Congratulations to Shirley Li, the 2021 Stephen Horne Award for Excellence in Teaching winner. The English Department at Duke University is excited to award Li with this well-deserved honor. Li was selected by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) advisory committee based on course evaluations and nominations from the students in her Spring 2021 English 90S course, "The Spooky and the Sacred." One student wrote in her nomination:
"Shirley is a wonderful, understanding, and knowledgeable professor. Not only did she carefully select works like "Pearl" by Simon Armitage, Morrison's "Beloved," and Augustine's "Confessions," that are thought-provoking in and of themselves, but she also pushed us to think critically about them. She cultivated an environment in which we were comfortable contributing our authentic thoughts and opinions. When the discussion reached a standstill, she was always prepared with more provocative questions that brought new ideas to light. Shirley provided some of the most helpful feedback I've ever received, making me a better, more mindful writer. Shirley deserves this award because she truly cared about educating us, but also about us as students and human beings, checking in with us often. Thanks to Shirley and this class, I learned practical, valuable ways to live well with more compassion and empathy. That's more than I ever expected to learn from a writing seminar at Duke."
Li's "The Spooky and the Sacred" course studied how ghosts, monsters, demons, and spirits are popular elements in today's culture and literature. In her course description, she includes the questions, "Why do we find the spooky, the occult, the paranormal so engrossing? Moreover, does the spooky share anything with other, more "conventional" forms of the otherworldly: the religious and the sacred?" During the course, Li and her students examined television shows with "supra"-natural, unnatural, and both spooky and sacred features such as the White Walkers of the "Game of Thrones", the Demogorgon of "Stranger Things", and the Weeping Angels of "Doctor Who"; they also studied these elements in literary works like Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Thomas Merton's Seven-Storey Mountain, and Toni Morrison's Beloved.
Li designed the course to focus on writing that students can utilize while pursuing any major. Her students received weekly feedback on writing assignments incorporating close reading, critical analysis, and argument.
In describing their experience in Li’s "The Spooky and the Sacred" class, one of her students had the following to say about the course and why Li was so deserving of this award:
"I was enrolled in the Spring '21 English 90S course taught by Shirley Li. Professor Li was always well prepared and organized for class. Her lectures were very informative and structured—yet still left room for the students to engage in thoughtful discussion. After taking this class, I think that I have become a better literature student due to the guidance of Professor Li. She encouraged us to develop our own questions and to engage with the texts personally— which is something that I was unable to do in my high school English classes."
The Stephen Horne Award is presented annually to a graduate instructor in the English Department who best demonstrates outstanding commitment and excellence in the classroom. Students nominate their instructors, and the Director of Graduate Studies selects the winner in consultation with the DGS Advisory Committee.
This award was established in 1998 by Professors Stanley Fish and Jane Tompkins in memory of Stephen Horne. Horne was a 1991-97 graduate student in English who displayed an inspiring passion for teaching that was evident to his students, friends, and mentors.
One of the student nominators notes how Li exemplifies what is expected of the recipients of this honor:
"Professor Li's Spooky and Sacred Seminar was one of the most insightful and engaging classes I have taken at Duke. The lessons learned from the well-picked material taught me how to analyze literature further to find underlying meanings/themes, not to mention the important life lessons and skills they may impart. I believe the concepts and skills learned from the seminar will help in my academic career and life after graduation. Furthermore, Professor Li has only ever been very understanding and accommodating to all her students, and she truly puts an effort to facilitate their growth and success."
English Department
