Christopher Rounds

Dr. Christopher Rounds serves as an assistant professor of history with the Department of Social Science.  His primary teaching duties include courses in American and African-American History.

Education

• Ph.D., University of South Carolina (2008)
• M.A., The Catholic University of America (2003)
• B.A., Marist College (2001)

Background

Dr. Rounds studies issues of race and ethnicity throughout American history, with a specialization in African-American history, and a research focus on the long civil rights movement. He is especially interested in how the legacy of the African-American freedom struggle is understood and harnessed by activists of the 21st-century, and how that is manifested in contemporary American life, from the protests of Colin Kapernick to the enduring popular-culture relevancy of Malcolm X. 

Dr. Rounds has previously taught at Winthrop University (2007-2010), Allen University (2011-2021), Claflin University (2018-2021), and Augusta University (2021-2022). 

Born and raised in New York, Dr. Rounds has lived in South Carolina for nearly 20 years. He lives in Columbia, SC with his wife, daughter, and two dogs. 

Recent Publications

• "'Ain't Nuthin' Wrong with being a Trojan Man': Safe-Sex Discourse in Rap Music, 1985-1995" in the Journal of Hip-Hop Studies (2022).
• “The Policing of Patriotism: African-Americans Athletes and the Expression of Dissent” in the Journal of Sports History (2020).
• “Dead Men Make Such Convenient Heroes: The Use and Misuse of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy as Political Propaganda” in the Journal of Black Studies (2020).