University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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professor Tony Collings leads adiscussion in his Communications 439 Seminar in Journalistic Performance. The course focused on media coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court, raising such questions as how accurately and fairly news organizations cover the cases as they proceed through the legal system. Professor Collings formerly worked as a reporter for CNN, and used his past experience to bring real-life examples to the classroom. iology professor Dr. Hazlett studies the effects of odor upon the behavior of crayfish. Dr. Hazlett balanced his time between such research and his Biology 390 class on evolution. Through his research Dr. Hazlett discovered a new species of hermit crab that has since been named after him. V Mtf H H m Research and Teaching 127

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Shelley Skopit The Nutty Professor by Jason Tan The University was a nationally renown research institutions, thus most professors were heavily involved with research work. What were the advantages and disadvantages of professors teaching and researching at the same time? How did professors balance their time between teaching and research? The majority of students felt that lectures were more effective when professors were able to relate what they taught with their research topics. Melvyn Yeo, a sophomore LSA student, said It ' s really cool to know that what we learn in class actually happens in real life. I learn better when I can actually apply what I learn. Many students actually preferred professor ' s research involvement outside of the classroom. They felt that p)E bE vp) -H; University courses would be very conventional and boring if professors were not involved in research. In some ways, v ' lTH- TE A- H-IKte , e?UT professors are just like students. They are also learning from their research. Then they teach us what they learn, said vY ' ' e TA-i e- ? sophomore Business School student Jeff Tan. F e- e-A-fV H- The only concern that students had was how professors managed their time between research and teaching. Students felt that professors were at the University to teach and therefore should always put teaching as their first ' y priority. Economics Professor Peter Morgan said, My research hours depend on how many classes I teach. I work )E 55 hours a week, I devote about 20 hours out of the 55 hours to research work. Professors also felt that there were great advantages to simultaneously teaching and doing research. They applied what they learned through research to their teaching topics. Biology professor John Langmore added, I know what I am talking about in class, including how the textbooks are incorrect or misleading. I know what is fact and what is speculation, and can portray how and why scientific research is done from first hand experience. I don ' t know how someone can teach it if they aren ' t doing it at the same time. Professors felt that research was extremely beneficial to their teaching because it gave them more up-to-date knowledge and confidence. As Professor Langmore put it, Would you respect a dance instructor who had never danced? 126 Academics

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;- W . 7 ' - %; r K ' SA junior Sara Falls dis- cusses one of the books students read in Discourse and Society class. Students studied various forms of educational systems and talked about things that do and do not work in education. By the end of the semester they also explored books that focused on oppression. ' k V Greg! 128 Academics