“The Joy of the Teaching Track” wins ASPIRE Scholarship Article of the Year Award
An article co-authored by CPP Co-Directors Cathy Elliott and Kalina Zhekova has won the 2026 ASPIRE Scholarship Article of the Year Award.
The Joy of the Teaching Track: Learning and Teaching in Politics and International Studies, co-authored with Ellen Watts, Keith Smith, Rose Gann and Madeleine Le Bourdon, was published in Politics in 2025 (impact factor: 2.5).
The ASPIRE Board selected the article for its timely and affirmative contribution to scholarship on teaching-focused academic careers. In particular, the Board highlighted its exploration of the intellectual, professional and pedagogic value of teaching-track work, alongside wider questions of recognition, identity, status and progression within higher education.
The article examines both the challenges associated with teaching-focused academic careers and the creativity, scholarship and contribution to higher education that make this career pathway valuable.