Janel Kragt Bakker
Academic Titles and Associations

As an Advising Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, I am privileged to play a part in the dynamic ecosystem of trust and care that sustains higher education. Respect, empathy and curiosity ground my approach to advising. Rooting for each student to belong, grow and thrive, I enjoy supporting students as they explore their passions and consider how to use their gifts for the greater good.
I have two decades of teaching, research and advising experience in contexts such as small liberal arts colleges, large research universities, graduate professional schools and prison-based liberal arts programs. My teaching and research are interdisciplinary, drawing from the social sciences as well as the humanities. I love to help students make connections between lived experience and classroom learning through site visits and field research. I teach broadly in the field of religion and culture, focusing on topics such as faith-based community activism, restorative justice in the legal system and efforts to reckon with historic links between western colonialism and Christian mission.
Degrees
- B.A., History and English, Dordt College
- M.A., Ph.D., Religious Studies, The Catholic University of America