Rate My Professor Jennifer Schlegel

Jennifer Schlegel is Professor of Anthropology/Sociology and Interim Department Chair of Anthropology and Sociology at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. She earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2004, with a dissertation titled "Pennsylvania German Overhearers: Living with Language Maintenance and Language Loss." Her academic interests encompass linguistic anthropology, hate studies, Pennsylvania German studies, and the relationship between language and culture. Schlegel has made significant contributions to anti-hate education and activism through her research and teaching.

At Kutztown University, Schlegel developed the course "Hate Across Cultures," which examines the origins of hate, its manifestations across cultures, and regional strategies to address it, utilizing multidisciplinary resources and guest speakers from government agencies. Her key publications include "Applied Anthropology and Anti-Hate Activism" in the Journal of Hate Studies (2011), detailing her experiences bridging activism, education, and research to foster effective anti-hate initiatives; "Orthography in Practice: A Pennsylvania German Case Study," published in Orthography as Social Action (2012); and work on oral histories collected at the Kutztown Folk Festival. She received the 2022 Undergraduate Research and Creativity Faculty Mentorship Award. Schlegel previously served as Director of the Honors Program and holds leadership roles including University Senate member (through 2028), Strategic Planning & Resources Committee member (through 2028), President's Faculty Advisory Committee member, and Diversity Council co-advisor. Her public engagements include a 2019 lecture on "Communities of Hate" as part of the Spirit on Tap series, enhancing community awareness and academic discourse on hate prevention.