Monday, January 14, 2008
Lovasz-Kaiser receives USI Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching by Adjunct Faculty
 Christine Lovasz-Kaiser’s teaching so impressed Dr. Tamara Hunt, chair of the History Department, that Hunt asked Lovasz-Kaiser to teach an upper level course, History of England to 1600.Lovasz-Kaiser is the recipient of the USI Foundation’s 2007-08 Award for Outstanding Teaching by Adjunct Faculty. The award includes a $500 one-time stipend and a $500 professional development grant. In nominating Lovasz-Kaiser for the award, Hunt wrote, “Although it is unusual for the history department to have a 300-level course taught by an adjunct who has not completed the Ph.D., we had no hesitation in asking Christine to teach this course. We know the quality of her work and teaching, and we believed that she would do an outstanding job in the course, just as she does in all of her other classes.” Lovasz-Kaiser said, “I appreciate the support I get here at USI. Getting this award has shown me that the University as a whole is very supportive.” She has been teaching in the History Department since 2002, shortly after her husband accepted a position as assistant professor of archaeology at the University of Evansville. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and anthropology from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and a Master of Arts degree in archaeology from Boston University. She also is an adjunct professor at UE. “I teach a full load – a total of four classes, six hours here and six there,” she said. A dancer since the age of five, she also teaches adult ballet at Evansville Dance Theatre. In addition to the upper level course, Lovasz-Kaiser is teaching World Civilization I this semester. Two years ago, she developed a new freshman level course, Age of the Vikings, based on a Viking Archaeology course she taught at Bates College in Maine. “We read Viking sagas and looked at the material culture,” she said. “I’ve taught it twice, and both times I’ve taught it it’s been full. I think it’s something the students really enjoy taking.” At the end of the class, students watch “The Vikings,” a 1950s film with Kirk Douglas, and analyze why Vikings still fascinate us today. “I really appreciate that Dr. Hunt gave me the opportunity to do that,” Lovasz-Kaiser said. “She has been very supportive of me and my teaching.” Her lectures are highly visual, with a collection of over 1,000 slides she created. “I felt it was important to have images with everything I talked about. They are pictures I took, or pictures from books. When PowerPoint came along, I scanned everything from my slides.” She notes the importance of classroom discussion and characterizes her exams as “hard.” “They have to take in a lot of information and synthesize a lot of material. I give a good review - they know everything they need to know before it’s on the exam. And I offer writing assignments and other ways to help their grade if they’re not good at taking exams. I try to learn as I go what is going to help the students do better.” When asked what makes her an outstanding teacher, Lovasz-Kaiser said, “I think my enthusiasm. I try and get that across on the first day. I am enthusiastic not just about the subject but about teaching something they can take with them, and I think that comes across. I truly enjoy talking about the places I talk about, so that can be infectious. “I’ve had students coming in hating history, thinking it would be boring, and I got them excited, so I hope I can continue to do that.” Wendy Knipe Bredhold News and Information Services wkbredhold@usi.edu |
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