The James A. (’48) and Ruth Levitan Award for Excellence in Teaching

Page Contents:01.About the Award02.Nominations

About the award

Recipients of the James A. (’48) and Ruth Levitan Teaching Award in SHASS are among the finest teachers at the Institute.

Students nominate professors, lecturers, and teaching assistants to give them the recognition they deserve. The teaching awards are sometimes confused with the Levitan Prize in the Humanities, which is a separate honor.

Nomination and award process

How to nominate someone

Nominating is easy. We’ll solicit your nomination for excellent teaching you experienced in SHASS classes during Fall 2024 or Spring 2025. We award winners in separate categories for professors, lecturers, and teaching assistants.

A complete nomination includes the following information:

  • Your name and email.
  • Name of the instructor you are nominating.
  • Subject(s) taken with that instructor.
  • A detailed explanation of why you are nominating this instructor.

Your explanation may comment on:

  • Teaching effectiveness.
  • Impact on you and your classmates.
  • Approachability, mentorship, and/or support offered by this person.

Award winners are decided by a faculty committee. The committee will consider both the quantity and quality of nominations submitted in support of each instructor. Successful nominations usually include specific examples of what makes your nominee excellent. Testimonials from multiple students are also welcome.

Eligibility criteria

SHASS faculty, lecturers, and teaching assistants are eligible to receive this award.

In order to be eligible, the instructor or teaching assistant must be nominated for work in a class with a SHASS subject-designation and must be a non-visiting member of a SHASS unit.

Important dates

Nominations are solicited during both fall and spring semesters and prizes are awarded once a year in the spring.

Recent recipients

2024
  • Javier Barroso, Lecturer, Global Languages
2024
  • Sara Brown, Associate Professor, Theater Arts
2024
  • Diana Henderson, Professor, Literature
2024
  • Chappell Lawson, Associate Professor, Political Science
2024
  • Cheol-Rin Park, Lecturer, Global Languages
2024
  • Mariana San Martin, Lecturer, Global Languages
2024
  • Charles Shadle, Senior Lecturer, Music
2023
  • Nicholas Ackert, Teaching Assistant in Political Science
2023
  • Nilma Dominique, Lecturer in Global Languages
2023
  • Caitlyn Doyle, Lecturer in Literature
2023
  • Emily Goodling, Lecturer in Global Languages
2023
  • Teresa Neff, Senior Lecturer in Music
2023
  • Margery Resnick, Associate Professor in Literature
2022
  • Brittany Charlton, Lecturer in Women’s and Gender Studies
2022
  • Tong Chen, Lecturer in Global Languages
2022
  • Caley Horan, Associate Professor of History
2022
  • Donca Steriade​, Professor of Linguistics
2022
  • Kang Zhou, Lecturer in Global Languages
2021
  • Erik Lin-Greenberg, Assistant Professor, Political Science
2021
  • Kenda Mutongi, Professor, History
2021
  • Sara Ellison, Senior Lecturer in Economics
2021
  • Masami Ikeda-Lamm ​, Lecturer in Global Languages
2021
  • Maria Khotimsky ​, Senior Lecturer in Global Languages
2021
  • Daniel Clark ​, Teaching Assistant in Economics
2020
  • Emily Richmond Pollock, Associate Professor, Music and Theater Arts
2020
  • T.L. Taylor, Professor, Comparative Media Studies/Writing
2020
  • Nora Jackson, Lecturer in Comparative Media Studies/Writing
2020
  • Greg Schwanbeck ​, Lecturer in Comparative Media Studies/Writing
2020
  • Joaquín Terrones​, Lecturer in Literature
2019
  • Marah Gubar, Associate Professor, Literature
2019
  • M. Amah Edoh, Assistant Professor, African Studies
2019
  • Panpan Gao, Lecturer in Chinese
2019
  • Frederick Harris, Lecturer, Music
2019
  • Pouya Alimagham, Lecturer, History
2019
  • Liyang Sun, Teaching Assistant, Economics
2018
  • Eran Egozy, Professor, Music and Theater Arts
2018
  • Elizabeth Wood, Professor, History
2018
  • Olivia D’Ambrosio, Lecturer, Music and Theater Arts
2018
  • Shariann Lewitt, Lecturer, Comparative Media Studies/Writing
2018
  • Mariana San Martín, Lecturer, Global Studies and Languages
2018
  • Arda Gitmez, Teaching Assistant, Economics
2017
  • Claire Conceison, Professor, Music and Theater Arts
2017
  • Donca Steriade, Professor, Linguistics
2017
  • William Cutter, Lecturer, Music and Theater Arts
2017
  • Hee-Jeong Jeong, Lecturer, Global Studies and Languages
2017
  • Maria Khotimsky, Lecturer, Global Studies and Languages
2017
  • Jetson Leder-Luis, Teaching Assistant, Economics
2016
  • Junot Díaz, Professor, Comparative Media Studies / Writing
2016
  • Lerna Ekmekcioglu, Professor, History
2016
  • Masami Ikeda-Lamm, Lecturer, Global Studies and Languages
2016
  • Roberto Rey Agudo, Lecturer, Global Studies and Languages
2016
  • Charles Shadle, Lecturer, Music and Theater Arts
2016
  • Ludwig Straub, Teaching Assistant, Economics
2015
  • Michael Cuthbert, Professor, Music and Theater Arts
2015
  • Mary Fuller, Professor and Head, Literature
2015
  • Merritt Roe Smith, Leverett Howell and William King Cutten Professor of the History of Technology
2015
  • Jing Wang, S.C. Fang Professor of Chinese Languages & Culture, Global Studies and Languages
2015
  • Takako Aikawa, Lecturer, Global Studies and Languages
2015
  • Min-Min Liang, Lecturer, Global Studies and Languages
2015
  • Haohsiang Liao, Lecturer, Global Studies and Languages
2015
  • Jin Zhang, Lecturer, Global Studies and Languages

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