Excerpt from Dr. Shauna Sweeney’s nomination letter for her work WGS360 Making Knowledge in a World that Matters:
Hazal Halavut is not only a part of WGS360 through her work as an instructor, but she also plays a significant role mentoring students and supporting the design of the course. She is actively involved in each of her students’ research projects, guiding them to relevant resources and giving crucial feedback throughout the term. Students in her tutorials have produced some of the most imaginative research projects I have ever seen from undergraduates. Drawing on their personal and family histories, interviews with friends, and channeling their own strengths in drawing, poetry, film, visual art or other media, her students learn about and mobilize their own deep reservoirs of wisdom to produce meaningful knowledge objects. While challenging students to examine their own biases and preconceived notions, Hazal nevertheless shows them the value their own stories. This year, during a lecture she generously shared the personal and political origins of her PhD research, to an audience of captivated students. Her candor about the personal – and often dangerous – nature of feminist research, inspired students to dig into their own experiences – buttressed by rigorous academic research – as valuable resources.
Excerpt from the letter of Award Committee which consists of Alissa Trotz, Dina Georgis, Judith Taylor, S. Trimble
“Students convey consistently how you inspire them and give them the skills to work independently and to enjoy the research process. You invite students in tutorial to admit their curiosities and passions and help them develop research questions with that as their authentic starting place. From there you journey to learning about feminist critical inquiry, epistemology, and practice. The tutorial “situational mapping” exercises you use each class have a brilliance and enthusiasm that is palpable, working within genres students admire, and then taking them beyond what they think they know, can know, or need to know.
In short, we understand WGS360 was (and remains), daunting, and are grateful for your commitment, fortitude, and skill. You have built an impressive tool kit, growing this essential course and your pedagogical commitments, at once.