The Faculty of Arts celebrates outstanding members

Five members of York’s Faculty of Arts received the annual Dean’s Award for outstanding contributions in either research or teaching at the Faculty’s council meeting Oct 11.

Professor Pat Armstrong of the Department of Sociology, Professor Thomas Klassen of the Department of Political Science and Professor Eric Mykhalovskiy of the Department of Sociology each received an award for outstanding research produced within the last three years. The awards were based on the academic significance of the work produced as well as its impact in the member’s field of study.

Chosen for her contributions in the area of women’s health, work and family, Armstrong was also honoured for her application of gender analysis to public policy decisions and her expertise on the gendered nature and social implications of the role of women in health care.

Right: Thomas Klassen

Klassen was recognized for his studies looking into the impact of globalization on the labor market and income security policies, while Mykhalovskiy’s research explored the restructuring of Ontario hospital care, global health surveillance and people living with AIDS.

The two Dean’s Awards for outstanding teaching went to Professor Richard Bello of the Department of Geography and lecturer Carol Wilson of the Department of Kinesiology & Health Science, now part of the Faculty of Health. Both were chosen for their excellence in the classroom and their contributions to departmental teaching culture.

Left: Richard Bello

Bello teaches both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has been commended for his respect for students and his ability to explain difficult concepts with ease.

Wilson teaches a range of academic and practicum courses and has been successful in coordinating the introductory kinesiology course as well as establishing a unique upper-year counselling course. Students have praised her inclusive and open classroom atmosphere, her excellence as a communicator and her responsiveness and sensitivity to their needs.

In addition to the Dean’s Awards, four of the Faculty’s professors were also awarded fellowships. These fellowships, available to full-time faculty, recognize and encourage outstanding research by providing professors with the opportunity to complete a significant research project. The fellowships grant time off from teaching and administrative duties. 

Right: Marie-Christine Pioffet

Marie-Christine Pioffet of the Department of French Studies was awarded a fellowship for her research project, titled "Dictionnaire analytique des toponymes imaginaries dans la prose narrative française de 1605 à 1712" (Analytical Dictionary of Imaginary Toponyms in French Narrative Prose from 1605 to 1712). This research project aims to establish a critical compilation of imaginary place names which occur in French narrative prose from 1605 to 1712.

Left: Carlota McAllister

"Without the support of York’s Faculty of Arts to which I am proud to belong, I would perhaps not have been able to bring to completion this long-term undertaking," Pioffet said.

Anthropology Professor Carlota McAllister was awarded a fellowship for her project "The Good Road: Conscience and Consciousness in a Post-revolutionary Guatemalan Village". Her project deals with the silencing of the history of the Mayans in various aspects of the revolution.

Stephen Brooke of the Department of History was awarded a fellowship to complete his study "Sexual Politics: Gender, Sexuality and the British Labour Party, 1880s to 1990s". His work focuses on the politics of the body and sexuality in modern Britain and traces links among socialist and working class politics from the Victorian period to Tony Blair’s New Labour party in the late 20th century.

Right: Stephen Brooke

"It is rare to be given the time to finish a large-scale research project without other obligations and a wonderful recognition by the Faculty of Arts of the importance of writing and research," Brooke said.

Left: Robin Roth

Geography Professor Robin Roth received a fellowship for her book project, titled "Constrained by Conservation? From bounded territories to rooted networks". The book investigates the lives and livelihoods of farmers living in the highlands of Northern Thailand as they are confronted with the establishment of a National Park on land they have long used for subsistence purposes.

Story submitted to YFile by Jessica Lamoglie and Jenny Evans of the Faculty of Arts.