UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 5, Page 3
September 29, 1994
The joy of teaching; Veteran faculty maintain contact with students
At the University of Delaware, several senior professors across a span
of disciplines teach introductory courses to students, sharing their
years of teaching experience, interest, knowledge and enthusiasm. In
general, these faculty members find teaching beginners a revitalizing,
enjoyable experience and an important part of their professional
commitment. For students, the courses taught by established experts
expand their education and can be pivotal in opening up new areas of
scholarship.
LESLIE REIDEL, PROFESSOR OF THEATRE
Reidel, a professor in the University's Professional Theatre
Training Program, also serves as director for Shakespeare festivals
and for the Great American Children's Theatre, which produces plays
for young audiences in the West and Midwest. He is involved in staging
plays from As You Like It to Charlotte's Web. On the Delaware campus,
he teaches "Introduction to the Theatre," a course that attracts
approximately 300 students.
"I've been teaching this course for more than 20 years, even
before coming to Delaware. I enjoy the contact with those who are the
audience of the future, and I treat them like an audience. I don't let
students sit by themselves or wait for their friends to come into the
classroom. I like them to sit next to strangers the way you do in a
theatre, and, if the play or, in my case, the lecture, is effective,
they relate to each other as members of a community," he said.
To Reidel, theatre is a reflection of life. He lectures on
different types of drama, from farces to tragedies to melodramas. "We
all have days that are farcical and days that have elements of
tragedy, and the theatre represents that," he said.
His lectures also cover such areas as directing, acting, design
and production.
His course is not play reading, but play going, Reidel
emphasized. Students must pass in ticket stubs from plays they have
attended. Reidel said he wants them to experience live theatre as
opposed to television or films. For some of his students, it's a first-
time experience, but one that shapes their future. Some of his former
students have reported becoming passionate theatregoers, he said.
"Audiences will determine the course of theatre in the future,
and my goal is to introduce theatre to students. I love teaching the
course," Reidel said.
JAMES MORRISON, PROFESSOR OF CONSUMER ECONOMICS
Morrison's research is in consumption economics-the hedonic value
of human life in dollars and cents. For example, he said, if an
individual dies at a young age through the fault of someone else, what
is the value of that life, not only in terms of wages, but in less
tangible ways to society and the family left behind?
He teaches an introductory course in consumer economics to mostly
freshmen and sophomores, examining such market sectors as education,
investments, insurance and health care, where students are consumers.
"In class, we look at present systems and see their positive and
negative functions. I set the stage for critical thinking-how to
analyze a system, what are the pluses and minuses, what are its
components and how to arrive at possible solutions," Morrison said
The class, which usually has approximately 65 students, gets
involved in spirited discussions, he said. One of the benefits for
Morrison is the input from students who relate their own experiences.
"The topics we talk about are relevant to their lives. There are
different points of view, particularly if there is a range of ages in
the class," Morrison said.
"The students learn that there is discrimination in the market
place, and the course opens their eyes to discrepancies. In the field
of insurance, we discuss automobile insurance, with which most
students are familiar, and the variations that occur in costs, why
these exist and if they are appropriate," Morrison said.
During the course, students are required to write critical
thinking pieces, taking a position on issues and offering directions
for solutions. "There are no right and wrong answers, but students
have to explain their points of view and philosophy and use such
criteria as equity, cost and individual choice. The ultimate goal of
the class is for students to understand society and themselves as
members of society." Morrison said.
NORMAN COLLINS, PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING
Collins' current research interest is in theoretical fluid
mechanics, and his teaching interest is in computer applications and
hydraulics. He was instrumental in establishing the University's
engineering technology program.
Collins teaches a beginning course in computer applications in
engineering technology to students in all majors, from traditional
freshmen to seniors. Many of his students are employed full-time in
industry or government.
The course is taught days and evenings, and the typical class
size ranges from 20 to 30 students, with smaller classes during Winter
Session. Collins also has taught the course in southern Delaware.
The objective of the course is to learn to solve engineering
problems through computers. Students are required to spend time
outside of the class working at computers, applying the programming
techniques they have gained in the class.
Collins said it is gratifying when he sees students progress and
develop their analytical skills and gain confidence in solving
problems through computers. The negative side, of course, he said,
comes when some students are not ready or do not put forth a
reasonable effort.
In today's technological world, it is important for students to
learn programming, to look at systems, to evaluate their options and
to process information to solve problems, and this course is designed
to help them acquire these skills, Collins said.
CAROL HOFFECKER, RICHARDS PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, ASSOCIATE PROVOST OF
GRADUATE STUDIES
Hoffecker's field is history, with an emphasis on American
history. She teaches an introductory course to approximately 180
students on United States history from the time of Columbus until
1865. In addition to lectures, she and two graduate students meet with
smaller groups once a week.
Teaching a survey course is good for her as a historian,
Hoffecker said. It forces her to rethink the basic issues of American
history and not become absorbed in minutia. "It makes you aware of the
grand, sweeping themes of American history, such as the evolvement of
race relations, the settlement of the country and the development of
democracy," she said.
In the smaller classes, Hoffecker's students are from the Honors
Program. She said they are lively and eager to learn and discuss
issues.
In high school, students generally learn the facts about American
history. In her course, she encourages students to interpret history
and relate it to real life. "In general, the students become more
sophisticated in their perception of the history of our country, its
development and their place in it as citizens," Hoffecker said.
HELENE INTRAUB, PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY
A cognitive psychologist who specializes in visual perception,
Intraub teaches general psychology to classes of 400 students, some
semesters teaching two sections.
"Teaching an introductory class keeps me up to date on the whole
field of psychology. Sometimes, there is a tendency for researchers to
become pigeon-holed and have a narrow view of their subjects. Teaching
a survey course means I have to keep current with developments in the
field," Intraub said.
Since this may be the only psychology course some of the students
take, Intraub gives an overview of the subject-from brain function,
learning, memory and language to personal development and behavior.
"I talk to students about why they are the way they are, Is it
genetic or the way they were brought up, nature versus nurture, or a
combination of both," Intraub explained.
She also focuses on methodology so students are aware of how
psychological research is carried out, as opposed to pop psychology.
One of her goals is educating informed citizens who can apply critical
thinking to the latest pop psychology trends and who are not easily
swayed by them, she said.
Her only regret is that she wishes students had an opportunity to
meet in smaller discussion groups as well as attend the large
lectures.
"I want to share my excitement about psychology, and I hope that
my students will have a greater understanding and appreciation of the
subject after they have taken the course," Intraub said.
-Sue Swyers Moncure