Awards

Frederic Bachman Lieber Memorial Award (2023)

About James M. Smith

Since joining the IU South Bend faculty in 2009, James M. Smith has made a name for himself as an exemplary and innovative educator who excels at teaching within the classroom and beyond. By fostering a classroom environment that allows for safe and open discussion on topics related to politics and public policy, Smith has made a subject long regarded as complex and impenetrable far more accessible and enjoyable for students.

Committed to engaging both political science majors and those who may be indifferent toward politics, Smith employs a variety of teaching strategies, including tying classroom topics to the real-life political world, facilitating student-led research, and applying an active-learning pedagogy. Beyond the traditional classroom setting, Smith also utilizes first year experiences, study abroad, Reacting to the Past, and service and experiential learning to provide a variety of high-impact experiences for his students, regardless of education level. At IU South Bend, Smith has taught and/or developed more than 15 courses, both at graduate and undergraduate levels. Instrumental in further developing IU South Bend’s successful Master of Public Affairs (M.P.A.) program, Smith currently serves as the program’s director. Smith also teaches courses for the First Year Experience Program, including the Guided Pathways Academies.

Smith’s contributions to teaching span far beyond South Bend and the United States. He has championed the high-impact practice of study abroad, having co-led two international experiences—one in Ireland and one in Japan—and participated in IU South Bend’s faculty exchange program with France’s University of Toulon. His Ireland course explores governance of urban development projects in global cities in ways that connect back to U.S. cities. Smith is a highly distinguished and influential member of the IU South Bend faculty, having been awarded the IU South Bend Distinguished Teaching Award. He is also a three-time recipient of the Trustees Teaching Award, a two-time honoree of the Student Government Association Educator of the Year Award, and a member of IU’s Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching (FACET).