It isn't often we use this forum to highlight the teachers who actually taught us what we know. With student voting for the University Professor award taking place this week, we'd like to make a few suggestions of our own.
Patty Stokes
People new to Women's and Gender Studies courses often believe the experience will be painful and polarizing, but I've seen Stokes win over even the greatest skeptics. Stokes is as humble as she is brilliant and students respond well to her genuine interest in their thoughts and opinions. My feminist theory class included people studying topics ranging from political science to English to Russian, but Stokes was able to get everyone to care about learning psychoanalytic feminism and feel closer after the process. I've liked most of my professors, but Stokes stands out as the best.
Norman Goda
It's understood when taking one of Norman Goda's courses on Nazi Germany or the Jewish Holocaust that ending up with a poor grade is a very real possibility. Sometimes, though, that's entirely worth it. Goda's classes make your stomach turn due to the subject matter he delves into. Lectures perfectly mix the plain facts of Germany's history with depressing anecdotes about individual suffering. Best of all, he clearly knows the subject matter inside and out. There are few better ways to spend an hour at this university than listening to Goda tell stories about Nazi atrocities.
Steven Miner
If you're tired of professors reading uninspired notes directly from a PowerPoint and can't stand instructors who drift hopelessly off topic, Dr. Steven Miner is your man. The History Department's expert on Soviet Russia, Miner's captivating lectures will leave you eager to do the reading - and find out what happens next. His insightful analysis, storytelling talent and ability to answer just about any question make the thought of skipping class unpalatable. As director of Ohio University's highly regarded Contemporary History Institute, Miner also supervises one of the university's finest academic programs. Not convinced? Register for History 382C and get back to us.
Harold Winter
Everything you've ever thought about crime, health care and antitrust law is probably wrong. But after a class with economics professor Harold Winter, you'll have a whole new outlook. Winter doesn't go for gimmicks like fancy slide shows or busywork assignments, just fascinating lectures sprinkled with bitter wit and no-nonsense exams that require thoughtful answers. Even managerial economics - which can induce sleep in the most excitable econ nerds - isn't so bad. Winter's biggest flaw is a tendency to schedule class on Friday mornings, but trust us, it's worth it.
Editorials represent the views of The Post's executive editors.
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