“Pathways to the Professoriate” lecture series
Connecticut College will host a series of seven public lectures, “Pathways to the Professoriate,” given by professors of higher education, including its own associate dean of institutional equity and inclusion, who will speak of their journeys in the academy and their research interests.
The fundamental objective of the College’s MMUF Program, an initiative designed to support students’ pathways to Ph.D. programs and careers in the professoriate, is to address the underrepresentation of faculty from historically marginalized groups.
All lectures begin at 7 p.m., but locations vary as noted below. For more information, contact Dr. B. Afeni McNeely Cobham, bmcneely@conncoll.edu or Lynne McCue, lemcc@conncoll.edu.
Monday, Sept. 11
Frederick-Douglass Knowles, II, associate professor of English at Three Rivers Community College, is a poet, professor and activist involved in community education, AIDS activism and the performing arts. Knowles, the author of “Black Rose City,” will discuss his journey in the academy and his research interests. Black Rose City is a collection of poems exploring the underpinnings of interpersonal relationships in communities isolated by socio-political barriers and reflecting the memories of a city youth growing up in the urban neighborhoods of Norwich, Connecticut, whose citizens refer to it as Rose City, after its official flower.
7 p.m., Ernst Common Room, Blaustein Humanities Center
Monday, Sept. 25
Mark Anthony Neal is professor of African & African American studies at Duke University, where he offers courses on black masculinity, popular culture, and digital humanities, including signature courses on Michael Jackson & the Black Performance Tradition, and The History of Hip-Hop, which he co-teaches with Grammy Award-winning producer 9th Wonder. He is the author of several books, including “What the Music Said: Black Popular Music and Black Public Culture,” “Soul Babies: Black Popular Culture and the Post-Soul Aesthetic,” and “Looking for Leroy: Illegible Black Masculinities.”
7 p.m., Ernst Common Room, Blaustein Humanities Center
Thursday, Oct. 5
Dr. Trimiko Melancon, a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, is an associate professor of English, African American studies, and women’s studies, and co-director of the Women’s Studies Program at Loyola University. She is the author of “Unbought and Unbossed: Transgressive Black Women, Sexuality, and Representation” (Temple University Press) and editor of “Black Female Sexualities” (Rutgers University Press).
7 p.m., Cro’s Nest, College Center at Crozier-Williams
Monday, Oct. 9
Professor Lyrical (Dr. Peter Plourde) is an artist and educator known for using the positive aspects of Hip Hop culture to strengthen student’s learning abilities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Lyrical is an associate professor at The University of the District of Columbia. He will discuss his journey in the academy and demonstrate how he uses principles of Hip Hop to teach STEM fields.
7 p.m., Hood Dining Room, Blaustein Humanities Center
Monday, Oct. 25
Dr. Yaba Blay uses personal and social narratives to disrupt fundamental assumptions about cultures and identities. The Dan Blue Endowed Chair in Political Science at North Carolina Central University, Dr. Blay is one of today’s leading voices on colorism and global skin color politics. Her book, “(1)ne Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race,” explores the interconnected nuances of skin color politics and Black racial identity, and challenges narrow perceptions of Blackness as both an identity and lived reality.
7 p.m., College Center at Crozier-Williams, 1941 Room
Tuesday, Nov. 7
Dr. Henryatta L. Ballah, assistant professor of history at Connecticut College, is the author of "Listen, Politics is Not for Children: Adult Authority, Social Conflicts and Youth Survival Strategies in Post-Civil War Liberia." This work explores the historical economic, social and political experiences of Liberian youth since the beginning of the Republic in 1847. Known for an infectious teaching style that is student-centered, Dr. Ballah will discuss her journey in the academy and her research interests.
7 p.m., Ernst Common Room, Blaustein Humanities Center
Monday, Dec. 4
B. Afeni McNeely Cobham, curator of the Sankofa Lecture Series, has served as a faculty member for over 15 years at various institutions and is currently the associate dean of institutional equity and inclusion at Connecticut College. Dr. McNeely Cobham’s research focuses on race, identity and culture in American higher education and the influence of Hip Hop culture in socio-political ideologies. Her most recent study, “Sisters Rap the Blues: Examining the Perceived Impact of Rap Music on Black Women College Students,” addresses the impact of popular culture on college-age students.
7 p.m., College Center at Crozier-Williams Cro’s Nest
September 13, 2017
