Well beyond rote: Advancing knowledge

Lewis & Clark students walk into Andrew Cortell's classes each day knowing they must be prepared for the rigorous give-and-take that constitutes learning. Cortell expects his intellectually motivated students to come to class prepared to deconstruct what he teaches in the hope that they will gain a better grasp of the conceptual materials and world politics.

So explains the associate professor of international affairs, Lewis & Clark's Teacher of the Year for 2005. "Students here ask many questions; they are curious," says Cortell. "And they react very positively when I bring my research into the classroom. Their questions force me to think through my ideas, often in unanticipated ways."

In nominating his professor for the top teacher award, international affairs major Nicholas Wetzler '05 noted that Cortell provokes "both an enduring interest in a subject area and an appreciation of knowledge in general. Students who have taken his courses have met intellectual challenges that have changed the way they think about the world in profound ways."