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Teaching excellence: Harshita Mruthinti Kamath

Assistant professor of religious studies Harshita Mruthinti Kamath brings valuable knowledge to her classroom, challenging her students to teach each other and to think critically.

Harshita Mruthinti Kamath
Harshita Kamath in class February 26, 2018. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Harshita Mruthinti Kamath, an assistant professor of religious studies, was a recipient of the 2018 Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Presented each year, the award recognizes excellence in inspirational teaching of undergraduate students, particularly first- and second-year students.

The Augusta, Georgia native told us about her teaching experiences.

Who was the best teacher you ever had and why?

My undergraduate thesis adviser, Dr. Joyce Burkhalter Flueckiger, who is also my Ph.D. adviser. Joyce dedicates extensive time to both teaching and mentoring, and she is my role model for engaging with students.

Describe an “Aha!” moment you had when learning how to teach students.

In my course, Dance and Embodied Knowledge, students learn to dance a five-minute item and perform it for an audience of their peers at the end of the semester. By the time we get to the final performance after weeks of practicing, the class (myself included) experience an “Aha!” moment of collective joy in dancing together.

Describe a time when you learned something from a student.

In my previous institution, I was invited by the Muslim Student Association to discuss the topic of veiling. During the discussion, Fayezeh, an Iranian Muslim woman and college senior, described her college experience by stating: “In Iran, I was forced to veil. At college, I was forced to unveil.” Her perspectives on veiling forced me to interrogate my own positionality as a professor interacting with an array of students whose sartorial markers may place them apart from their peers.

What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?

I am related (albeit distantly) to Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the well-known Indian philosopher who was the first vice president of India and the second president of India.