Professor Jane Taubman snares top teaching honor
Professor of Russian Jane A. Taubman was cited for her “extraordinary pedagogical achievement” as a teacher, mentor and advisor by the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages at its annual conference in December.
The citation declared that during more than thirty-five years of teaching Russian language, literature, film, and art, Professor Taubman “has helped nurture a remarkable cohort of scholars and teachers who have left a mark on the field of Slavic studies through their publications and their own students.”
The citation also mentioned those of Professor Taubman’s students who became architects and auctioneers, chemists and political scientists, and remember fondly to this day their first encounters with Russian culture in her classroom.“Whether she is introducing her students to the finer points of noun declension, tackling the masterpieces of Russian modernist poetry, guiding them through the maze of War and Peace, or asking difficult questions about the cinema of Eisenstein and Muratova, Jane is that rare combination of a demanding critic and sympathetic listener,” the citation said. “Many of her students still recall the vital moments of encouragement that prompted them to pursue humanistic inquiry professionally—encouragement that mattered precisely because the standards Jane sets are so high, and her capacity for intellectual empathy so uncommon. Her generosity as a colleague—her willingness to share teaching materials and eagerness to mentor young scholars and teachers—is legendary in its own right. Our gratitude, our admiration, our award—to Jane Taubman.”
The American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL), founded in 1941, advances the study and promotes the teaching of Slavic and East European languages, literatures, and cultures on all educational levels, elementary through graduate school.