From winning UCF’s most prestigious academic award to developing and teaching a Harry Potter class, English professor Tison Pugh has some impressive feats to put on his CV. And now, that list is getting longer — including an internationally-recognized prize. Jews in Medieval England: Teaching Representations of the Other, co-edited by Pugh and Miriamne Ara Krummel from the University of Dayton, has won the 2019 Teaching Literature Book Award, an international prize for the best book on teaching literature at the college level.
The award, presented biennially by English graduate faculty at Idaho State University, recognizes books that offer innovative and timely approaches to learning. And Jews in Medieval England does just that, examining the teaching of Jewishness within the context of medieval England. However, the book also makes a point to relate these past events to contemporary issues, such as antisemitism and otherness.
“My co-editor and I are thrilled to have our book recognized with the Teaching Literature Book Award,” said Pugh. “We hope instructors across the globe will benefit from the strategies suggested for teaching the rich legacy of Jewish experiences in medieval England, a subject that has striking pertinence for our contemporary society.”
In June 2019, Pugh also won The Popular Culture Association John Leo and Dana Heller Award for the Best Work in LGBT Studies.
For more information about the 2019 Teaching Literature Book Award, read the full press release here.