2023 UofM Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Awards
The UofM Alumni Association recognizes outstanding faculty by sponsoring awards in teaching.
Amaia Iratzoqui, Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Research Director for the Public Safety Institute.
Congratulations to Amaia Iratzoqui, Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Research Director for the Public Safety Institute on receiving the award at the Spring Faculty Convocation.
Iratzoqui came to the University of Memphis in 2015 and has taught a range of courses for the undergraduate and graduate departments, including Intimate Partner Violence, a 4/6 course she developed for the department and the only one of its kind offered at the University. Overall, her courses focus on the practical implications for criminological theory and criminal justice research, including bringing many of these practitioners and survivors themselves as guest speakers to show students how this kind of research is visible within the larger community.
Her research interests include the gendered nature of victimization, repeat victimization, intimate partner violence, and theoretical development. Her current research focuses on partnerships with local social service agencies, law enforcement, and the courts to improve the lives of domestic violence victims, survivors, and families.
As Research Director of the Public Safety Institute, she connects faculty and practitioners
in the Memphis and Shelby County community on funding and research opportunities to
drive academic-practitioner partnerships. Dr. Iratzoqui is currently leading a three-year
grant focused on developing and implementing a strategic plan for a coordinated community
response on domestic violence.
Rita Pasqui, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Head of Classics in the Department of World Languages and Literatures
Congratulations to Rita Pasqui, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Head of Classics in the Department of World Languages
and Literatures, as a recipient of the 2023 UofM Alumni Association Distinguished
Teaching Award.
She has been at the University of Memphis for five years, teaching a wide range of courses at the undergraduate level, from Ancient Greek and Latin Languages and Literatures to Etymology, Medical Terminology, and Classical Mythology.
Pasqui is a passionate instructor with teaching experience in different institutions, such as the University of Alexandria (Egypt), New York University, The New School, and the University of Pennsylvania. Teaching in the U.S. has included Classics, Italian, Latin and Ancient Greek.
As a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, she taught Italian at all levels, with some extra-academic duties at the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia. There, she promoted Italian culture through various activities: developing Italian language courses, organizing students' competitions, awarding grants and scholarships for summer courses in Italy, arranging concerts, exhibitions, film series and conferences.
She currently promotes multiple initiatives, such as study abroad programs and, as the Classical Club advisor, short trips and other out-of-class activities.
She is co-author of Moda, Stile e Simboli, a tool for teaching Italian through Fashion and editor of a textbook for learning Italian through songs. She was an invited speaker in several universities and a presenter on language pedagogy at various conferences.
Her research interests include the application of new technologies and media-based instruction in the acquisition of modern and classical languages; historical linguistics; second language acquisition.