The teaching award committee is proud to announce that Abi Ocobock, assistant professor of Sociology, is the 2021 recipient of the Marian Mullin Hancock Teaching Award. The committee found that Professor Ocobock truly exemplifies a strong commitment to the teaching of Gender Studies in her courses in the Department of Sociology. Gender and sexuality are at the heart of her teaching mission, exemplified by a portfolio of three different cross-listed courses that she has taught over the last five years, reaching hundreds of students. Students reported in their nominating letters that Professor Ocobock creates an “open, honest, and compassionate” classroom environment that not only fosters inquiry into the subject matter but also sensitively encourages them to question and challenge their own assumptions about gender and sexuality. They also praised her for her expertise and for having high standards while being fair and flexible. We applaud Professor Ocobock’s deft and deeply humane responses to the COVID crisis, which emerged as a common theme among the student testimonials. It is clear that Ocobock has maintained high standards in the past year but has also centered students’ well being in these difficult times.
Congratulatons Abi Ocobock!