
Submitted on August 25, 2015, to Professor Ben Lockerd as part of the doctoral course, LIT 7324 Literary Analysis: Great Ideas, Authors, and Writings. Studies in classical literature, such as Plato's Republic (Book X), Ion, and Phaedrus, Aristotle's Poetics, Horace's The Art of Poetry,
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA
In the opening lines of his preface to The Metalogicon, translator Daniel D. McGarry invokes Horace’s enduring admonition to writers: If ever you write anything, keep it to yourself for nine years, for what has never been divulged can be destroyed, but once published it is beyond recall. McGarry,
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA
There is a woman in the water meadows of Oxford. Draped in Oxford blue, she sits in quiet majesty, her lap sheltering a small, idealized city. Its dreaming spires rise like prayers from her womb. She is Isis, Queen and Mother, as imagined by Evelyn Dunbar in her painting Oxford.
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA
Editors Note. Repentance is more than sorrow; it is the changing of the mind that redirects one’s path (Acts 3:19). To be a Christian is to live a life continually mindful of repentance, a daily turning toward God and away from sin (Luke 9:23). Repentance is not
by Larry D. Mathis, PhD, DMin, MSc, MDiv, MAR, MA
These key lines raise the following considerations: 1. (1) the presence of a question of choice in the equation ("what...we can possibly do, you and I, to untie the difficult knot"),[12] 2. (2) the necessity of making a decision to alter the status quo ("to
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA
Editorial Note: This article was originally written in 2016. The Tower of Babel rises, not as ruin, but as ambition carved in stone. Pieter Bruegel the Elder captured more than mortar and men. He gave us a vision of collective striving, a skyward hunger to reach the divine through human
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA
Intervention Strategies in Davidson County Costs, Benefits, and Sectoral Influences Obesogenic Food Environments Regulatory changes and investments to improve access to nutritious foods carry initial costs. Long-term benefits include reduced healthcare spending and growth in health-conscious industries. These changes can foster innovation and stakeholder alignment. Economic Planning & Collaboration Policy
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA
Submitted on August 25, 2015, to Professor Ben Lockerd as part of the doctoral course, LIT 7324 Literary Analysis: Great Ideas, Authors, and Writings. Studies in classical literature, such as Plato's Republic (Book X), Ion, and Phaedrus, Aristotle's Poetics, Horace's The Art of Poetry,
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA





In the heart of Florence once stood “the temple where the baptistery is now located.”[1] Positioned as a Florentine centerpiece, the temple served as a sacred relic to Mars, son of the king of the gods in Roman mythology, Jupiter.[2] Mars, the god of war, was the lover

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is founded on a simple yet demanding premise: decisions should be grounded in the best available research evidence, informed by professional expertise, and shaped by contextual factors such as organisational priorities or patient values. In healthcare and other leadership contexts, this balance is not achieved by chance

To live the life of the mind is to navigate the deep currents of thought and the restless tides of the world with the scholar’s precision and the poet’s eye. Here, the arc of a life bends toward the True, the Good, and the Beautiful, and the work

The keynote address for incoming doctoral students at Freed-Hardeman University, titled On Being Scholarly, was delivered by Dr. Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, on May 13, 2018, in Henderson, TN. You are a scholar; these are your fellows. Individually, you are scholars. A scholar is one given to serious academic inquiry.

Reflective Commentary (2025) The following essay was written in 2014 for one of my earliest doctoral courses at Faulkner University. Dr. Robert Woods led the course titled “Introduction to Human Letters." An Evaluative Inquiry into the Life of the Modern Liberal Individual Leisure and festivity together form the foundation

Submitted on August 25, 2015, to Professor Ben Lockerd as part of the doctoral course, LIT 7324 Literary Analysis: Great Ideas, Authors, and Writings. Studies in classical literature, such as Plato's Republic (Book X), Ion, and Phaedrus, Aristotle's Poetics, Horace's The Art of Poetry,
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA
In the opening lines of his preface to The Metalogicon, translator Daniel D. McGarry invokes Horace’s enduring admonition to writers: If ever you write anything, keep it to yourself for nine years, for what has never been divulged can be destroyed, but once published it is beyond recall. McGarry,
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA
There is a woman in the water meadows of Oxford. Draped in Oxford blue, she sits in quiet majesty, her lap sheltering a small, idealized city. Its dreaming spires rise like prayers from her womb. She is Isis, Queen and Mother, as imagined by Evelyn Dunbar in her painting Oxford.
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA
Editors Note. Repentance is more than sorrow; it is the changing of the mind that redirects one’s path (Acts 3:19). To be a Christian is to live a life continually mindful of repentance, a daily turning toward God and away from sin (Luke 9:23). Repentance is not
by Larry D. Mathis, PhD, DMin, MSc, MDiv, MAR, MA
These key lines raise the following considerations: 1. (1) the presence of a question of choice in the equation ("what...we can possibly do, you and I, to untie the difficult knot"),[12] 2. (2) the necessity of making a decision to alter the status quo ("to
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA
Editorial Note: This article was originally written in 2016. The Tower of Babel rises, not as ruin, but as ambition carved in stone. Pieter Bruegel the Elder captured more than mortar and men. He gave us a vision of collective striving, a skyward hunger to reach the divine through human
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA
Intervention Strategies in Davidson County Costs, Benefits, and Sectoral Influences Obesogenic Food Environments Regulatory changes and investments to improve access to nutritious foods carry initial costs. Long-term benefits include reduced healthcare spending and growth in health-conscious industries. These changes can foster innovation and stakeholder alignment. Economic Planning & Collaboration Policy
by Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, MSc (Oxon), MA




