2014 Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence
Associate Professor Thomas J. Linneman
Professor Linneman enjoys an exemplary reputation as an outstanding teacher. He consistently receives exceptional course-evaluation scores from students, who describe his courses as both "difficult" and "engaging." He has worked to shape new course formats and find ways to integrate technology in the classroom. In 2011 he reimagined the large Principles of Sociology class to help make it feel “small.” In a recent May Seminar, he took the lead on creating an interactive video module that addresses the process of revision in hypothesis-testing in quantitative social science approaches, which is now used in all the Sociology courses. This year he devised a new approach to the department's capstone course that integrates research into the coursework: students assess the trends in sexualities’ research over a period of time, charting topic, methodological, and demographic changes, contributing to an original database while learning a great deal about the field of sexuality studies. In 2005 he was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award. It is fitting that he now be recognized with the Arts and Sciences 2014 Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence.
