[citation needed] He also studied briefly at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
From 1985 to 1988, he was the first Protestant scholar to teach in the Theology Department at Xavier University of (New Orleans) Louisiana,[citation needed] and prior to teaching at Macon State College, he taught at Averett University in Danville, Virginia.
Manis' research focuses on the role of religion in American life, with particular attention placed on the Civil Rights Movement.
Fred Shuttlesworth, was also nominated for the Robert F. Kennedy Prize,[citation needed] and was runner-up for the 2001 Louisville Grawemeyer Award for books in religion.
In 2009, Manis was selected as a Fulbright Fellow in Greece, where he was also Visiting Professor of American Studies at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.