Janet Jacobs, Director of the Honors Program, named in 2018 Professors of Distinction
Professor Janet Jacobs, Director of the Honors Program, has been named in the 2018 Professors of Distinction by the College of Arts and Sciences. This revered title honors professor’s exceptional service, teaching and research.
Dr. Jacobs is a professor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Sociology. Her research focuses on ethnic and religious violence, gender, mass trauma and collective memories in the Americas and eastern and western Europe.
As stated in her Professors of Distinction bio, “Her internationally-recognized work has contributed to global efforts to support women and children in the aftermath of mass trauma.”
On Monday, September 24, Dr. Jacobs was recognized at the 2018 Professors of Distinction presentation in the Old Main Chapel, alongside Mitchell C. Begelman, Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences and Christopher Braider, Department of French and Italian.
Begelman shared his research on black holes and Braider his teaching methods on painting and literature.
Jacobs gave a 20 minute presentation on her research from the award-winning book “Heritage: The Legacy of the Crypto-Jews” and also “Memorializing the Holocaust: Gender, Genocide and Collective Memory.”
She shared a visual representation with her own images of the Memorial at Ravensbrueck, a concentration camp for women and children during the Holocaust in World War II, established in 1939. 130,000 women and children died at this site of terror. The memorial opened in 1959.
This memorial space creates a shared public memory for visitors to gain perspective on the aftermath of trauma and genocide. Jacobs created field notes during her tour of the women’s camp, which framed around the theme of memory, and shared them during her powerful presentation. Discussing the politics of memory and the power of memorials to humanize victims, Jacobs’ compelling talk shed light on an important topic.
Also a recipient of the Hazel Barnes Prize, Dr. Jacobs is an exceptional teacher and researcher — and the Honors Program could not be more proud!