Award for Excellence in Teaching

The American Academy of Religion Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes the importance of teaching, and honors outstanding teaching in the field. The Teaching and Learning Committee acknowledges that the higher education landscape has shifted considerably in recent years, and that these shifts affect teaching and learning about religion. To this end, the Committee underscores the importance of recognizing teaching excellence across a wide variety of contexts. 

Winners

Nominations

We invite nominations for the AAR Award for Excellence in Teaching. Nominees should have at least five years of experience teaching in higher education, broadly conceived. 

Criteria

• Outstanding pedagogical performance in a higher education learning context, as demonstrated by the teaching and learning statement, representative syllabi, letters of recommendation, and other evidence of teaching excellence.
• Development of innovative and/or exceptionally effective teaching methods, courses, and curricular materials, examples of which might include community-based education, grant projects on pedagogy, effective program design, contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning, and/or contributions to teaching as a means of enhancing the public understanding of religion.
• Commitment to professional identity as a teacher of religion, including student or peer mentoring, workshop facilitation or design, and/or educational leadership at the local institution or professional societies.
• At least five years’ experience teaching in a higher education learning context.

Selection

Members of the Committee on Teaching and Learning will assess the applications.

The announcement of the award winner will be made in January 2021.  

Application Process

All application packages must include the following materials:

• A one-page cover letter wherein the nominee should outline the nomination materials and highlight their achievements with respect to the criteria listed above.
• Two representative recent syllabi, along with supporting documentation such as descriptions of particularly effective learning activities and/or assignments.
• A teaching and learning statement of no more than 1000 words in which the nominee should respond to the following:
  • Describe the context in which you teach about religion and how you practice effective pedagogy therein.
  • Describe the pedagogical arc and purpose of your syllabi.
  • Describe a pedagogical situation where you know your students are learning. 
• Two (2) letters of recommendation from colleagues that can knowledgeably discuss the nominee’s achievements in teaching and learning about religion.
• A curriculum vitae of no more than three pages that fronts achievements in teaching and learning.

August 1 is the deadline by which nominations, and any information in support of them, must be received.

Nomination materials may be mailed or submitted electronically through the online submission system.

If mailing nomination materials, send to:

Excellence in Teaching Award
American Academy of Religion
825 Houston Mill RD NE STE 300
Atlanta, GA 30329-4205
USA

For questions, please contact Marchell Jackson at:

Phone: 1-404-727-2286
E-mail: mjackson@aarweb.org