5/4/2009

Six faculty members honored with the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

The George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching honors six of Rice’s top professors each year. The recipients are determined by the votes of alumni who graduated two and five years ago.

This year's winners are John Boles, the William Hobby Professor of History; Marcia Brennan, associate professor of art history; Bridget Gorman, associate professor of sociology; Matthias Henze, the Watt J. and Lily G. Jackson Chair in Biblical Studies and associate professor of religious studies; Ussama Makdisi, the Arab American Educational Foundation Professor of History; and Yousif Shamoo, associate professor of biochemistry and cell biology.


JOHN BOLES	MARCIA BRENNAN	BRIDGET GORMAN	MATTHIAS HENZE	USSAMA MAKDISI	YOUSIF SHAMOO

What's your favorite class to teach and why?

Boles: I don't really have a favorite. I enjoy both my lecture class titled The American South and the discussion and close attention to research and writing that characterize my seminar classes. Both are very different kinds of experiences and bring different kinds of rewards.

Brennan: My favorite classes are the ones that take us outside of the classroom. This may sound paradoxical, but actually, it involves a re-envisioning and expansion of what the classroom experience is. One of my favorite classes is 14 Artworks at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Each week, we focus on one monumental artwork in the museum’s permanent collection. The first part of the class is taught at Rice, where I provide some background on the artist under discussion. Then as a group, we walk over to the museum, where the remainder of the class is taught "in situ" in front of the work itself. This is a very powerful experience for the students, as both the museum and the artwork become extensions of the classroom -- and of their consciousness. Another example of this expansion of the classroom occurred in my medical humanities seminar, Representation, Healing, and the Body. When I last taught this class, I was able to invite my students to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, where I was presenting the grand rounds lecture in the Department of Palliative Medicine. Hearing an open exchange of ideas with practicing physicians was an invaluable experience for them. Thus, the integration of multiple contexts into the classroom always makes for a favorite class.

Gorman: Right now, I'm enjoying Research Methods. It's a required course for all majors, so I know most of the students pretty well. And, it's fun to try to teach them how to actually "do" sociology research.

Henze: I greatly enjoy teaching introductory courses such as HUMA 101 and my introduction to the Bible, because I believe that our students deserve a sound liberal education. I believe that our students should be familiar with the foundational intellectual texts and artistic expressions of the West so that they become mature and intellectually independent thinkers through the study of literature, religion and the arts. I also believe in studying the premodern period, a passion shared by many of our students.

Makdisi: Each class is rewarding in a different way. It all depends on the mix of the students and the nature of our discussions and interactions. Because my topic -- modern Middle Eastern history -- is considered "controversial," I try to get my students to think about the class material historically rather than polemically, and to not dismiss positions or perspectives as biased simply because they have not been confronted with these perspectives before, but rather to understand how arguments are framed.

Shamoo: The first semester of biochemistry is my favorite. It is a large and challenging class that is filled with very smart and competitive students. I have to have my "A" game on every class, or they let me know.

Who inspired you to become a teacher?

Boles: A series of exceptionally dedicated teachers in the public schools of Center, Texas, inspired me to teach.

Brennan: My most powerful mentor was my graduate adviser, Professor Kermit S. Champa, of Brown University. He was an absolute magician with modern art, and he dedicated his career to teaching students to see painted canvases and sculpted surfaces as embodiments of the beauty of the structure of thought itself. He was also extraordinarily patient, kind and generous as a graduate adviser. My newest book, "Curating Consciousness," is dedicated to his memory, with deepest gratitude.

Gorman: Several of the faculty at my undergrad institution, Western Washington University. Three sociology profs gave me lots of time and encouragement to go to graduate school and teach at the college level.

Henze: My father was a professor in the humanities and an amazingly gifted teacher. More than that, however, I was influenced by my own teachers, especially in graduate school.

Makdisi: Several individuals. My family has been heavily involved in academia, so teaching sort of runs in the family.

Shamoo: I have very fond memories of teachers throughout my life, from Mr. Harvey in fourth grade to Dr. Bill Brown, my old undergraduate biochemistry professor. Good teachers have always inspired me, and I feel an obligation to carry on their mission. It just feels pretty darn good to do a good job and help the next generation of scientists, engineers and physicians.

How do you know when you've given a good lecture?

Boles: You can tell by watching the faces of the students and their attention levels. If you're really "on," they will be "with you."

Brennan: Actually, I rarely lecture these days, except when I’m presenting an invited paper elsewhere. Because Rice is wonderfully openhanded in allowing us to craft our teaching in the ways that we think will best serve the students and the material, I choose to teach my classes as intensive seminars. There is a great deal of reading, thinking, looking, dialogue and open exchange. I know that all is going well when the students are excited by the ideas that are coming from the primary source materials and, most importantly, from themselves and from one another. Time flows like water, and we’ve finished when we’ve only just begun.

Gorman: Hmm, probably when I see a lot of student interaction with me in class -- questions followed by discussion.

Henze: For our students to become the global citizens we want them to be, they have to be able to express themselves clearly and eloquently. In the classroom, I share these values with my students, often in rather conventional ways, through lectures and writing exercises. By the end of the hour, it is usually pretty clear whether or not the message got across.

Makdisi: When I feel I have covered exactly what I wanted to cover, concisely and sharply.

Shamoo: In a big class like biochemistry, it is a lot like performance. You can definitely tell if you are connecting. You make all the transitions between slides, the concepts are getting through and even the jokes are funny.

Describe one of your most rewarding experiences or fondest memories as a teacher.

Boles: There are two very different kinds of rewarding experiences. One is when I encounter former undergraduates from years ago and they report that they can still remember lectures or topics we discussed. The second is when a former graduate student, having gotten a job and published a book, begins to turn out students who themselves apply for graduate work at Rice.

Brennan: The most rewarding teaching experiences come from students with whom I’ve worked closely over many years. There is perhaps nothing more rewarding than to watch them progressively gain in skill, confidence and subtlety. When I see my students as graduating seniors, I often think back to when they began as freshmen and how much progress they’ve made. Those are moments of deep pride.

Gorman: Whenever one of my students tells me they've won some big award that they worked really hard to get. I'm always so excited for them.

Henze: It is most gratifying when I hear from former students, undergraduate and graduate alike, who write and let me know how what they learned in my classes or what emerged in our conversations has helped them move forward.

Makdisi: Being told several years after a student has graduated that he or she recalls and appreciates what I was trying to explain in class, and that I helped him or her to think critically about the history of the Middle East and about politics and the world more generally. At Rice I have been fortunate to have many superb undergraduates.

Shamoo: I really like hearing back from students after they leave Rice. It's nice to hear that they are doing well and we did a good job preparing them not just for biochemistry but for their personal journeys. I like to hear about their experiences. I have a former student doing public health work in Belize, and it is great to hear how happy she is and how excited she is about her life.

What's the secret to being a good teacher?

Boles: You have to be excited about your material and believe it's important for others to learn, and you have to respect your students.

Brennan: For every teacher, the answer will be different; but for me, there are two secrets. The first is to have a deep love for the material that you are teaching and to allow this energy to shape the classroom experience. This translates into consciously knowing that you are teaching from the heart as well as from the mind. The second key is to care deeply and genuinely about what the students have to say, to respect their opinions and to create a space for their insights to be heard. I’m always grateful and amazed by how much I learn each time I teach.

Gorman: Oh, who knows? Every time I'm asked this I say something different. :)

Henze: The aim of good teaching is to foster intellectual independence in our students and to build ethical awareness. To gain this independence, students need to have a basic knowledge, be reasonable and imaginative, be able to express themselves clearly and be mindful of the impact their lives have on the lives of others.

Makdisi: Passion for the subject. The dullest thing in the world is a teacher who is simply going through the motions. I also believe very strongly that what I teach is immediately relevant to understanding the world around us.

Shamoo: When I think of my old teachers, I remember their energy and I remember their love for their fields and that they liked me. They wanted me to succeed, and I worked harder to realize our joint aspirations for success. I like my students, and I get to spend a few months with them on their journey. I try to be a helpful road companion.