James J. Yoch Jr., University of Oklahoma
2008 Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in College/University Teaching
The recipient of the Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in College and University Teaching is Professor James J. Yoch Jr., whose courses on Shakespeare and other Renaissance writers have been favorites of OU students since 1964.
“In Dr. Yoch’s classroom, not only Shakespeare, but all literature comes alive and students emerge from his courses with a newfound passion for art, for language and for a deeply felt sense of the importance of what we call ‘literary masterpieces,’” said colleague Joanna Rapf.
In the 60s, Yoch was a pioneer in engaging his students to learn more about Shakespeare’s works by putting on their own plays, a practice his students still continue today.
“Putting on a play makes students self-reliant and inventive, and in their performances they often create something beyond and independent of a faculty member’s orders,” Yoch said.
Through these performances, said former OU student Steve Knight, “Dr. Yoch pushes the limit of Shakespearean scholarship and tutelage by placing the words in the students’ mouths and the feelings in their hearts.”
A graduate of Notre Dame and Princeton Universities, Yoch has gained legendary status on campus as a demanding yet very accessible teacher. Despite teaching for 43 years, he never re-uses lectures, discussion topics or exams.
Yoch is the recipient of an OU Regents Award for Excellence in Teaching and was selected in 2001 to participate in OU’s Dream Course program, co-teaching a course titled “Four Roads to Shakespeare.”