Diana Colbert Innovative Teaching Prize

Call for Submissions: The Diana Colbert Innovative Teaching Prize
Spring 2013

The English Program offers an annual Innovative Teaching Prize in memory of Diana Colbert.  Diana, a student in our Program from 2006-2011, is remembered for her brilliance as a scholar, her dedication and creativity as a teacher, and her kindness and empathy towards her classmates in the Ph.D. Program in English.  She loved teaching CUNY undergraduates, with a particular gift for supporting students struggling with college-level work.

The Diana Colbert Innovative Teaching Prize honors excellence in course design in three areas close to Diana’s heart: nineteenth-century literature and culture, African American literature and Africana studies, and politics and literature. The proposals submitted can be for courses at any level, including composition/ rhetoric courses, survey classes, and upper-level electives.  They can be for upcoming courses, or courses you have already taught.  Preference will be given to proposals for courses designed for and/ or taught within the CUNY system.

There will be a $250 prize.

To apply, please submit the following by April 3, 2013 :

1.  Application (see attached)

2.  Course Rationale: 1-2 page rationale for the course, stressing its governing ideas within one of the following fields:

a. 19th century British and/ or American literature

b. African American literature and Africana Studies

c. Politics and Literature

3. Syllabus: reading list, outline of major assignments, and assignment percentages/points (3-5 pages) [NB: Please omit basic information like office hours, anti-plagiarism statements and class etiquette]

4. Detailed Assignment: one assignment with an explanation of the learning outcome(s), how it enhances learning in the course, and an assessment plan or rubric suited to the assignment (1-2 pages, single spaced).

Proposals will be judged on the following criterion:

1.            Creative and innovative approach to undergraduate teaching

2.            Effectiveness in scaffolding and sequencing assignments

3.            Attention to helping undergraduates explore complex critical questions in an engaging way

4.            Commitment to politically engaged teaching

5.            Reflexivity about pedagogical practice

This prize is open to applicants from all stages of the program, as long as you are registered full time in the Ph.D. Program in English.  Students are limited to one entry in each academic year.  Direct any queries to Carrie Hintz at: chintz@gc.cuny.edu