Three College of Letters and Science faculty have been recognized for their teaching by the UC Davis University Honors Program. This initiative spotlights faculty who students recognized as having a positive impact on their classroom experience. This quarterly recognition was for courses taught in fall quarter 2024.
The University Honors Program chose Lorena Márquez, Greg Miller and Shagufta Fatema, whose dedication and excellence were highlighted by overwhelmingly positive student feedback on course evaluations.
Lorena Márquez
Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Chicana/o Studies
Lorena Márquez serves as the project director of the Sacramento Movimiento Chicano and Mexican American Education Project Oral History Project, a collective of Sacramento Chicana/o movement elders and organizers whose mission is to record and preserve the oral histories of Sacramento Chicana/o Movement activists from 1965-1980.
What students said:
"Professor Márquez is one the most considerate, thoughtful, and funny professors I know. She is an amazing lecturer and her words really stick with me. This course was very thought provoking and eye opening. It made me feel so many emotions and empowered me as a Mexican American student. I enjoyed every lecture and every discussion."
"The most valuable thing about the instructor is how caring she is towards her students. She was always open to questions and made me feel part of the class. She is very passionate about this topic, which makes it very engaging as a student."
"I truly did appreciate that Professora Márquez is passionate, devoted, and enthusiastic with this course, making my experience even better."
Greg Miller
Continuing Lecturer, University Writing Program
Greg Miller has 27 years of experience teaching composition and related disciplines as well as more than 100 publications in the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Diego Union-Tribune. His articles and fiction are published in Los Angeles Review of Books, Michigan Quarterly Review, Film News (Canada), Modern Drama, Texas Studies in Literature & Language, and others.
What students said:
"This has been the most helpful writing course I have ever taken. I did lots of close reading and broke down sentences in ways I had never done before, and I think these learned strategies have drastically improved my awareness while writing."
"I love and adored this course, Miller's approach to teaching was unique and positive. His paper prompts were incredibly open, allowing for more than enough room for students to experiment and improve with their writing. I know I improved and am beyond grateful for the things I have learned about myself throughout this course."
"The Professor was fantastic. He cared about writing and our individual essays. He took his time to get to know us, not just our names but our backgrounds too. This made it easy to communicate with him and understand him during discussions or outside of class hours."
Shagufta Fatema
Lecturer in Hindu/Urdu, Department of Middle East/South Asian Studies
Shagufta Fatema teaches Elementary Hindi/Urdu as well as the First Year Seminar: Exploring India through Spices, Color, and Cuisine. She received her Ph.D. in Indian literature and her M.A. in English from Patna University, Bihar, India.
What students said:
"The most valuable thing about this course was the instructor enriching us in Indian culture through very engaging activities such as the rangoli and henna assignment. We were given the opportunity by the professor to do these ourselves, making it not only fun but also culturally enriching."
"I valued 1-1 interactions with Dr. Fatema. These interactions increase the positive environment in the classroom making it easier for me to speak up and share my thoughts on the topics discussed in class. Also, I felt comfortable sharing my cultural experience in my culture with Dr. Fatema."
"The instructor was friendly, understanding, and very informative about the subject. It was obvious how passionate she was about the subject which made the class even more enjoyable."
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