Published on March 15, 2021 by Sean Flynt  
Samford political science professor Fred Shepherd
Samford political science professor Fred Shepherd

Samford University political science professor Fred Shepherd enjoyed a prolific sabbatical in fall, 2020. In addition to his work on a new article about the Vietnam War, Shepherd consulted pro bono for Duke University School of Law in the case of a Honduran woman applying for asylum in the United States, presented on virtual grassroots lobbying at the fall Amnesty International Virtual Conference, and opened discussions with a colleague about a project on anti-drug efforts in Colombia, Mexico and Bolivia.

Shepherd also completed a new book–The Politics of Transnational Actors in Latin America: Power from Afar. The book, published by Routledge Press in March, addresses the ability of organizations that transcend national boundaries to influence conditions in Latin America. It focuses specifically on the Catholic Church, transnational corporations, transnational drug networks, and transnational human rights organizations. It examines their power and the conditions that enable local groups and national governments in the region to counter their dominance.

Shepherd also is the author of Christianity and Human Rights: Christians and the Struggle for Global Justice, as well as numerous contributions to volumes and journals on Latin America, religion, politics, human rights and genocide. He has been affiliated with the Lilly Foundation, the Holocaust Education Fund, and the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial and Museum.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.