Dean Ryan André Brasseaux is the chief academic advisor for the almost 460 students comprising the residential college. He helps students navigate academic regulations, Yale bureaucracy, and life in general.
Dean Brasseaux earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette; the Master of Arts in Anthropology from Louisiana State University; and the Ph.D. in American Studies here at Yale. He specializes in vernacular American music, culture and politics in French North-America, and public humanities. He teaches courses on the history of country music, the American Gulf Coast, the history of Quebec and Canada, and a cross-listed undergraduate/graduate course called Intro to Public Humanities. He is the author of over forty articles, encyclopedia entries, and book reviews, and three books, including the Oxford University Press title, Cajun Breakdown: The Emergence of an American-Made Music.
Dean Brasseaux’s wife, Jessika Ducharme Brasseaux, a nurse practioner and graduate of the Yale School of Nursing, and their children, Anne Elise, known as “Ani”, and Joseph Emile, “Joe” are enjoying life in Davenport. Jessika is an avid gardener with an interest in organic and sustainable foods, and the Dean is an accomplished cook, specializing in the cuisine of his native state, Louisiana. Both are great lovers of music and dance.
Dean Brasseaux’s office is located in the Davenport College Office at the end of the hall. The office is open weekdays, 8:30am to 5pm. To make an appointment to see the Dean, please call Sierra Bowman, the Dean’s Administrative Assistant at (203) 432-0555.
His Wikipedia page is at the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Brasseaux