JMU - Cross Disciplinary Studies

Dr. A.J. Morey
Associate Vice Provost
Julie Caran, M.A.

Curriculum Support Technician cds@jmu.edu
Cross Disciplinary Studies
MSC 1206
Moody Hall, Room 102
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Ph. 540-568-7998
Fax 540-568-7991

Faculty and Staff


Dr. AJ Morey

Associate Vice Provost

Dr. Morey came to JMU in 1999 as Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Programs in the College of Arts and Letters She also served as Director of the Writing Program for two years and program head of the IDLS major for three years during that time. Currently she is Associate Vice Provost for Cross Disciplinary Studies, reporting to the VPAA. She is responsible for curriculum development across JMU colleges, and her office facilitates and supports Regional and Area Studies minors with cross disciplinary identities.

Her own cross disciplinary interests are extensive and varied, as seen in her books: Apples and Ashes: Culture, Metaphor and Morality in the American Dream (Scholars P, 1982); Religion and Sexuality in American Literature (Cambridge UP, 1992); What Happened to Christopher: An American Family’s Story of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SIUC, 1998). The experience of writing the last book brought her to a pause in scholarly writing, as did administrative responsibilities. But her cross-disciplinary bent just wouldn’t stop ticking. In Fall 2006 she team-taught a new course with JMU criminologist Peggy Plass called “Literature and Crime,” thereby redeeming many years of trashy reading. Her current research is an American studies project documenting people’s relationships with their dogs in turn of the century photos and literature. Morey’s academic appointment is in the English department where her regular teaching rotation includes “Women’s Fiction,” “The Bible as Literature,” “American Literature Survey” and “Literature and Religion.”



Ms. Julie Caran

Curriculum Support Technician

Ms. Caran is a graduate of Hollins University (B.A. English with a Creative Writing concentration) and James Madison University (M.A. English). Between college and graduate school she worked as a Coordinating Editor for LexisNexis and as a Director of Religious Education at First Unitarian Church of Richmond. She began working at JMU as a teaching assistant during graduate school, assisting in British Literature and teaching GWRIT 103. Since the completion of her degree, she has taught Writing and Women's Studies courses as an adjunct professor.

Prior to her arrival in Cross Disciplinary Studies in August 2007, Ms. Caran was the Editorial Assistant at Furious Flower Poetry Center, where she co-wrote "Dream In Color," a curriculum of African American Poetry for elementary, middle, and high school students (www.target.com, 2007) and directed the first three Furious Flower Children's Poetry Camps at JMU.

Ms. Caran currently works with the Area and Regional Studies coordinators, manages the departmental budget, maintains the Cross Disciplinary Studies website, and supports curriculum development university-wide.

When she is not working she enjoys songwriting, playing music with blue stone sky, working on social justice issues, reading, creating pottery and spending time with her husband and three dogs.



Dr. AJ Morey Associate Vice Provost	Dr. Morey came to JMU in 1999 as Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Programs in the College of Arts and Letters She also served as Director of the Writing Program for two years and program head of the IDLS major for three years during that time. Currently she is Associate Vice Provost for Cross Disciplinary Studies, reporting to the VPAA. She is responsible for curriculum development across JMU colleges, and her office facilitates and supports Regional and Area Studies minors with cross disciplinary identities. Her own cross disciplinary interests are extensive and varied, as seen in her books: Apples and Ashes: Culture, Metaphor and Morality in the American Dream (Scholars P, 1982); Religion and Sexuality in American Literature (Cambridge UP, 1992); What Happened to Christopher: An American Family’s Story of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SIUC, 1998). The experience of writing the last book brought her to a pause in scholarly writing, as did administrative responsibilities. But her cross-disciplinary bent just wouldn’t stop ticking. In Fall 2006 she team-taught a new course with JMU criminologist Peggy Plass called “Literature and Crime,” thereby redeeming many years of trashy reading. Her current research is an American studies project documenting people’s relationships with their dogs in turn of the century photos and literature. Morey’s academic appointment is in the English department where her regular teaching rotation includes “Women’s Fiction,” “The Bible as Literature,” “American Literature Survey” and “Literature and Religion.”


Ms. Julie Caran Curriculum Support Technician	Ms. Caran is a graduate of Hollins University (B.A. English with a Creative Writing concentration) and James Madison University (M.A. English). Between college and graduate school she worked as a Coordinating Editor for LexisNexis and as a Director of Religious Education at First Unitarian Church of Richmond. She began working at JMU as a teaching assistant during graduate school, assisting in British Literature and teaching GWRIT 103. Since the completion of her degree, she has taught Writing and Women's Studies courses as an adjunct professor. Prior to her arrival in Cross Disciplinary Studies in August 2007, Ms. Caran was the Editorial Assistant at Furious Flower Poetry Center, where she co-wrote "Dream In Color," a curriculum of African American Poetry for elementary, middle, and high school students (www.target.com, 2007) and directed the first three Furious Flower Children's Poetry Camps at JMU. Ms. Caran currently works with the Area and Regional Studies coordinators, manages the departmental budget, maintains the Cross Disciplinary Studies website, and supports curriculum development university-wide. When she is not working she enjoys songwriting, playing music with blue stone sky, working on social justice issues, reading, creating pottery and spending time with her husband and three dogs.