Fairfield Profs Win Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award
Two Ƭapp professors have won a 2013 Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award for their book “Jesuit & Feminist Education: Intersections in Teaching and Learning for the Twenty-First Century.” Dr. Jocelyn Boryczka, associate professor of politics, and Dr. Elizabeth Petrino, associate professor of English, co-edited the book, one of just four recognized this year by Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities.
“I am very pleased to see Jocelyn and Elizabeth honored in this manner; they both co-edited the volume and contributed a chapter entitled, “‘The Personal is Political’: At the Intersection of Feminist and Jesuit Education,’” said the Rev. Paul Fitzgerald, S.J., senior vice president for academic affairs. “I want to also signal the contributions of several other members of the Ƭapp community who were participants in the conference that grew into this book.”
Dr. Elizabeth Dryer, professor of religious studies, wrote the opening chapter on St. Ignatius’ letters to and from women. Dr. Paul Lakeland, Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., Chair and professor of Catholic Studies, traced similarities between Jesuit and Feminist pedagogical goals in the traditional classroom. Dr. Robbin Crabtree, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Joe DeFeo, associate dean of students and director of student development, and Melissa Quan, associate director of the Center for Faith and Public Life, co-authored a chapter comparing and contrasting Feminist pedagogy, the Ignatian paradigm and service learning. Dr. David Gudelunas, assistant professor of communication, wrote a chapter on LGBTQ students and faculty on Jesuit campuses, and University President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., wrote the forward, framing “the whole enterprise within the virtues of respect and collaboration,” said Fr. Fitzgerald.
“This volume, thanks to its outstanding contributors, directly connects the Jesuit commitments to diversity and social justice with feminist teaching and learning,” said Dr. Boryczka. “It does so by addressing issues such as women's historical role in the Jesuit tradition and the dynamics of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sex, and sexuality on our campuses across the United States and globally that are critical, not only to Jesuit universities and colleges, but also to the broader community."
The Alpha Sigma Nu Book Awards promote excellence in scholarly research at Jesuit member institutions, including all Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, as well as three international institutions.
For more information on the history of the awards and how to apply or participate as a judge, visit the ASN website at .