Awards and Honors
Two professors honored for teaching
By Jennifer McNulty
An expert on the psychological effects of incarceration and
a political theorist were honored last week for their teaching
by the Division of Social Sciences.
Craig Haney UCSC
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Craig Haney, a professor of psychology who joined the UCSC
faculty in 1977, and Vanita Seth, an assistant professor of
politics who came to UCSC in 2001, received the division's Distinguished
Teaching Award, also known as the "Golden Apple Award," during
the dean's annual convocation. The awards recognize outstanding
undergraduate teaching in the social sciences; each award carries
with it a cash prize and an engraved plaque.
"These professors represent the best of UCSC," said Michael
Hutchison, interim dean of the Social Sciences Division. "They
are outstanding teachers whose cutting-edge research comes to
life in the classroom. Our undergraduates benefit from their
commitment to teaching, and it's a pleasure to honor their contributions."
Vanita Seth Photo
by Jon Kersey
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Haney's students uniformly name him their favorite instructor
at UCSC. He teaches both large, popular courses, such as Psychology
and Law, and small graduate seminars. With degrees in both
law and psychology, Haney has devoted his career to exploring
the psychology of society's most violent criminals and documenting
the devastating psychological effects of imprisonment. In the
process, Haney has become one of the nation's leading researchers
in the areas of capital punishment and penal institutions.
After only three years at UCSC, Seth receives high praise from
students, who appreciate her ability to offer rewarding, challenging
classes that engage students in critical thinking and discussion,
even in large lectures. Seth is a political theorist whose interests
include feminist theory, race as a historical concept, postcolonial
and postmodern theory, and nationalism. Seth earned her doctorate
in political science from the University of Melbourne.
The Golden Apple Award is presented annually to as many as three
faculty members.
The recipients were selected by Hutchison from a list of recommendations
compiled by a faculty committee based on nominations put forth
by department chairs. The committee is chaired by Daniel Press,
a professor of environmental studies. The annual awards were
established in 1991.
Social sciences is one of five academic divisions at UCSC; the
others are arts, engineering, humanities, and physical and biological
sciences. Each division is home to a wide range of departments
and programs. Social sciences includes anthropology, community
studies, economics, environmental studies, Latin American and
Latino studies, legal studies, politics, psychology, and sociology.
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