Carmenita Higginbotham

University Teaching Fellow 2008 According to Art Department chairman Larry Goedde, since arriving at the University in 2005, Carmenita Higginbotham has proved to be an excellent educator and capable colleague, in both the Art Department and American Studies program. "She has demonstrated a striking commitment to her teaching, marked by a willingness to engage students extensively outside class and an intense focus on finding ways of improving her teaching," Goedde said. As a University Teaching Fellow, Higginbotham said she hopes to develop an art history course called "Race, Identity and Contemporary Culture," which "examines the role popular culture has played in constructing racial identities in the late 20th century." Through the program, she hopes to learn how to further engage students and inspire them to think critically about race and culture. Higginbotham is capable of achieving that goal, Goedde said, as "she brings to her courses intensity and thoughtfulness, an ability to engage major issues of race in art, while also letting students see such subjects within the larger contexts of American art, culture and society."