Congratulations to Professor Valeria Sobol, who has been designated as a recipient of both the campus and LAS Dean’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching! You can read the full announcement on the LAS website. Here is the citation for her award:
Valeria Sobol joined the Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures in 2003. She has an infectious enthusiasm for the material she teaches and creates an open and inclusive atmosphere in which her students both feel welcome to contribute their perspectives and knowledge and are challenged to think creatively and critically. A former student who was inspired to change her major after one of Sobol’s courses wrote that “the passion and dedication that Dr. Sobol shows when teaching reignited my love for and interest in literature.” In addition to regular instruction of core departmental courses, Sobol has contributed innovative courses that expand the curriculum, such as a course focusing on the Caucasus in the Russian cultural imagination.