The 2017 Sir Bernard Crick Prize for Outstanding Teaching has been awarded to Dr Harmonie Toros, Senior Lecturer in International Conflict Analysis at the University.
The prize was announced at the Political Studies Association Annual Conference in Glasgow, at which First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon gave the keynote speech.
Dr Toros, who lectures in the School of Politics and International Relations, received the award for her third-year undergraduate module Humans at War.
The panel awarded the prize for the module’s unconventional focus on the experience of war, informed by a ‘novel, holistic understanding of learning’ that requires students to feel – as well as think – about the subject area.
The judges said choosing to make this the focus of Dr Toros’ module was a brave move not just because of its unconventional focus – on the experience of war – but also because the study of this subject matter raises potentially challenging questions about ethics and methods systems.
Dr Toros was awarded a University of Kent Faculty of Social Sciences Teaching Prize in 2016, also for Humans at War, and has co-authored a research article with five of her undergraduate students on teaching war experience.