Chair of Anthropology & Archaeology, Associate Professor of Anthropology, and our co-director of the Cromwell Center for Teaching and Learning, Dr. Emily Steinmetz is the 2024 recipient of the Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award. Dr. Steinmetz delivered an inspiring keynote address at the Fall Convocation on August 29.
A public anthropologist whose work focused on inequalities in U.S. life, specifically exploring the carceral state, health, housing, and the intersections of incarceration and environmental justice, Dr. Steinmetz has been teaching at Washington College since 2018. Courses such as Inside-Out and a First Year Seminar on liberation bring incarcerated and campus-based students together for shared learning experiences and dialogue. Much of her scholarship is public-facing, resulting in museum exhibits, research reports, and essays intended for public audiences. Currently, she is working with Forest Bright and a group of women serving life sentences in Ohio on Wild Hearts, a collaborative book project that weaves together narratives and poetry from the “lifers,” visual art, and scholarly perspectives on extreme sentences and the structural injustices that shape many incarcerated people’s lives.
Congratulations, Professor Steinmetz, on your award and your achievements!
You can view Dr. Steinmetz address the Convocation below, beginning at 45:00.