Class of 1943 University Professor of Near Eastern Studies Michael A. Cook received one of four President’s Awards for Distinguished Teaching at Commencement ceremonies Tuesday, May 31.
Cook, who joined the Near Eastern Studies faculty in 1986, “is … a brilliant and extraordinarily devoted teacher,” who “has basically built the graduate program in Near Eastern studies at Princeton and made it the best program in the country for several decades running.” Cook’s students, who now teach at universities around the world, describe Cook's seminar “Introduction to the Islamic Scholarly Tradition” as “legendary.”
“Undergraduate students also underscored Cook's commitment to teaching. One former student commented on his ‘mastery of subject, his charisma as a storyteller, and his academic and personal investment in his work, [all of which] were apparent right away.’”
To read more about the award click here.