Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2008

Citation

Professor Timothy Wickham-Crowley

Timothy Wickham-Crowley LOVES to “profess” sociology—it is his passion and his calling! For more than two decades, Professor Timothy Wickham-Crowley has influenced thousands of Georgetown students through his exemplary teaching of sociology. Committed to professing his “true vocation” to as many students as possible, Professor Wickham-Crowley has intentionally stretched himself intellectually and professionally to teach an astounding array of different classes, developing a new course nearly every year over the twenty-two years he has been at Georgetown. His continuous curriculum development work and innovative creation of rigorous, state-of-the-discipline syllabi has enabled Sociology, one of the smaller departments in the College, to cover a large number of specialty areas essential for the field.  Professor Wickham-Crowley has consistently and cheerfully borne a disproportionately heavy load in terms of both enrollments and class hours. Without the benefit of teaching assistants and never cutting corners on intellectual rigor, Professor Wickham-Crowley has taught large classes as well as smaller ones year in and year out. His classrooms are always filled with eager students who know they will always be challenged by difficult readings, stimulating lectures, and scrupulous assignments.  And he is proud to say that he has never given a true-false or multiple choice exam! He does all this “heavy lifting” not only willingly, but enthusiastically, in order to expose the greatest number of Georgetown students to the joys of the sociological imagination.

The diversity of effort and consistent high standards Professor Wickham-Crowley displays in the classroom are matched by his record of service not only to the Department of Sociology but also to the broader university community. An all-around Georgetown citizen, Professor Wickham-Crowley’s sustained contributions to curricular development and pedagogical improvements across the campus have benefited many departments and programs. He has served as Curriculum Committee Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Sociology, Director of the Master’s Program for the Center for Latin American Studies, Field Chair for the School of Foreign Service’s Regional and Comparative Studies major, to mention just a few of the many administrative tasks and committee assignments he has taken on over the years.

The Dean of the College proudly presents to Timothy Wickham-Crowley this Award for Excellence in Teaching on the 28th of January 2009.

Dr. Sam Marullo