2007-2008 Collegiate Teaching Awards

Nanette Barkey, assistant professor of Anthropology, holds a joint appointment in the College of Public Health. She teaches courses in medical anthropology, international health, and the anthropology of sub-Saharan Africa. Students praise her dynamic presence in the classroom, her engaging presentations, and the productive discussions she leads. She has also been a generous mentor to students wishing to pursue professional interests in anthropology. Her co-authored book, The Medicalization of Social, Economic, and Political Distress, will be published this year. Her current research focuses on the long-term health effects of war trauma in Angola and community-level efforts to heal Angola after the war.

Dare Clubb, associate professor of Theatre Arts, teaches in the Playwrights’ Workshop and leads the undergraduate playwriting program. He has worked to create closer ties between the playwriting program and other units, including the International Writing Program, the Writers’ Workshop, and the Non-fiction Writing Program. Students praise his thoughtful and supportive responses to their work. A colleague wrote, “For Dare every student is his only student. Each one gets his undivided attention.” As a playwright, he explores new forms of dramatic action and theatrical languages. Among his many plays is Oedipus, which received the 1999 Obie award.

Joseph Frankel, professor of Biological Sciences, is the recipient of a 2007 Helen Kechriotis Nelson Teaching Award. Professor Frankel has been director of undergraduate studies in his department since 1999, where he has had a major role in the design of the curriculum and tracks within the major. He directs and teaches the General Education course Principles of Biology II. Colleagues praise him for his insightful analysis of how students learn science—through principles and concepts, stories about these concepts, and hypothesis testing. Students praise his energy, attentiveness to their learning, and accessibility. A developmental biologist with a highly productive research record, he also teaches advanced undergraduate courses in his subdiscipline.

Paul Kleiber, Harriet B. and Harold S. Brady Professor of Laser Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, teaches physics at the introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels. In his teaching, he employs examples from his own research program in atomic/molecular physics and atmospheric science, uses current scientific issues such as global warming to motivate discussion of physical principles, and demonstrates how basic physics concepts and methods can predict physical behavior in the real world. Students praise his helpfulness and his ability to teach courses at their specific level of preparedness. He serves as a research advisor for students on projects which result in jointly authored scientific papers.

John Durham Peters, F. Wendell Miller Professor of Communication Studies, teaches media, technology, and the philosophy of communication. He calls teaching the “laboratory” in which research questions are developed, and says that he tries to reach undergraduates as fellow citizens and graduate students as fellow scholars. He asks his students to think globally about communications, and has himself been a guest lecturer at universities around the world. A student wrote, “He is always striving to learn more, to grasp the new and evolving media from his students.” His book Courting the Abyss: Free Speech and the Liberal Tradition received the 2007 Franklyn S. Haiman Award from the National Communication Association.

Takis Poulakos, associate professor of Rhetoric, advises teaching assistants in General Education Rhetoric courses and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses spanning classical rhetoric, democratic engagement, and electronic identities. Students praise his ability to lead them from analysis and critique of the subject matter to self-critique and exploration of the possibilities for social change. Students also appreciate his extended mentoring, which has lead to publication of student papers in prestigious journals. His mentoring of Rhetoric TAs helps them to develop a philosophy of teaching, preparing them for careers in college-level teaching. His scholarship most recently resulted in a co-edited essay collection, Isocrates and Greek Education.

John Raeburn, professor of American Studies and English (and former DEO of each department) is the recipient of a 2007 Helen Kechriotis Nelson Teaching Award. Professor Raeburn teaches twentieth-century American cultural history. He is director of graduate studies and former director of undergradaute studies in American Studies, and has recently completed a term on the CLAS Educational Policy Committee. Students praise him for the probing questions that characterize his teaching and for his skill in establishing context and expanding their perspective on a topic. They also express gratitude for his detailed responses to their writing. His colleagues praise him for his commitment to the mentoring and professional development of students. His most recent book, A Staggering Revolution: A Cultural History of Thirties Photography, was published in 2006.