FAH Academic Awards Winners 2023/2024

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) recently presented the FAH Academic Awards to 4 colleagues in recognition of their excellence in teaching, research and service. The awards are given annually based on FAH students’ and colleagues’ nominations, recommendation by the respective Academic Award Selection Committees and a final review by the FAH management.

We are proud to announce the 2023/2024 winners are follows:

Best Teacher Award – Hans-Georg MOELLER

Prof. Hans-Georg Moeller is an outstanding philosophy teacher who believes that, as indicated in his teaching statement, ‘good teaching is enjoyable for everyone involved’. Indeed, his students have repetitively expressed that they have enjoyed Prof. Moeller’s teaching. Prof. Moeller’s course was commonly commented as “a good course”, “well designed and is a very interesting course”, “this course is suitable for all the students and learned a lot from the instructor” etc.

Prof. Moeller has taught a range of PG and UG courses, including GE modules; this is a testament to his ability to make complex philosophical concepts and theories accessible to different types of students at different stages of their education. The committee is particularly impressed by how his pedagogy integrates primary texts with the history of ideas in his teaching materials. In addition to having achieved consistently higher SFQ scores than department averages and receiving a deluge of positive comments from students, for instance “Very nice and patient instructor, analyze the pieces of students’ homework very carefully and share appropriate encouragement and the ways for improvement”, “Prof. Moeller课程设计非常合理，课程讲述也很细致，每次上课都会详细回复学生的reflection，帮我们理解理论，总体很好！”, “老師的講授非常有益，正所謂「他山之石可以攻玉」，以一種更全面的歷史的視角來審視道家哲學。” “This course led me to think more than before.” etc. Prof. Moeller’s impactful teaching extends beyond UM. He has produced instructional videos for his course ‘Mass Media Philosophy’, which are made available on his YouTube Channel Carefree Wandering and have successfully engaged with a large number of learners from different parts of the world.

In addition, Prof. Moeller also plays an important role in improving General Education at UM. He served as the Programme Coordinator (in the area of Literature and Humanities) at the university-level for many years and shows a serious commitment to improvement, which is a testament to his passion and dedication. His consistent efforts and excellent performance in teaching deserve recognition.

Best Instructor Award – Vince LI

Mr. Vince Li has been remarked by his students as a caring, dedicated and responsible teacher who inspires them in their English learning and improvement. He believes that with the help of task-based group work, students can develop collaborative learning and independent thinking skills. As a result, students can be more confident in expressing themselves, which is critical in language teaching and learning. Mr. Li constantly encourages students to speak and communicate with peers and the instructor, thereby creating an interactive and student-centered classroom environment.

Mr. Li has demonstrated himself to be a well-organized and clear-minded teacher by his well-developed teaching portfolio, which is impressive to the Committee. The highly structured teaching materials are testament to his clear teaching objectives and learning outcomes. Mr. Li has also consistently provided the students with practical and detailed feedback and advice, which have been considered immensely helpful. The high average SFQ scores, consistently ranging between 4.2 to 4.5 on the 5-point scale and 5.2 to 5.6 on the 6-point scale, manifest his admirable teaching talent. He is a well-liked teacher with recurring positive comments from students such as: “A very responsible and great teacher,” “very interesting English classes,” “perfect methodology,” “You successfully help students learning knowledge without suffering from pressure and unhappiness.”

In addition, Mr. Li has strived to assure high quality teaching in the courses he teaches and coordinates. He has served as the coordinator for the University English I course, and his teaching enthusiasm clearly extends to the coordination of the FAH Language Teaching Assistants working at the ELC.

Excellence in Research Award – Joshua EHRLICH 

Prof. Joshua Ehrlich is an up-and-coming historian specializing in the study of knowledge and political thought, particularly focusing on the East India Company and the British Empire in South and Southeast Asia. During the period from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023, Prof. Ehrlich achieved an impressive number of publications. He authored a monograph published by the esteemed Cambridge University Press, as well as contributing to five journal articles, four of which were single-authored and one co-authored. Furthermore, he co-edited a special volume for a prominent journal and had two other articles accepted for publication in early 2024. Such a prolific publication record is regarded as highly significant in the field of history.

It is important to highlight that Prof. Ehrlich’s publications are not only numerous but also of exceptional quality. His book, published by the prestigious academic publisher Cambridge University Press, makes significant contributions to the understanding of the East India Company, South Asia, and the British Empire. Additionally, it presents an innovative methodology that integrates aspects of the history of knowledge and intellectual history. Despite its recent release, the book has received positive reception within academia, evident through three book reviews and several book talk workshops. All of the articles he published during this period appeared in reputable Q1 or Q2 journals, including the highly esteemed history journal Past & Present. Notably, one of his articles even claimed the coveted 2023 Arnold Hirsch Award from the Urban History Association, which is awarded annually to recognize the best article in the field of urban history.

In addition to his individual achievements, Prof. Ehrlich actively engaged in scholarly collaborations, successfully bringing together a distinguished international group from renowned universities to produce a special volume for a journal. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that Prof. Ehrlich is highly regarded as a great teacher among his students. His exceptional performance in both research and teaching serves as an inspiration for all.

Excellence in Service Award – Tianshu ZHU

With over 16 years of service at UM, Prof. Zhu Tianshu is a familiar figure among the UM staff members, as well as to numerous students and alumni. She has successfully earned immense recognitions and respect among colleagues and students with her professionalism, approachability, caring and enthusiasm. She does not limit her contributions to the department, but extends her every endeavors boundlessly to the faculty, university, the Macao community and academia. Prof. Zhu distinguishes herself with a highly remarkable service track record within UM and beyond.

Prof. Zhu has been remarked an indispensable asset of the Department of History among colleagues by serving as the UG programme coordinator for 12 years since 2011 and currently as the Department Head. She has been playing a leading role in practically every curriculum reform, department event, committee tasks, and all manner of other business. She is also willing to contribute not only for her home department but also providing her professional expertise to several recruitment committees for the Centre and Department of Arts and Design. In addition, her heavy teaching and administrative duties do not drive her away from caring for the well-being of students even outside the classroom. As commented by the CKYC Master, Prof. Zhu is one of the most active Fellows, and the time and effort she devotes to the College is above and beyond the call of duty.

It should be noted that Prof. Zhu’s extensive services to the local community outreach and academia during the past years. Prof. Zhu has actively organized public lectures, workshops, and seminars that bridge the gap between academia and the broader community. She has served as Consultant for the Cultural Heritage Department of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Vice Deputy Supervisor of Macau Society of History Teachers, Chair of Daoist Cultural Studies Symposium of Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau, and Reviewer for Macao Cultural Affairs Bureau “Academic Research Scholarship.” In terms of her professionalism, Prof. Zhu also served as Guest Editor of a special issue Religious Art of Medieval China for Religions, which is an AHCI journal, with the rank of Q1. In addition, she became an Editorial Board member of 文化雜誌 Culture Review, an academic journal in Macau.

All in all, Prof. Zhu’s expertise and accomplishments bring prestige to FAH, UM, the local and international communities, and inspire both students and colleagues alike.

Congratulations to the winners again!