Faculty Spotlight
Janie Ward
Professor, Department Chair of Africana Studies
Creating Epiphanies
Recently, Africana studies Professor and Department Chair Janie Ward found herself on a beach in Belize with 19 students. During their study abroad and service-learning trip, Ward and her students immersed themselves in the Garifuna culture of Central America and participated in three days of service learning at a local primary school, where they organized donated books, created posters for the classrooms, and assisted teachers. Some students worked in a health center and traveled with a nurse visiting local sick and shut-in children.
That kind of absorbing educational experience is just what Ward, who came to Simmons in 1986, hopes to impart to her students. She doesn't just want to tell her students something; she wants to show them.
"My job is about giving them an array of perspectives to digest, and to help them figure out where they stand," said Ward. "One of the most important ideas that I work to instill in my students is how important it is for women to develop their voice and hold their ground, particularly in the face of dissent."
Julia Reynolds, a 2008 Simmons graduate, was so inspired by Ward's course on social justice that she founded the Girls Preparing to Succeed program for urban high school girls.
"I would not have been able to create this program without Janie's encouragement, support, and advice," said Reynolds. "It has been the most important thing that I have done at Simmons, and it is really all due to Janie. She always seems to know exactly what to say to create epiphanies."
Ward plans to continue her research on a wide-range of scholarly topics, including a book about feminism, motherhood, and transracial/transnational adoption; and another book that focuses on children of black female domestics. In typical fashion, she is eager to impart her own knowledge on her students.
"Whenever I leave to pursue my research, or engage in a special project, I return to Simmons renewed. That's when I'm able to infuse new energy and information into the classes that I offer my students."
To read more about Professor Ward and her body of work, visit Janie's faculty profile page. Also, learn more about Simmons' Africana Studies department.