• A.B., Washington University in St. Louis, 1985;
• M.Div., Southern Methodist University, 1989;
• M.A. in passing, Vanderbilt University, 2006;

With a passion for the Hebrew Bible, and especially for reader-oriented and feminist approaches, the Rev. Southard’s current research focus is on representations of time in Hebrew narrative.  Her dissertation is entitled, “Intersections of Time: Readings of Simultaneity in the Book of Judges.”  She has taught courses in Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, Biblical Hebrew, Five Festival Scrolls, and Jeremiah.

Publications include the ancient Israel and ancient Arabia sections of the Encyclopedia of Love, Courtship, and Sexuality (Greenwood Publishing, forthcoming), contributions to the New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (2006, 2007), articles on Daniel (2006) and   Jeremiah (2005) for DisciplesWorld, and “Ruth and Naomi” in the Encyclopedia of Religion, 2d ed. (Macmillan, 2005).  Recent presentations include  "Daughters of Eve:  The Places of Women in Classical Sources" for the Interfaith Trialogue (Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice), "Moses: The Man and the Manna" for the Institute for Theological Studies (Disciples of Christ),  "Walking the Faith: Ruth's Adventure" for the PTS Faith Matter Series, “Ruth” at the South Central Jurisdictional Clergywomen’s Consultation (UMC), “Like Father, Like Son: the Levite in Micah’s House” at the Central States Regional SBL Meeting, 2006, “Woman to Woman: A Comparative Study of Women’s Status as Represented in Law Codes of Ancient Israel and Neighboring Nations” at the SBL Annual Meeting, 2004, and “At Home in Babylon? An Ideological/Rhetorical Consideration of Exodus 1” at the SBL Annual Meeting, 2003.

An ordained elder in full connection with the Kansas East Conference of the United Methodist Church with eleven years of full-time pastoral experience, the Rev. Southard is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) and Phi Beta Kappa.  She received a Dempster Fellowship from the Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the UMC in 2003-04.  She joined the PTS faculty in 2007.

I am also known around campus for my boisterous laugh, my love of singing, and my piano playing in worship.  My office has two doors, one from the Student Commons and the other from the west hall, so I'm readily accessible to you.  Email is my friend and I check it regularly.  Please feel free to contact me any time or to schedule an appointment in person, on the phone, or via Skype.

Thanks to Brandon Scott for this photo from a faculty meeting.