
Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty. Washington and Lee University is a member of the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP) which unites students from member institutions with agencies that collaborate with and support low-income communities. Students learn first-hand about the many causes and consequences of poverty and inequality in the United States by volunteering for eight weeks with social impact community organizations. The agencies, located in various urban and rural sites in the United States, focus on education, healthcare, legal services, housing, hunger, social and economic needs, and community-building efforts. Students intern with agencies that fit their intellectual interests in order to cultivate the skills and insights they need to promote a better, more just world through their future personal, professional, and civic lives.
Program Head: Howard Pickett
Core Faculty
First date is the year in which the faculty member began service as regular faculty at the University. Second date is the year of appointment to the present rank.
N. Melina Bell, Ph.D.—(2005)-2017
Professor of Philosophy and Law
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Jonathan Eastwood, Ph.D.—(2006)-2010
Professor of Sociology
Ph.D., Boston University
Arthur H. Goldsmith, Ph.D.—(1990)-1996
Jackson T. Stephens Professor of Economics
Ph.D., University of Illinois
Mary C. (Molly) Michelmore, Ph.D.—(2006)-2020
Professor of History
Ph.D., University of Michigan
Karla K. Murdock, Ph.D.—(2005)-2013
Jo M. and James M. Ballengee Sr. Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Science
Ph.D., University of Georgia
Marcos Emilio Pérez, Ph.D.—(2018)-2019
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology
Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
Howard Y. Pickett, Ph.D.—(2011)-2019
Associate Professor of Ethics and Poverty Studies
Ph.D., University of Virginia
Candice C. Robinson, Ph.D.—(2024)-2024
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
Katharine L. Shester, Ph.D.—(2011)-2023
Professor of Economics
Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Alexander C. Sutton—(2022)-2024
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Ph.D., University of Virginia
Erin P. Taylor, Ph.D.—(2016)-2021
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Interdisciplinary Minor
- • POV 101 - Poverty and Human Capability: An Interdisciplinary Introduction
- • POV 102 - Introduction to Community-Based Poverty Studies
- • POV 103 - Poverty and Human Capability: An Interdisciplinary Introduction and Fieldwork
- • POV 121 - Introduction to Effective Altruism
- • POV 191 - Blue Ridge Mile Clinic
- • POV 192 - Blue Ridge Mile Training
- • POV 193 - Blue Ridge Mile Clinic
- • POV 197 - Bonner Program
- • POV 202 - Respect, Community and the Civic Life
- • POV 232 - Race, Class, and Education Policy
- • POV 241 - Poverty, Ethics, and Religion
- • POV 243 - Martin Luther King Jr.: Poverty, Justice, and Love
- • POV 245 - Poverty, Dignity, and Human Rights
- • POV 247 - Medicine, Research, and Poverty
- • POV 249 - Poverty, Oppression, and Privilege
- • POV 253 - Narrating Our Stories: Culture, Society, and Identity
- • POV 257 - Anthropology of Public Policy
- • POV 258 - Ethnographies of Global Poverty
- • POV 280 - Poverty Law
- • POV 295 - Child Abuse and Neglect Seminar
- • POV 296 - Special Topics in Poverty Studies
- • POV 401 - Independent Study in Poverty and Human Capability Studies
- • POV 402 - Independent Study in Poverty and Human Capability Studies
- • POV 403 - Independent Study in Poverty and Human Capability Studies
- • POV 421 - Independent Research in Poverty and Human Capability Studies
- • POV 422 - Independent Research in Poverty and Human Capability Studies
- • POV 423 - Poverty and Human Capability: A Research Seminar
- • POV 450 - Shepherd Summer Internship
- • POV 453 - Shepherd Summer Internship
- • POV 491 - Senior Symposium in Poverty and Human Capability Studies
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