Theresa Cann

Research Discipline/Bio

I am a doctoral candidate in International and Comparative Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. I have experience in various capacities in higher education including Academic, Student Affairs, and International Education Development. I am interested in the decolonial dimensions of education as an alternative way of studying education, and as a tool for addressing gender disparities in education in post-colonial countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. I am especially attentive to the documentation of women’s contribution to the historiography of social transformation in education, and the erasure of women’s role in social movement narratives. My current research examines women’s activism to decolonize educational policies and practices and its implication for women’s access and retention in higher education in Ghana. I use qualitative research methods situated in a sociological lens informed by postcolonial feminism, human rights, and social movement theories.

Educational Background

Master of Philosophy, Comparative and International Education, Teachers College
Master of Education, Comparative and International Education, Teachers College
Master of Education, Student Personnel and Counseling in Higher Education, Widener University, Chester, PA
Bachelor of Arts, French and Education, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

Honors/Awards

International and Transcultural Studies Summer Research Grant, 2025; Provost's Dissertation Research Award, 2024; Journal of International Women’s Studies fellowship, Bridgewater State University, 2024; Boren Fellowship, 2023; Vice President’s Grant for Student Research in Diversity, 2023; Provost’s Grant for Conference Presentation, 2022; The George Clement Bond Center for African Education Scholarship, 2021-2023; Women in United Methodist History Writing Award, 2020; Fulbright Award, 2017

Publications/Exhibitions

Cann, T. (Forthcoming, January 2026) “Conceptualizing Decolonization as an “Actionable” Framework: What’s the Syllabus Got To Do with It?” In E. Cohen, JM. Davis, R. Murumba, MJ Parmentier & M. Steckley (Eds.), Teaching Global Development: Practical Approaches for Inclusive, Critical, and Decolonized Pedagogy. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Ferguson, S. L., Ieva, K., Winkler, C., Ash, K. & Cann, T., (2023). “How do you Know if This is for You? Exploration and Awareness of Technical STEM Careers”. School Science and Mathematics Journal Special Issue on “Supporting and Building More Equitable PK12 Pathway to STEM Skilled Technical Careers”

Last Updated: Jun 4, 2025