Faculty Friday Spotlight: September 2023
2023 Faculty Awards and Named Professorships Announced
Agnes Scott College recently announced its 2023 Faculty Award winners.
Bonnie Perdue, professor of psychology and director of neuroscience, was named this year’s Vulcan Teaching Excellence Award honoree. The award recognizes the faculty member who demonstrates strong academic skills in the classroom and provides leadership and support in other areas of student life. Perdue was nominated by her peers and students, reinforcing her ability to nurture a scholarly climate that fosters learning and enhances the campus community.
“[She] has taught me a lot about how to navigate life outside of Agnes and how the field of psychology works on a broader level, which will be very useful to me as I continue my academic career,” said a student in her nomination. “Dr. Perdue is a wonderful mentor and department head who deserves recognition for all the joy she brings her students each semester.”
Assistant professor of women’s, gender and sexuality studies Lauran Whitworth received the Sandra T. Bowden Faculty Service Award. This award honors a tenure track faculty member whose services to the college are exemplary, transformative, and sustainable. Whitworth works collaboratively and collegially with others to contribute to the betterment of the institution.
For a nomination, “Professor Whitworth advises and mentors students in her home dept of WGSS while also making significant contributions to ESS and Film Studies. She is also serving as chair of CASA (Committee on Academic Standards), where she is leading thoughtfully in considering the needs and challenges of our student body.
“Professor Whitworth provides much of the unseen and uncredited service of mentorship and counseling to students who see her as a role model and mentor,” the nomination continued.
Other faculty were honored with named professorships ahead of the 2023-2024 academic year. They include:
- Julia Knowlton as Adeline A. Loridans Professor of French
- Toby Emert as Annie Louise Harrison Waterman Professor of Theatre
- Srebrenka Robic as Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology
- Bridget Roosa as Charles A. Dana Professor of Dance.
National Endowment for the Humanities Award Funds Teacher’s Program
Emert will be the project director for a two-week program at Agnes Scott titled Shakespeare and Digital Storytelling. The grant from NEH will allow the program to host 25 English teachers June 16-28, 2024. Participants will study Shakespeare’s folk and fairy tale roots and how it translates into 21st-century approaches to teaching. The faculty team will also include scholars and professionals in the arts and education.
Seminars and Publications
Meyer-Lee’s Latest Book
Professor Robert Meyer-Lee proudly discussed his new book, “The Problem of Literary Value,” virtually in front of a panel of professors on September 5, 2023. This publication proposes a new approach to assessing the value of literature more generally. Meyer-Lee answered questions with a panel that included Nichole Nomura (Stanford), Nathan Phelps (Notre Dame), and Kashaf Qureshi (Chicago) at the event.
Roshan Iqbal Set to Discuss Book at Charis on Sept. 12
Professor of Religious Studies Roshan Iqbal will discuss her recently published book, “Marriage and Sexual Ethics in Islamic Law: Rethinking Temporary Marriage,” on September 12 from noon to 2 p.m. at Charis Books & More with Professor Reem Bailony. This text is Western academia’s first comprehensive work concerning the intellectual history of mut’a marriage and sexual ethics. Iqbal challenges accepted sexual ethics in Islamic thought and, in turn, opens up space to theorize Islamic sexual ethics anew and contribute to this crucial conversation from the perspective of Muslim feminism.
You can read more about the event here.
