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Professor Jim Phelan Wins Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching
It is the mark of a truly gifted teacher when he consistently brings out the best in his students. "Jim Phelan is the kind of teacher that demands and receives your very best work," said Ph.D. student Paul McCormick. "In my three classes with him, I've been amazed by the level of theoretical sophistication and intellectual rigor that my classmates brought to our discussions. Jim leads the way with his careful attention to other scholars' work, his double interest in how theory can inform text and how text can improve theory, and his use of argument to find common ground and to delineate real disagreements. By the time his students write their term paper, they've developed the confidence and competence to formulate and begin to answer some important questions of their own."
As a result of his superior teaching, Professor Phelan recently received the prestigious, university-wide Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching. Recipients are nominated by present and former teachers and colleagues. Professor Phelan will receive a cash award of $3,000, as well as base salary increase of $1,200, and will be inducted into the university's Academy of Teaching.
Undergaduate Tracie Sinsheimer also spoke of Professor Phelan's ability to motivate and inspire students. "To put it simply," said Sinsheimer, "Dr. Phelan is the reason I'm an English major at Ohio State. While taking his seminar, I realized that if Dr. Phelan's teaching was any indication of the English department, my four years here would be among the most intellectually stimulating and challenging of my life. Every week Dr. Phelan's lively mastery of the subject matter and his engaging teaching style furthered my interest in English study and writing. Dr. Phelan's extensive knowledge of narrative, as well as his affable demeanor, make him one of the best professors at Ohio State."
Professor Phelan is also a Humanities Distinguished Professor, and the author of six books, more than 75 essays, and the co-editor of two textbooks. He edits Narrative, the journal of the Society for the Study of Narrative Literature, and, with Peter J. Rabinowitz, co-edits the Ohio State University Press book series, The Theory and Interpretation of Narrative. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, and has been a member of the Ohio State English Department since 1977. He is the first person in the history of the English Department to win both the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Distinguished Scholar Award.
