2014 Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Awards
Nicole Detraz, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
Nicole Detraz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science. She
joined the University of Memphis in 2009, and she is a 2013 recipient of the College
of Arts and Sciences Early Career Research Award.
Her research focuses on the intersections of security, the environment, and gender. Her work has appeared in Security Studies, International Studies Perspectives, Global Environmental Politics, International Feminist Journal of Politics, and multiple edited volumes. Her book, International Security and Gender (2012, Polity Press), was named to Choice's 2014 list of Outstanding Academic Titles. Routledge will publish her second book, Environmental Security and Gender, in the fall.
Dr. Detraz teaches both undergraduate and graduate classes primarily in the fields of international relations and environmental politics- including courses like Theories of International Relations, International Conflict and Security, and Global Environmental Politics.
Kendra Murphy, Instructor Coordinator, Department of Sociology
Ms. Kendra Murphy is an instructor/coordinator and undergraduate advisor in the Department
of Sociology at the University of Memphis. She received her Bachelor's in Sociology
at the University of Central Arkansas in 2003 and her Master's in Sociology at the
University of Memphis in 2007. Upon graduating, she began teaching as a full-time
instructor at the University.
In 2012, she became the undergraduate advisor for the Sociology department. Ms. Murphy teaches undergraduate courses both in-person and online, including Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Sociology for Pre-Med and Pre-Health, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Sociology of Gender, Sociology of Deviant Behavior, Marriage and Family and Contemporary Social Problems. Previously, Ms. Murphy won the 2013 College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Teaching award.
Ms. Murphy's teaching is focused on helping students develop critical thinking and writing skills that they can use throughout their lives. She is best known for her creative lectures on social deviance, which is her favorite topic to teach. Whether by discussing statistics or bringing furries into the classroom, Ms. Murphy is committed to helping all of her students in developing their sociological imaginations.