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New faculty members represent a range of expertise and diversity of experiences

Connecticut College welcomes five new tenure-track professors this fall, representing a range of expertise in their respective fields that include anthropology, government, psychology, English and history. They are joined by two postdoctoral fellows and eight visiting faculty members.

"Our newest faculty members join Conn’s intellectual community at an exciting time, one in which they will find ample opportunity to engage and inspire students in their academic and personal growth," said Dean of the Faculty and Dayton Professor of Art History Abigail Van Slyck. "Collectively, they bring a variety of experiences and perspectives that will serve to enrich and enhance student learning in the classroom and beyond."

The five new faculty members bring a wealth of specialties to the College's academic offerings that include language revitalization, global peacekeeping efforts, behavioral treatment, postcolonial literature, and 19th and 20th century Africa.

Meet the new faculty

Joyce Bennett

Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Education
B.A., University of Richmond; M.A. and Ph.D., Tulane University

Specializations
Language revitalization, ethnicity and identify performance, migration, gender and sexuality, social movements

Lost language
She collaborated with researchers at Tulane University to revive the Tunica language of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe in Marksville, Louisiana.

Grassroots
Professor Bennett wants to launch a research project with students looking at volunteer motivations and experiences at social service sites in New London.

Andrew Levin

Assistant Professor of Government

Education
B.A., Macalester College; M.A., George Washington University; Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

Specializations
Peacekeeping, international conflict resolution, the United Nations, civil wars, international relations

Book in progress
The effectiveness of peacekeeping efforts by the United Nations is the focus of Professor Levin’s book project: "How Does Peacekeeping Work? Local and National Effectiveness of UN Interventions in Civil War."

Lesson plan
Professor Levin will teach courses on international politics, international organizations, civil wars and international conflict resolution.

Judelysse Gomez

Assistant Professor of Psychology; Susan Eckert Lynch ’62 Research Scholar

Education
B.A. and M.A., The City University of New York, Hunter College; Ph.D., University of Miami

Specializations
Counseling psychology

Dissertation
Her dissertation focused on examining the association between mindfulness, attention, avoidance and post-traumatic stress symptomatology among females with a history of sexual abuse.

Associations
Professor Gomez is a member of the American Psychological Association and the National Latino Psychological Association.

Rijuta Mehta

Assistant professor of English

Education
B.A., Gujarat University; M.A., University of Delhi; M.A. and Ph.D., Brown University

Specializations
Film and media studies, critical theory, postcolonial literature, visual culture

Doctoral work
Her dissertation, "The Anticolonial Snapshot: South Asian Disruptions," analyzes photography and literature in 20th century South Asia to argue for anticolonialism as the mediation of injury and freedom, rather than as pure opposition to colonial power.

Fluency
Mehta is fluent in Gujarati (native), Hindi (oral and written) and Sanskrit (written).

Henryatta Ballah

Assistant professor of history

Education
B.A., The Pennsylvania State University; M.A., Ph.D., The Ohio State University

Specializations
19th and 20th century Africa; the Atlantic World; civil wars, youth history, labor and social movements, women’s history

Published work
Her current manuscript, "Listen, Politics is Not for Children: Adult Authority, Social Conflicts and Youth Survival Strategies in Post-Civil War Liberia," explores the historical economic, social and political experiences of Liberian youth since the beginning of the Republic in 1847.

Future courses
Ballah is developing new courses that will include The History of Terrorism in Africa, Civil Wars and African Societies, and Islam in Africa.

C3 Postdoctoral Fellows

Connecticut College is hosting two postdoctoral fellows through the Creating Connections Consortium (C3).

Ellen Cole Lee

C3 Postdoctoral Fellow in Classics

Education
B.A., University of Texas at Austin; Ph.D., University of Michigan

Specializations
Classical and medieval Latin poetry, Augustus, Vergil and Ovid, classical civilizations

Marcelle Medford-Lee

C3 Postdoctoral Fellow in Sociology

Education
B.A., M.A. and Ph.D., University of Chicago

Research and teaching interests
Immigration, race and ethnicity, urban sociology, ethnic entrepreneurship, culture, social inequality

September 1, 2016

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