Lynn Sargeant

Biography

Dr. Lynn Sargeant is Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at South Dakota State University. Dr. Sargeant earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Russian History from Indiana University, Bloomington. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in Music Education from the University of Minnesota and Russian Area Studies from the University of Washington.

Dr. Sargeant has an especially strong interest in supporting interdisciplinary research, immersive teaching, and experiential learning at South Dakota State. She is particularly proud of the key role the College plays in serving the land grant mission of the university by conducting research in a broad range of disciplines, providing instruction in the liberal arts for all students, and serving as the intellectual, cultural, and artistic heart of our university.

As a scholar, Dr. Sargeant’s research focuses on Russian social and cultural history, the role of cultural organizations in the community, and the history of music and music education. Her book, Harmony and Discord: Music and the Transformation of Russian Cultural Life (Oxford University Press) was awarded the 2012 Belá Bartók Award for Outstanding Ethnomusicology Book by the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers. Dr. Sargeant’s current research draws from both her experiences growing up in North Dakota and her broad understanding of rural and small town Russian cultural life. Her project, “Little Shack on the Prairie: Education, Grassroots Politics, and Social Change in the Global Progressive Era,” examines the role cultural and civic centers played in the development of community life, adult education, and civic spirit in small towns and cities in Russia, the United States, and elsewhere before and after the First World War.

Prior to coming to SDSU, Dr. Sargeant served as Associate Dean for Student Relations (College of Humanities and Social Sciences) and Professor of History at California State University, Fullerton.