Hollie Sue Mann, Ph.D.
Mann is a political theorist and educator with a diverse background spanning theater, yoga philosophy and over a decade of university teaching.
Hollie Sue Mann, Ph.D., was born in Richmond, VA, and spent her early childhood career as an actor, touring and performing in live theater productions until she was in her mid-twenties, when she decided to take a break and enroll in classes at university. She quickly fell in love with learning and academia, majored in sociology and women's studies, and went on to get a master's and Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina, with a focus on political theory. Mann taught in the political science department at UNC for over ten years. In 2018, she moved out west with her family, writing and consulting in the Bay Area of California and settling for several years in Telluride, Colo., where she owned and operated a yoga school. A longtime practitioner and teacher of yoga philosophy, music and Sanskrit, this continues to be an important part of Mann’s life and an anchor for her and my family. She is happy to have come home to Richmond and to VCU and find the students to be some of the most interesting and promising people she has ever had the pleasure of teaching.
Q&A with Hollie Sue Mann
Where did you grow up? Can you tell us a little about your educational journey?
I was born in Richmond, but grew up a little bit all over.
When did you first fall in love with your field of study? What made you decide to work in academia?
I fell in love with the study of politics and questions that orbit power and governance in my time as an undergraduate at VCU, though I did not major in political science.
Can you explain the focus of your research?
My work sits at the intersection of philosophy, ethics and politics, and I study a range of topics including ethics of care and moral development, deliberative democracy, gender, feminism and freedom.
Can you talk a little about your teaching philosophy? What do you most like about teaching?
My teaching philosophy is rather non-traditional and eclectic, and begins with the premise that students learn best when they are given the tools they need to do the hard won work of thinking for themselves. I follow bell hooks in helping my students "come to voice," encouraging them to take risk, allowing themselves to be open to challenges and contestation by others, and daring to push their thinking further than ever before. The classroom provides us with a unique opportunity to learn the value of theorizing collectively, as we actively participate in the process of thinking and talking through complex ideas in community with others. My classroom is engaging and dynamic, and always device-free, reflecting my commitment to an unplugged approach to the study most especially political theory and philosophy.
What attracted you to VCU? What are you most excited about in regards to VCU and Richmond?
Returning to Richmond and to VCU has been a kind of homecoming for me and I am most happy to be in a community of diverse, motivated and engaged humans, who lead interesting lives beyond the classroom.
Can you tell us either a quirky fact about yourself or some of your hobbies?
I'm into books, a mostly device-free life for me and my children, my dog named Blue, running, biking and weird yoga stuff.