Sociology professor receives state teaching award

Jennifer Stewart has taken her students to visit migrant farm worker camps, challenged them to a sustainable diet and coached them in acting skits for a diversity troupe.

These are a few reasons that Stewart, associate professor of sociology, received one of the highest honors from the Michigan Sociological Association. Stewart, nominated by her faculty colleagues, was presented with the Larry T. Reynolds Award for Excellence at the MSA's annual conference in October.

Stewart, who joined Grand Valley's faculty in 2001, said she constantly searches for ways to "create situations that will lead students to ask questions." Her teaching method, she said, leads to better retention.

For example, in her "Sociology of Food" course, Stewart introduced the 100-mile diet and challenged her students to only consume food they could find within 100 miles of their homes. "It's much easier to do in the fall semester than the winter," she laughed.

Stewart is also the creator of Grand Valley's Act On Racism troupe. Student actors relay instances of racism and discrimination before audiences in a workshop setting. Established in 2005, Act on Racism has performed for classes and community audiences; they gave a presentation at the October MSA conference.

"Our hope is that through the skits, we get the conversations going," Stewart said.