To ease his students into discussing the works of 19th-century Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, Yuri Corrigan has figured out a few ice-breaker questions to get the class talking and thinking about the themes they’ll be exploring in the texts: “Do you ever feel like you’re watching your life from a distance, and not living inside of it?” or “Do you share your parents’ values?”
Corrigan, an associate professor of Russian and comparative literature in the world languages & literatures department, hopes that by the time the class opens War and Peace, they’ll realize that Tolstoy’s themes are ones we struggle with today.
“In my class, I try to get the students to think about what a good conversation is,” says Corrigan. “I think that helps students [realize] that we’re not there to take in ready-made information. We’re here to start a conversation with an author or with a text that will sustain us for years to come.”
Corrigan’s dedication to improving the classroom experience earned him the 2024 Metcalf Cup and Prize, Boston University’s highest teaching award. A University committee selects winners based on statements of the nominees’ teaching philosophy, supporting letters from colleagues and students, and classroom observations of the nominees.
In reviewing Corrigan’s nomination packet, “the repeated feedback from students is that [his] courses changed their lives,” wrote committee chair Amie Grills, BU associate provost for undergraduate affairs, noting that faculty who observed his classes say he “performs magic.” In a supporting letter, a student wrote, “Every time I take a class with him I come out with a new understanding and appreciation for life.”
Honors
Andrea Berlin, the James R. Wiseman Chair in Classical Archaeology and a professor of archaeology and religion, received the Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement from the Archaeological Institute of America.
Deborah Carr, a distinguished professor of sociology and director of the Center for Innovation in Social Science, became a member of the American Academy of Arts & 科学.
Dan Li, an associate professor of Earth and environment, was awarded the American Geophysical Union Global Environmental Change Early Career Award.
Fallou Ngom, a professor of anthropology, received Boston University’s Provost’s Scholar-Teacher of the Year Award, for excelling as a teacher inside and outside the classroom and contributing to the art and science of teaching and learning.
Alexis Peri, an associate professor of history, won the 2024 Boston University Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Bradley Lee Roberts, a professor of physics, and Daniel Segrè, a professor of biology, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, and physics, were named American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows.