Rejoice Abutsa, a Ph.D. candidate in Performing and Media Arts, is the winner of a 2024 Gertrude Spencer Prize for Students and Instructors at Cornell University. She is awarded this prize for her joint work with student Itunu Adejare, called "Igwebuike: The Idea of Sisterhood and Women's Narratives in Nollywood.” The prize recognizes excellence in writing and is awarded by the John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines.
“This award resulted from carefully completing a semester-long assignment portfolio that enabled students to track their progress on each piece of written and graded work,” said Abutsa. “We also worked on multiple in-class conferences where the class discussed ideas, developed them, and negotiated ways to recognize those strong opinions that kept returning as students began drafting their assignments.
“As a class, we explored tools and resources for structuring academic papers while keeping the subject matter of the class in mind. At the end of the semester, it was rewarding to see that my students in the New Perspectives in Nollywood class had gained prerequisite knowledge to understand and address the concepts engaged in class; they were clear on areas of their writing and research that were impressive and those that needed improvement. In this regard, the Gertrude Spencer award, which recognizes the “excellent preparatory and other work” that led to the winning class paper, as well as my ability to mentor a student towards such intellectual achievement, is a testament to the pedagogical skills I have been developing, as well as the work put into ensuring the success of the class and its students.”
Read more about Abutsa’s work.
Read more about the Gertrude Spencer Prize.
