“Sarah Mohamed cares deeply about teaching and works hard at it,” Professor Steve Levitsky says of the PhD student in government, who served as a teaching fellow for his class Introduction to Comparative Politics. A gifted and energetic teacher, Mohamed provides invaluable leadership both in the classroom and to the Department of Government community.
Introduction to Comparative Politics had more than 200 students, most of whom were in their first or second year at the College. Because the course took place in fall 2021, many faced significant challenges in adjusting to campus life and the University’s COVID-19 restrictions. Levitsky credits Mohamed with helping these students get through the course and the semester. “Grades for Sarah’s students were higher than those in other sections—not because Sarah inflated grades but because her students knew the material and wrote good essays.”
Mohamed’s commitment to her students goes above and beyond the classroom. When an undergraduate in the class Authoritarianism contacted her with a COVID-related concern, Mohamed, who was with her family at the time, immediately reached out to reassure the student and updated the course leader, Lecturer Sarah Hummel. “She interrupted time with her family to check in about the student. She knew exactly how that student was faring in the class without needing to look it up,” says Hummel. “Perhaps most importantly, her immediate response was one of compassion. That goes a long way with students and helps explain how she was able to foster such a supportive environment, despite teaching remotely.”
Mohamed also served as head TF for Introduction to Comparative Politics, creating an environment in which civility and collegiality prevailed among the course’s eight teaching fellows. “This is always challenging, but this group was extraordinarily diverse, including four international students who did their undergraduate studies outside the United States and thus were not even minimally socialized into Harvard undergraduate norms,” shares Levitsky. “The TFs were all excellent, but they held very different views about expectations, discipline, and grading standards. It was very important that we apply broadly similar standards across sections, and Sarah played a major leadership role in forging consensus.”
Mohamed’s excellence and compassion are best summed up by one undergraduate’s course feedback. “Sarah really cares about her students and worked so hard to help us understand the material,” the student wrote. “She was always so accessible and willing to talk, which was amazing because this Zoom semester was very lonely.”
Sarah Mohamed, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is pleased to present you with the Derek C. Bok Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching of Undergraduates. Congratulations!
Photo by Tony Rinaldo
