Faculty and Staff
Associate Professor and Chairperson
Office: Towers 212
614.823.1367
hballard@otterbein.edu Dr. Ballard is chairperson of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and an Associate Professor. She received her Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM. Her graduate work emphasized social theory and global development issues, with a regional emphasis on Latin America. Areas of expertise include classical and contemporary sociological theory, global social change and development, and environmental sociology. Issues of social justice are of special interest in her work. Courses currently taught include classical social theory, contemporary social theory, racial and ethnic relations, global social change, environmental sociology, and urban sociology.
Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology
Office: Towers 222
614.823.1434
mhallett@otterbein.edu Dr. Hallett has conducted anthropological research on El Salvador since 1998 and on transnational migration since 2004. Her theoretical interests lie in diverse areas such as Latin American studies, immigration, citizenship and rights, and applied anthropology. Her current research work deals with Salvadoran immigrant identities and the role of law and popular anti-immigrant feeling in shaping the experience of undocumented immigrants in the workplace and with local institutions.
She joined the Department as Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology as of September 2010, and offers courses in cultural anthropology, issues of globalization and inequality, and Latin American and Latino/a experiences. Miranda is also an engaged public anthropologist with a commitment to advocacy and social justice movements.
Dr. Hallett earned her PhD in Sociocultural Anthropology from Cornell University in 2009.
Assistant Professor
Office: Towers 214
614.823.1267
lkern@otterbein.edu Dr. Kern received her doctorate from The Ohio State University. Her classes are in the criminology concentration. Her research interests are criminology and juvenile delinquency. She also teaches Introductory Sociology, Research Methods, Social Problems, and also teaches in the Integrative Studies and Senior Year Experience programs. She is currently completing research on women in policing, and has begun researching gang involvement in violent crime in Columbus. Her other research interests include stigma management among members in deviant communities, and the intersections between pollution, crime, and lower income neighborhoods.