Ted Emery is a Senior Lecturer of Italian, who has been part of the department since 2007. In additional to being a phenomenal teacher to countless students during these years, Emery has also taken on many additional roles to assist the development of undergraduate programs in the department. At the end of this past academic year, Emery stepped down from his service commitments, and although he will continue teaching Italian courses, we want to take this moment to show our gratitude for everything he has done for FRIT!
For the past several years, Emery has served as the assessment coordinator for the French, Italian, and Romance Studies majors, as well as all GE courses. Emery created, disseminated, and collected exit surveys from students who finished the majors. He also kept track of embedded exam questions and language proficiency exams. These tasks created direct measures of our programs’ strength and areas for improvement. He oversaw the creation of our own online program assessment instrument that graduating senior will be asked to complete at the end of each year. He also collected indirect measures, such as course evaluations that include questions about the general education expected learning outcomes, listening sessions with undergraduates, and the review of course syllabi. Assessment is crucial to the continued success of our undergraduate programs and course offerings, and Emery’s commitment to this task was of great value to the department.
Emery has filled many roles on the Italian side of the department. He was responsible for coordinating and processing EM and Transfer credit requests for incoming students with previous Italian coursework. He also coordinated the Italian conversation tables that allow undergraduate students to meet with Italian teaching assistants for informal speaking practice.
Emery has also worked closely with undergraduate students of Italian. He served as the Italian Club advisor, regularly meeting with student officers of the club to assist them with organizing events, money and room requests, and publicity. He coordinated the SITE teaching program and internship programs in Italy. In this role, Emery was responsible for finding programs in Italy for our students and setting up the appropriate agreements. As a result of his work, we now have two established and successful internship programs, one in Rome and one in Sorrento.
Of course, it is impossible to talk about Emery without mentioning his excellent teaching record at Ohio State. In 2017 a $1000 donation was made in honor of Emery by one of his students. The donation went to the Italian Development Fund, which supports undergraduate study abroad in Italy. Emery always provides his students with the attention they need to succeed, both in the classroom and during office hours.
Emery specializes in 18th-century Italian theater, opera, and autobiography, and he incorporates his expertise in the classroom whenever appropriate. One of his classes performed in full costume scenes from a play by Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni. Last spring he gave a lecture on Casanova for Professor Benjamin Hoffmann’s graduate seminar. He has created and taught three different versions of Italian 3222: Modern Italian Media since it is a repeatable course. One course was a cultural history of Italy through the medium of Italian pop songs from the 1890's through the early 2000's, another focused on four operas, and the last used films to explore the concept of cultural geographies and personal identity in Italy. Emery has also created a number of activity packets that supplement and diversify teaching materials in a number of courses. Emery’s pedagogical skills and his versatility as an instructor has greatly benefited the Italian undergraduate program.
To celebrate Emery’s many achievements, we also reached out to some of his former students, who had many kind words to say about his warm personality and teaching:
“Ted is one of the most engaging professors I’ve ever had! He really cares about Italian, making his classes interesting, and most of all – his students. I really appreciate everything Ted taught me!”
- Sydney Stewart
“When I walked into Ted's Italian II class, I did not know what to expect; I hastily registered into the course after taking the placement exam on a whim a few days prior. However, Ted's larger than life presence made me feel at ease, and his immense love for both the rich culture of Italy as well as his dedicated students shined every time I entered the classroom. Although I ended up transferring the semester after his course, his passion left a lasting mark on my respect for the language and redefined what it truly means to be an instructor.”
- Dominick Dell'Imperio
“Some of the best memories from my time at Ohio State were made during the two semesters I spent in Ted Emery’s Italian language classes. His classes were challenging, but extremely rewarding and his dedication to students was evident. He did a great job of getting new students to interact and his classes always felt like a community. I am very appreciative to have had such an experienced and enthusiastic teacher.”
- Tristen Spahr
“I had my very first Italian class with Ted in the Fall of 2017. It was a fantastic introduction to the language, and I loved Ted's teaching style. When I learned the class was going to be taught entirely in Italian, I was extremely nervous. But, the second I entered the classroom, I gained a level of confidence I didn't think was possible thanks to the great learning environment that Ted created. He is a fantastic professor, and I am so thankful to have had a class with him.”
- Joseph Foti
“I had the pleasure of being taught by Professor Emery on two separate occasions. He is very passionate about language and culture, and it shows in his teaching style. He always brings a high level of enthusiasm and is very willing to help whenever anyone needs anything. His unique life experiences enhance the atmosphere of the classroom and allow for students to become more excited about what they are learning. Ted is very consistent and reliable on all fronts, never shying away from the opportunity to help someone succeed. He was one of the best professors that I’ve had during my time at Ohio State.”
- Dominick Femia
“Ted was my Italian professor for two semesters and in those semesters he had a huge impact on me. He helped me fall in love with the Italian language and culture and because of him I almost even minored in Italian. Unfortunately, since I picked my minor as a senior I wasn’t able to complete the minor in time, but Ted was constantly pushing me and helping me. He never made me feel stupid and always believed in me. He was by far my favorite professor during my time at Ohio State and I wish him the absolute best. Arrivederci, in bocca al lupo (per tutto)!”
- Paige Whitley
From your colleagues, your students, and from the department – Thank you, Dr. Emery!
