Somers Excellence in Teaching Award (IAH Teaching Assistants)

Aaron Arndt (Philosophy) - IAH 207: Literatures, Cultures and Identities

Louis Somers (donor), Brian Holcomb, Piril Atabay,
Aaren Arndt, and Randi Somers (donor)

Aaron’s performance is impressive both in regard to content and style. His grasp and coverage of the material not only is remarkably clear and well structured, Aaron is well prepared and able to lay out the material for students without overwhelming them. His unassuming but assertive way manifests an ideal teaching style, which combines a superior grasp of difficult and complex material with a friendly and accessible delivery of that material to students. Aaron proves himself to be a teacher who is able to both clarify content and engage students in participation. Given Aaron’s outstanding abilities, and given that he is at the beginning of his teaching career, we are most certain that he will become a remarkable teacher, who will not only be well liked but will be also in full control of the content and the classroom. (Award Selection Committee)

Piril Atabay (History) - IAH 211C: Area Studies: The Americas

B. Holcomb, M. Frye (Assoc. Dean CAL), P. Atabay, A. Arndt

Piril’s class helps students to become more familiar with the ways of knowing in the arts and humanities. Students in her class stated that they learnt a great deal about a part of American history of which they had little knowledge (immigration and corruption during the 1880s and 1920s in American cities), and the effects of industrialization on Americans. Students stated that they were able to improve their writing skills and their in-depth analysis and this allowed them to make connections about the diversity of human experiences. Perhaps one of the most flattering comments deals precisely with the role of IAH in higher education: “(In Piril’s class I learnt) how important is it to expand your knowledge beyond your major. The class was brilliant: I am now inclined to read other books that I was previously never interested in.” (Award Selection Committee)

Brian Holcomb (English) -- IAH 207: Literatures, Cultures and Identities

K. Kidwell (CISAH), B. Holcomb, R. Quispe-Agnoli (CISAH), A. Arndt

Brian’s class is clearly well structured and he is able to move through proposed outlines effectively. Brian is an instructor who validates all student-generated responses and establishes an active dialogue in which students respond to him and to each other. The instructor moves class discussion along with questions that create meaningful interaction embedded in his discourse. He successfully establishes an objective dialogue and cross-cultural differences between Hmong and American (US) cultures. Brian’s teaching shows that he is an excellent instructor who engages students in learning process and interacts with them to successfully guide them through the concepts and materials he is teaching. We are grateful to have him teaching IAH courses with such excellence. (Award Selection Committee)