Honors College Welcomes Two New Lecturers

April 20, 2016

By Hayley Zablotsky / John V. Roach Honors College

The John V. Roach Honors College will welcome two new lecturers for the 2016-2017 school year, Drs. Sarah Vartabedian and Lynn Hampton.

Both faculty members come to Honors with extensive teaching experience and sterling academic credentials.

Sarah Vartabedian

Sarah Vartabedian earned her B.A. and M.A. in communication studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004 and 2007 and received a Ph.D. in rhetoric and language from the University of Texas at Austin in 2012. Her research interests include performance and the rhetoric of place and space with a focus on public memory, representation and political change. She has traveled extensively throughout Europe, South America and Asia to analyze numerous politically divisive monuments, which has further shaped her interest in international politics.

“I was drawn to TCU because it is a world-class institution with a focus on community building and teaching excellence,” Dr. Vartabedian said. She named the small class sizes, the interdisciplinary approach to teaching and the caliber of student as aspects that appeal to her about teaching Honors students.

“I am looking forward to engaging in lively and challenging class discussions,” she said.

In line with her research, she will be teaching courses on the rhetoric of place and space, public memory and how everyday performances can be acts of political resistance.

Lynn Hampton

Lynn Hampton received her undergraduate degree in political science and Africana studies from Wellesley College and her doctorate in sociology from Vanderbilt University. She joined the department of sociology and anthropology at TCU in the spring of 2014 and has more than 10 years of experience teaching in higher education. Her research focuses on improving educational inequalities in the U.S.

Though not new to TCU, Dr. Hampton is new to the Honors College.

“I was really drawn to the community that is fostered through the Honors College,” Hampton said. “Honors College students are some of the most engaged learners and leaders on TCU’s campus. I look forward to teaching, mentoring and working alongside my colleagues in the Honors College to inspire and motivate these lifelong learners and future leaders.”

Hampton said she is excited to teach such a motivated group of students and to examine deep questions and engage in meaningful dialogues.

“Honors College students are not just interested in asking the ‘right’ questions,” Hampton said, “they are keenly interested in solving crucial problems that are plaguing our society today.”

In the fall, Dr. Hampton will teach a lower-division course on U.S. Schooling and American Society, exploring the ways in which students’ race, gender and social class origins shape school experiences. She will also be teaching an upper division Colloquium, exploring the theme of Race, Color, and Culture – A Context for Understanding U.S. Diversity in the 21st Century.

“I think as educators, we have done a good job of teaching students how to solve problems for which we already know the answers,” she said. “We need to get better at teaching them strategies for tacking problems that have yet to be solved.”

Hampton plans to develop more courses around themes of education and social justice with the objective of encouraging students to take on society’s “tough” problems.