This year, five individuals were awarded with the annual SPIA Teaching and Research Awards. These awards are presented by the school and acknowledge the hard work and commitment our faculty and students have contributed throughout the academic year. This year’s winners include:

SPIA Research Award Co-winners: Ryan Powers & Geoff Sheagley

Ryan Powers is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Affairs and a Faculty Fellow with the Center for International Trade and Security. Dr. Power’s main research theme concerns support for international cooperation in the area of political economy. In the past three years he has published eight refereed articles. In the past year alone, these include articles in the top-ranked International Studies Quarterly (the flagship journal of the International Studies Association), American Journal of Political Science (a top-three general journal), and World Politics. He has secured grants from the Carnegie Corporation and the Staton Foundation. Since 2013, he has been a Principal Investigator on the highly influential Teaching, Research, and International Policy Project (TRIP) at the Global Research Institute at William & Mary. This project has had a tremendous impact on the field of International Relations and has gained a great deal of attention in Foreign Affairs and the Monkey Cage.

Geoff Sheagley is an Associate Professor of Political Science. Dr. Sheagley is a recognized leader in research on political psychology and experiment-based methodologies. Over the past three years, he published eight refereed articles that have addressed multiple questions surrounding representation, elections, and partisanship that hold particular relevance for understanding American politics in the current context. He has also challenged existing understandings about research design. We can expect his research in that area to have a major impact on the field by reshaping the way survey experiments are conducted. Most notably, in just two and a half years, Sheagley has published four articles in the “top 3” general interest political science journals: American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science (twice), and the Journal of Politics – a remarkable feat.

SPIA Teaching Award: Harrison Frye

Harrison Frye is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science. Dr. Frye has taught five different political theory courses at the undergraduate level and a graduate seminar on Problems in Political Philosophy. He has an exceptional ability to engage and stimulate students. He fosters an open and inclusive classroom environment that facilitates robust but reasoned debate. As one student wrote: “Dr. Frye is truly one of the best professors at this university. He fostered curiosity and true learning in a way I had not experienced until I took his class. Every day we would come to class and we had the opportunity to talk through ideas, to push the bounds of our thinking, and to ask questions. Dr. Frye is the embodiment of a good teacher, and this university is lucky to have him.” Pushing the boundaries of thinking in a safe, inclusive environment is a hallmark of Professor Frye’s teaching. So is his writing-intensive approach to learning. As another student wrote, Professor Frye “encouraged me to be a better student, writer, speaker, and thinker – invaluable skills that will undoubtedly stay with me for life.” Harrison Frye is a teacher’s teacher who fosters learning through structured argumentation and logic – an effective approach that his students will remember for the rest of their lives.

SPIA Non Tenure Track Teaching Award: Gulcan Saglam

Gulcan Saglam is a Lecturer in the Department of International Affairs. Dr. Saglam is an effective, engaged, and innovative Lecturer. Since arriving at SPIA in the fall of 2019, she has taught 32 sections of eight courses from “Introduction to International Relations” to a range of upper-level courses on Global Issues, Population, Immigration, and Research Design and Quantitative Analysis. She strives to engage students and has flipped the classroom format in all of her courses. She also makes a conscious effort to relate course material to students’ everyday lives and endeavors to create an inclusive learning environment in all her classes. Student comments are overwhelmingly positive. As one student wrote: “Professor Saglam was nothing short of amazing. … I haven’t had a teacher better prepare a course than she did.” Another wrote: “ Professor Saglam is easily one of the best professors I have encountered so far at UGA. She is extremely passionate about the topics we discuss in class and gives work that gives us a lot of outside knowledge and views in order to formulate our own opinions on the issue.” Dr. Saglam has been deeply involved in her department’s DEI efforts and is currently the faculty advisor of the SPIA Honor Society of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. She is a truly outstanding Lecturer.

SPIA Graduate Teaching Award: Matthew Rains

Matthew Rains is a PhD student in International Affairs. Matthew Rains has taught a range of upper-level International Affairs classes including Peace Studies, International Organizations, and Modern Warfare. He emphasizes active learning and inclusion in his classes. Students highlight his preparation, organization, passion for the subject, and concern for the students. As one student wrote: “I love the way this class was set up. It was straight forward, got to what I needed to know, and facilitated useful, thoughtful discussion I had not experienced in other “discussion” classes. Professor Rains is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and a talented instructor. All assignments and readings were extremely helpful and served a clear purpose – which was refreshing. Most readings were challenging enough to warrant progress, but not too difficult to understand. Easily one of the best courses I’ve taken at UGA!” Another wrote: “I think he did an amazing overall job with organizing and executing every aspect of this course.” Matthew Rains exemplifies outstanding teaching by graduate students.