Professor Profile: Sarah Crawford-Parker
A few questions with Sarah Crawford-Parker.
Tuesday, September 11th, 2007
Department: Assistant Director of the Honors Program
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minn.
Colleges attended: University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Minneapolis and the University of Kansas.
1. What courses do you teach? I teach the freshman honors tutorial “Whose Art Is It?” involving art theft and cultural patrimony. I’ve also taught Art History 1: Ancient-Medieval,” and I’m currently developing a new study abroad course for the European Studies Program.
2. What do you enjoy the most about the courses you teach? It’s rare for students to take an art history course in high school. I enjoy introducing them to a new subject.
3. What role does teaching play in your position with the honors program? I do teaching, advising and recruitment with the honors program, and all the co-curricular programming. But, I believe that teaching is the most important thing I do.
4. What was your favorite part about college? When I was in college, I loved art history, but I loved having to take courses that fulfilled general education requirements. It was exciting to take courses outside of my discipline and I thought that was an important part of the process for me.
5. Describe your perfect day. It would consist of reading a book by a lake, preferably a Minnesota lake.
6. What is your favorite food? Anything fresh and local. Right now, I love fruit from the farmer’s market.
7. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? One of the great things about being an art historian is that you get to travel a lot. However, I would like to go to Nigeria for so many reasons. Nigeria has urban centers that are really an important part of African culture, but there are also more traditional village-based areas. The mix is exciting because of the different ways of life in Nigeria. I also love African art history.
8. What is your favorite place on campus? The stacks on the fourth floor of Watson library. There’s a really amazing view of the landscape of Lawrence, but I also like it because you are surrounded by books.
9. What is your favorite movie? “Moonstruck.” There’s something really charming about it.
10. What is your favorite book? “The Book of the City of Ladies” by Christine de Pizan.
11. What is your most embarrassing moment while teaching? In one situation, I was teaching for the Western Civilization Study Abroad Program at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. I hadn’t noticed that a couple of tourists had joined the lecture, and midway through, I saw the couple videotaping my lecture. I completely lost my focus. The idea that I was going to be a part of someone’s vacation video threw me off. Luckily, I was saved by a colleague.
12. Who is your hero?
There are a lot of people I admire; certainly my parents. My friend Loring Henderson, the director of the Lawrence Community Center, is close to the top of my list because he’s really making a difference.
13. What is your motto in life? I don’t know if I have a specific motto, but when I was in college I had a bumper sticker on my car that said “Write women back in history.”
14. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Write before you think you’re ready. Writing helps you to clarify your ideas, and it helps you to discover what’s important about your research.
15. What one piece of advice would you give to students?
Keep taking foreign language.
16. How do you think your students will remember you? I hope they remember me as someone who encouraged them to think critically about course material. The way I really think they’ll remember me is as someone who speaks quickly. When I get excited about course material, I talk really fast. But at least, students know when something’s important.
17 If you could use three words to describe yourself, what would they be? Dependable, creative and energetic.
18. Of what accomplishment are you the most proud? Writing and finishing my dissertation at a time when I was working full time and raising a family. My husband was writing his at the same time, so that was really significant.
— Edited by Elizabeth Cattell
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