Dorian Brown Crosby, Ph.D., C'91, associate professor of political science at Spelman College, is recipient of Spelman's 2017 Vulcan Teaching Award and published her first book, "Somalis in the Neo-South: African Immigration, Politics and Race," in December 2020. Her work chronicles three years of research that she conducted with Somali communities in Clarkston, Georgia and Nashville, Tennessee, and offers a balanced and insightful look at Somalis in the southern United States.
Q: What excites you most about being a Research Day quad chair this year?
I am excited about participating in Research Day this year as a quad chair because I will have the privilege of helping to plan one of the signature events on campus that showcase the extraordinary research of our students.
How do you plan to make a difference?
I plan to support the established programming and planning by creating communications that inform and encourage our students to participate.
What are your research interests and what projects are you working on now?
I am currently researching the political participation of naturalized African citizens who were once resettled, African refugees.
Why is it important for Spelman students to participate in Research Day?
It is imperative that Spelman students participate in Research Day because of the unique benefits of the subject matter that interests them. Our students investigate many topics that are underresearched. The subjects they examine are critical to advancing knowledge and awareness of concerns and interests of African descended peoples. Likewise, when Spelman students focus on women, their research advances a gender-based epistemology.
Research Day provides our students with a comfortable platform for learning how to research and present that research. It is also important for our students to participate in Research Day to hone their analytical, organizational, and communication skills in preparation for their careers. Research Day helps to prepare Spelman students for graduate school, law school, the workforce, community engagement, and any other space where professional presentations of their work and thoughts arise.
What advantage does it give them over their peers?
Participating in Research Day provides our students with peer advantage because they are learning to build their confidence, shore up their skills and decide how they want to use their talents to "change the world" in a learning environment that not only supports their research but supports them.