Taking It to the Street: The Demographics and Pedagogy of APSA's “Star” Teachers

Each year since 1993, the American Political Science Association has recognized its campuswide teaching award winners in the December issue of PS. From 1993 to 1999, more than 400 faculty were recognized for their achievements in the classroom. Though we know who receives teaching awards, we know little about these exceptional teachers. What are the demographic backgrounds, behaviors, and attitudes of “star” teachers? Do they value teaching in qualitatively different ways than other university faculty? Do they use similar particular teaching strategies? Do different institutional settings value different styles of teaching? Are there meaningful variations in the approaches and activities of star teachers with different demographic backgrounds?