Roark receives ‘08 Lucrezia Culicchia Award

JCU English professor Chris Roark

Christopher Roark of the English department received the annual Lucrezia Culicchia Award this month. This award recognizes teaching excellence of a faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The award is based on a number of recommendation letters from teachers and students expressing reasons for the nomination.

Linda Eisenmann, dean of the college of arts and sciences, receives the letters and, with the help of a small panel, decides the winner.

It’s really the letters and what the students comment on about their style of teaching,” said Eisenmann. “You end up getting a really good picture of the candidates.”

The selection committee consists of the dean of the college of arts and sciences, the last three Lucrezia Culicchia Award winners, and three students.

The students are the president of the Student Union, the president of Alpha Sigma Nu, and the vice president for student organizations.

The nominations are held in secret and the nominees are unaware of their contention for the  award.

Those who nominate the professor then solicit letters from faculty or students in favor of the nominee.

Eisenmann holds the award with high regard.

It’s the most important award the College of Arts and Sciences bestows on a teacher,” said Eisenmann. “It’s symbolic of the teaching at the University.”
Although recipients of the Lucrezia Culicchia Award usually do not read the letters, Roark managed to look at a small sample of them.

"It’s funny because most of [the letters] talk about me trying to push their writing, which is something I do. I try to teach with passion,” said Roark.
Roark said that he tries to incorporate three things when teaching – effort, the ability to take risks and the ability to take criticism.

“What makes a good class is the students, not so much the teacher,” said Roark. “I just try to position them.”

Roark said that by positioning the students, they can maneuver their way through their work. The students can then steer the class and the material into a successful learning experience.

Students study a number of pieces of literature in Roark’s class, including Shakespeare, his passion and focus of study. He knows that students are uneasy about Shakespeare, and tries to make it as enjoyable as possible.

“You want them to get up, feel the words, get through the language barrier,” said Roark. “You want them to feel the pleasure of it – the enjoyment.”
He hopes his example feeds the students. “I am very passionate,” he said. “If they can enjoy it, the easier it’ll be.”

Roark calls his style of teaching Shakespeare a “kinetic relationship with Shakespeare.” He said that, through this style of learning, students can physically appreciate the works they are studying.

“You don’t want to just use your mind; you want to use your body, your voice,” said Roark. “Kind of like an athletic event.”

“I try to keep it loose, keep it fun, keep it surprising,” said Roark. His classes are demonstrative, and Roark calls them “cathartic.”

While teaching his students  blocking scenes, Roark placed chairs into a row, walked through them and angrily knocked them down. “I was playing the part of madly jealous,” he said.