Marla Kohlman

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman is a professor of Sociology and African Diaspora Studies at Kenyon College. She is originally from Akron, Ohio.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman explains that she took some race-related courses in law school, but had little "deliberate engagement" with the discipline.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman arrived at Kenyon in 1998 as the first Marilyn Yarbrough Dissertation Fellow. In 1999, she became a permanent member of the faculty, appointed to Sociology but also serving African Diaspora Studies (AFDS).

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman recounts being trained in the discipline through co-teaching the introductory course with Prof. Ted Mason. Her interest in the discipline stemmed from teaching Sociology of Race & Ethnicity in the U.S., which counted towards the concentration.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Mason and Prof. Ric Sheffield were natural mentors when she arrived at Kenyon, partly due to the fact that they organized the fellowship.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman describes the adjustment to the rural area and her desire to work and teach at an environment like Kenyon.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman discusses how committed her first students were, and her surprise at the "depth of analysis" in discussions.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman describes the beginning stages of organizing Crossroads, with Prof. Peter Rutkoff taking the lead. She claims that in the early days, it was mostly discussions about pedagogy and sharing research ideas.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman discusses the strengths and necessity of Crossroads. She gives the example of one seminar focused on the movie, Carmen Jones, and the value of seeing a piece of work from different perspectives. She also mentions Prof. Ivonne García sharing Latinx authors in the seminar.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman explains her experience in the past years as a director of the program. She sees Crossroads as an advisory group to AFDS and there are typically the same faculty in both groups.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman discusses the interdisciplinary nature of the course and the diversity of students in the class. The course makes use of fiction and nonfiction texts.

Segment Synopsis: The introduction of more diasporic elements in the curriculum (namely Prof. Sylvie Coulibaly and Prof. Ennis Edmonds) encouraged Prof. Kohlman to change the name of the program.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman claims she is surprised by the students who take Introduction to AFDS. In particular she mentions an African student who helped Prof. Kohlman realize that the curriculum did not cover enough on Africa.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman reflects on the importance of close faculty relationships within the two entities. They have fun together, but they also learn together.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman reflects on reduced enrollment in the introductory course, which doesn't concern her as much as the lack of concentrators. Reflects on need to offer the Crossroads course seminar, which allows students to benefit from learning from a variety of instructors.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman discusses students' excitement for Prof. Frankie Gourrier's courses, but also argues that Kenyon would benefit immensely from adding more faculty who teach in this discipline.

Segment Synopsis: Prof. Kohlman discusses how lucky students are to have instructors who attend the faculty seminar and benefit from the intellectual development, because they then take that expertise into the classroom. She argues that Crossroads is a vital part of AFDS as it invigorates the curriculum.