Shannon Dea, recipient of the Distinguished Teacher Award, 2018

Philosophy

Associate Professor of Philosophy Shannon Dea has been called a “champion of the Women Studies program.” One of her graduate students noted, “I definitely feel like I’ve learned and still learn a lot from Prof Dea. Nearly every day I’ve left a class of hers, my head feels like it’s just buzzing and brimming with new information and ways of thinking about aspects of the world I hadn’t considered before.” Colleagues commented that, “in a nutshell, Shannon does the unexpected in her teaching. She uses the unexpected and untraditional for several reasons, including: it keeps the learning atmosphere interesting, and it allows her to personally model risk and innovation to her students.” Another colleague acknowledged that “risk-taking, of course, is only valuable if the risks are worthwhile, and all of Professor Dea’s risks both aim at improving student learning and the student experience, and are studiously informed by evidence and research.” Shannon Dea has previously been the proud recipient of the 2016 Arts Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2012 Province of Ontario's Leading Women Building Communities Award.