Undergraduate
Expert in political theory & multiculturalism, former journalist, named assistant professor of political science at Saint Michael's College
Dr. Shefali Misra was a financial and political journalist for four English-language national dailies in New Delhi, India
Contact Information:
Buff Lindau, Public Relations
802.654.2536
blindau@smcvt.edu
Shefali Misra, a financial and political journalist for four English-language national dailies in New Delhi, India, for 11 years, has been named assistant professor of political science at Saint Michael's College. Professor Misra earned her Ph.D. in political science from Brandeis University in 2008. She was visiting assistant professor of political theory at Oberlin College for the 2008-2009 academic year. At Saint Michael's she will be teaching Introduction to Politics, Western Political Thought, and second semester possibly Democracy and its Discontents or The Idea of Liberty, as well as a senior seminar on Multiculturalism in Theory and Practice.
Dr. Misra's dissertation, which is under review for publication, is titled "Through Skeptical Eyes: The Prospects for a Liberal Relationship with Multiculturalism in the Thought of Montesquieu, John Stuart Mill, and Judith Shklar." Her primary field is political theory; other fields are international relations and global studies, with additional research interests in multiculturalism, identity politics, democratic justice and citizenship.
Dr. Misra won the University Prize Instructorship, an award for an independently designed and taught course, hers was "Multiculturalism in Theory and Practice," selected competitively by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences across all Brandeis University departments.
Journalism career
In her 11 years in journalism, Dr. Misra was a feature writer, news reporter, editorial writer and columnist with expertise in the politics of international trade and multilateral trade negotiations. In her last position she was opinions editor for a daily paper read by millions of readers; she wrote a signed column, as well as leading the paper's large editorial page team. She covered several ministerial meetings of the World Trade Organization in Singapore, Geneva and Seattle, and spent two years reporting for home newspapers from London, Brussels, Geneva, Berlin, Bonn, Paris, and Singapore. In 1999-2000 she was a Reuters Fellow at the Knight Fellowship Program at Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.
"I decided I wanted to combine the real world, hands-on understanding gained through journalism, with the theoretical academic in-depth understanding gained in the academic world," Dr. Misra said, about moving from journalism to academia.
"I love the liberal political environment of Vermont, and I very much like the idea of working in a small intimate environment, like Saint Michael's," Dr. Misra said.
She earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India, in 1985, and a master's in history from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
A resident of Burlington, Dr. Misra enjoys walking, hiking and Indian classical music.
Saint Michael's College is a distinctive Catholic liberal arts college that provides an education with a social conscience, producing graduates with the intellectual tools they need to lead a successful, purposeful life that will contribute to peace and justice in our world. Founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, Saint Michael's is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nation's Best 371 Colleges, ranking as 9th among institutions in Quality of Life and 2nd in Town-Gown Relations. It is one of only 270 colleges and universities nationwide, and one of only 20 Catholic colleges, with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus. Saint Michael's has 1,900 undergraduate students, some 250 graduate students and 100 international students. In recent years Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, National Science Foundation and other grants, and its professors have been named Vermont Professor of the Year in four of the last nine years. The college is currently listed as one of the nation's Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings. Saint Michael's is located just outside of Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns.
Buff Lindau, Public Relations
802.654.2536
blindau@smcvt.edu
Shefali Misra, a financial and political journalist for four English-language national dailies in New Delhi, India, for 11 years, has been named assistant professor of political science at Saint Michael's College. Professor Misra earned her Ph.D. in political science from Brandeis University in 2008. She was visiting assistant professor of political theory at Oberlin College for the 2008-2009 academic year. At Saint Michael's she will be teaching Introduction to Politics, Western Political Thought, and second semester possibly Democracy and its Discontents or The Idea of Liberty, as well as a senior seminar on Multiculturalism in Theory and Practice.Dr. Misra's dissertation, which is under review for publication, is titled "Through Skeptical Eyes: The Prospects for a Liberal Relationship with Multiculturalism in the Thought of Montesquieu, John Stuart Mill, and Judith Shklar." Her primary field is political theory; other fields are international relations and global studies, with additional research interests in multiculturalism, identity politics, democratic justice and citizenship.
Dr. Misra won the University Prize Instructorship, an award for an independently designed and taught course, hers was "Multiculturalism in Theory and Practice," selected competitively by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences across all Brandeis University departments.
Journalism career
In her 11 years in journalism, Dr. Misra was a feature writer, news reporter, editorial writer and columnist with expertise in the politics of international trade and multilateral trade negotiations. In her last position she was opinions editor for a daily paper read by millions of readers; she wrote a signed column, as well as leading the paper's large editorial page team. She covered several ministerial meetings of the World Trade Organization in Singapore, Geneva and Seattle, and spent two years reporting for home newspapers from London, Brussels, Geneva, Berlin, Bonn, Paris, and Singapore. In 1999-2000 she was a Reuters Fellow at the Knight Fellowship Program at Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.
"I decided I wanted to combine the real world, hands-on understanding gained through journalism, with the theoretical academic in-depth understanding gained in the academic world," Dr. Misra said, about moving from journalism to academia.
"I love the liberal political environment of Vermont, and I very much like the idea of working in a small intimate environment, like Saint Michael's," Dr. Misra said.
She earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India, in 1985, and a master's in history from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
A resident of Burlington, Dr. Misra enjoys walking, hiking and Indian classical music.
Saint Michael's College is a distinctive Catholic liberal arts college that provides an education with a social conscience, producing graduates with the intellectual tools they need to lead a successful, purposeful life that will contribute to peace and justice in our world. Founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, Saint Michael's is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nation's Best 371 Colleges, ranking as 9th among institutions in Quality of Life and 2nd in Town-Gown Relations. It is one of only 270 colleges and universities nationwide, and one of only 20 Catholic colleges, with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus. Saint Michael's has 1,900 undergraduate students, some 250 graduate students and 100 international students. In recent years Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, National Science Foundation and other grants, and its professors have been named Vermont Professor of the Year in four of the last nine years. The college is currently listed as one of the nation's Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings. Saint Michael's is located just outside of Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns.
