Jackson Free Press

From her experiences in countries as far away as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Erica Haskell has gained a deep understanding of music and how it relates to politics and culture. This fall she joined the Tougaloo College music department as a visiting faculty member where she will be teaching an introduction to music course.

Haskell is visiting from Brown University where she is a Ph.D. candidate in ethnomusicology. She is originally from California and has a bachelor's degree from Mills College. While working on her dissertation she spent three years studying in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. She also worked in Hungarian refugee camps where she began a music-recording project, and is the co-founder of Trade Root Records, a music label specializes in root-based music throughout the world.

Dr. Andrea Montgomery, dean for the humanities department at Tougaloo, said Haskell's diverse background will provide a unique opportunity for students.

"She not only brings a new base of knowledge and skills but she will challenge students to think beyond the introductory course. The world is so global and the world community is closer than it has ever been before." Montgomery told the Jackson Free Press.

The Brown-Tougaloo Partnership started in 1964 to enrich both campuses through student and faculty exchange.