PhD Candidate Academic Advisor II Jessica Couch is a PhD candidate in Religions of the Americas at the University of Georgia, researching political and devotional music of the Southern United States, with particular emphasis on hip hop, gender theory, and globalization. They have a BA in Music, with a specialization in ethnomusicology, from the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University; and an MA in Religious Studies, focusing on Islamic Studies, postmodern theory, and ethnomusicology, from UGA. Jessica's current research focuses on the narrative impact of musical forms resonating in the political and sociocultural soundscapes; they are developing an oral history archive of Southern musicians and how their art interacts with the world around them. Jessica is developing a theoretical method of resonance from the work of Charles H. Long to explore the multimodalities of signification. Mx. Couch is also the undergraduate advisor for the History, African American Studies, and Interdisciplinary Studies degrees.
