UH philosophy professor
shows love for teaching
In philosophy, where "there are no right and wrong answers," Professor David Alethea still tries to make his students right.
"I try to understand what's right about what they are saying, rather than what's wrong," he said.
But that's not the reason his students praise him or why he was awarded a Regent's Medal for Excellence in Teaching this year at the University of Hawaii's West Oahu campus.
Alethea was cited for his "capacity to make clear difficult philosophical concepts, and an obvious love for his discipline." His students have called him "challenging," "brilliant" and "passionate."
Alethea, one of 15 recipients of the award, has taught for UH for 25 of the 40 years he has spent in colleges and universities, he said.
He describes his teaching style as informal, and a major part of his class consists of open forums in which he gets students to respond to provocative questions. He is "extremely supportive" of his students when they try to express their views, he said.
A major change he has seen over the years has been the demographics of his students, who are not the "traditional" 18- to 20-year-old college kids. There is "a broader cross-section of students' ages and backgrounds," with the average age being 32, up to those in their 60s, Alethea said.
"They are more worldly, expressive, and quite vocal. They're not intimidated by the professor, and it makes teaching very enjoyable. They have a lot to say. They have families, jobs and worldly experiences," Alethea said.
He and other medal winners were recognized at a ceremony Thursday.
Other recipients include:
>> Mary Alexander, associate professor of English at Kauai Community College.
>> Krystyna Aune, associate professor in the UH Manoa Department of Speech.
>> Rick Caufield, assistant professor in the UH Manoa Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.
>> Linus Chao, professor of art at Hawaii Community College.
>> Leticia Colmenares, instructor of chemistry at Windward Community College.
>> John Conner, professor of English literature at Leeward Community College.
>> Kathy Ferguson, professor in the UH Manoa Women's Studies Program and the Department of Political Science.
>> Jonathan Goldberg-Hiller, associate professor in the UH Manoa Department of Political Science.
>> Kakkala "Gopal" Gopalakrishnan, professor of oceanography at Honolulu Community College.
>> David Hammes, professor of economics at UH Hilo.
>> Nelda Quensell, associate professor of botany at Kapiolani Community College.
>> Wayne Shiroma, associate professor in the UH Manoa Department of Electrical Engineering.
>> Lee Stein, instructor of human services at Maui Community College.
>> Terence Wesley-Smith, associate professor in the UH Manoa Center for Pacific Islands Studies.
