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Distinguished Teaching: Crossing Boundaries
Seymour Mauskopf, a historian of science
affectionately known to his students as "Sy," has been
his own best advertisement for the benefits of interdisciplinary
study, demonstrating time and again, through a variety of programs
and courses, the virtues of breaking through disciplinary boundaries. "He
has done nothing less than change the way I think about the ways
in which the sciences and the humanities--two giant entities that
are often kept apart in contemporary times--can be analyzed in
interconnected ways," according to one of his students. Mauskopf
has been promoting interdisciplinary study at Duke for most of
his academic career. In 1979, he became director of the Program
in Science, Technology, and Human Values; Mauskopf directed the
FOCUS Program, which provides small-group, interdisciplinary learning
environments for freshmen, from 1995 to 2003.
The same student was impressed with Mauskopf's willingness to foster
an environment of intellectual engagement outside the classroom: "Our
seminar met alternately at Duke and at UNC-Chapel Hill, and my
conversations with Sy during our Robertson bus rides to UNC illuminated
his utter excitement in the field of the history of science." Mauskopf's
commitment to Duke students is also reflected in his work as president
of the Duke chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, an organization he was admitted
to as an undergraduate student at Cornell University. His interdisciplinary
approach, respect for his students, and excitement about teaching
are just a few of the characteristics that have earned him the
Duke Alumni Association's 2006 Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate
Teaching Award.
In addition to teaching and working closely with students, Mauskopf
makes time for community involvement and scholarship. As one of
the students who nominated him for the award put it, "Sy makes
the time to teach four courses, tutor a Durham resident trying
to obtain his GED, publish his own writings, serve as an adviser
to three undergraduates who are completing their honors theses,
and still have time to grab dinner with me on the weekend."
Before meeting Mauskopf, the student said, he had planned a traditional
pre-med education."But now, thanks in large part to Sy, I
have decided to take some time off and to do Teach For America.I
realize that there is much more to life than just academic excellence;
there is more to this world than the notoriety that comes with
receiving a degree from a prestigious institution like our very
own."His students say Mauskopf's abilities as a teacher, a
scholar, and a mentor emphasize the close links between these roles,
indeed, even the artificiality of such divisions.
Mauskopf earned an A.B. from Cornell in 1960 and a Ph.D. from Princeton
University in 1966. He completed postdoctoral work at University
College of London in the history of medicine in 1968-69. He began
his teaching career at Duke in 1964. He was promoted to assistant
professor in 1966, associate professor in 1972, and professor of
history in 1980. He has written four books--including The Elusive
Science: Origins of Experimental Psychic Research (with Michael
McVaugh), on the work of Duke's J.B. Rhine--and sixteen chapters,
along with numerous articles in professional publications. He received
the Dexter Award for outstanding achievement in the history of
chemistry from the American Chemical Society.
The Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award will be presented
to Mauskopf during Founders' Day ceremonies on September 28. The
award includes a $5,000 stipend and $1,000 for Duke Libraries to
purchase materials recommended by the recipient.
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