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Andrew GarrettAssociate Professor, Linguistics |
Andrew Garrett, who came to Berkeley in 1995, “epitomizes the teacher-scholar,” says Professor Sharon Inkelas, Chair of Linguistics. His current research is in two areas: historical linguistics and the structure of Yurok, an endangered indigenous language of Northern California. He teaches a wide range of courses from the graduate course in field methods to the large Linguistics 100, Introduction to Linguistic Science. Of special note is his work, combining research and teaching outside the classroom, with the Yurok Tribe: during a leave year, he drove the 600 mile round trip twice a month to present grammar lessons to Yurok teachers. The Committee praised Garrett’s exceptional ability to synthesize information, his great scholarly mind, his enthusiasm, and the high standards he sets for his students. A former student, now a professor, writes, “I still pattern much of what I do in the classroom after what I observed when taking his classes, knowing all the while that whatever success I may have achieved in my teaching career so far, it is still just a pale reflection of its etymological source.”
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Steven GoldsmithAssociate Professor, English |
Steven Goldsmith, who has been a member of the English Department since 1986, is a specialist in Blake and is also known for his class on the Bible as Literature. His book Unbuilding Jerusalem: Apocalypse and Romantic Representation has been called “brilliant, lively, and wide-ranging.” In addition to teaching Blake and the Bible, he has developed a number of new courses, including, “Why Do We Cry? The Literature of Sorrow, Sympathy and Indifference,” as well as a graduate prospectus-writing seminar that has transformed the graduate curriculum. Professor Susan Schweik, Chair of the Committee on Teaching of the English Department, says, “Professor Goldsmith is an inspired—and an indispensable—teacher and mentor at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.” Goldsmith regularly receives the kinds of comments on evaluations that most teachers can only hope to receive: “I am a different student, a different person, as a result of his class.” The Committee calls Goldsmith “A superb teacher and educator, a riveting storyteller even when lecturing on complex subjects.”
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Eileen A. LaceyAssociate Professor, Integrative Biology |
Eileen A. Lacey, “an internationally recognized scientist who works across the broad sweep of biology,” came to Berkeley in 1996. Lacey, who holds joint appointments in Integrative Biology and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, is a specialist in mammalian social behavior, with an emphasis on rodents. She regularly teaches “Behavioral Ecology” and “Mammology” and co-teaches “Animal Behavior and Mammology.” Students’ comments on her teaching regularly echo this one (from an end of semester evaluation): “I loved this class, and I’m sad that this is the last lecture. Thank you so much!” Former students point to her as deeply influencing their careers. Professor David Lindberg of Integrative Biology says, “Professor Lacey’s integration of her research with her teaching is an inspiration for other faculty, and a shining example of the ideals of the Berkeley campus.” The Committee noted the great extent to which Lacey involves her students in her fieldwork. In addition, they praised her lectures as models of clarity and depth, whose classes inspire students to deeper interest in the field.
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Kathleen McCarthyAssociate Professor, Classics and Comparative Literature |
Katheen McCarthy of Classics and Comparative Literature, won the American Philological Association’s highest honor, The Goodwin Award for Merit, in 2003 for her first book, Slaves, Masters, and the Art of Authority in Plautine Comedy. Since coming to Berkeley in 1995, she has taught an extremely wide range of courses, from undergraduate Latin courses, to graduate surveys of Latin literature to innovative courses like “Slavery and Literature in Antiquity.” Professors Leslie Kurke, Chair of Classics and Eric Naiman, Chair of Comparative Literature, call her a “teacher of rare commitment, skills, subtlety, intellectual seriousness, and range.” The Committee called her teaching “invigorating, challenging, and fortifying.” And her students clearly agree: “When you walk into her classroom, you know you will be expected to work intensely and think beyond your capacity,” says a student. “But the prospect is not frightening because Kathy’s patience and calm guide you through the ordeal and she is always right there to pick up the pieces if your brain momentarily explodes.”
In addition, the Committee has selected Integrative Biology as the recipient of the 2007 Educational Initiatives Award for the Biology 1B Field Section, which provides undergraduates the opportunity to participate in developing and carrying out substantive research projects early in their college careers.