Professor Karen O'Connor's voice has a tart edge and her gaze does not waver when she speaks. She would never let her students sleep in class or get away with not doing the assigned work. Her office is neat, orderly and impressively stocked with books. She does not hesitate to remind students that she once sent failure warning notices to almost an entire class and that she "tears apart" paper drafts.
"I tell them I am the highest priced editor they would ever have," she said with a smile.
Though her classes are tough and she doesn't try to hide it, she's not out for blood. And many students say her classes are some of the most rewarding they have ever taken.
O'Connor tries hard to develop a relationship with her students. She usually has them over for dinner at least once a semester. This year she invited her class over for a Halloween dinner, in costume. The students decorated cookies and voted for best political costumes (the winners were Mark Foley and his page). Don't expect to see O'Connor in an apron and chef's hat, though - she knows what her strengths are.
"People are good at certain things," she said matter-of-factly. "I teach, I write, I like students. I don't cook."
O'Connor said she doesn't waste time with tests in class. Instead, she gives quizzes online to make sure the students have read and understood the material. She said she treats all her classes the same regardless of the level because she considers her "Politics in the U.S." General Education class to be preparation for higher levels.
One of her current students, freshman Jon Weakley, said that's part of the reason he loves the class, though he originally decided to take it after he saw O'Connor speak at New Student Orientation.
"She has not only great expectations but also great respect for us," Weakley said. "Her vast knowledge in her field never ceases to amaze me."
O'Connor also gets her General Education classes involved in the D.C. political scene. She has taken her classes to the Supreme Court to meet Justices Ginsberg and O'Connor (Sandra Day, that is) and sends them on scavenger hunts through the city. Those who get their picture taken with celebrities get extra points.
Never one to expect less from students just because they are younger, even O'Connor's 100-level students have the rare chance to use late Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackman's papers in the Library of Congress to write analyses of court decisions.
This semester her students are closely tracking the upcoming election polls and making their own informed election predictions.
"It's election time, not to sound hokey, but it's like the festival of democracy," she said.
O'Connor was a professor at Emory University for 18 years before coming to AU in 1995. She is the director and founder of the Women and Politics Institute at AU, has written several books and over 50 scholarly articles and is president-elect of the Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association.
It is rare that someone so widely published and well respected would be willing to teach entry-level and non-honors political science courses.
Her co-worker and former Ph.D. student Professor Sarah Brewer said that she has always been impressed with O'Connor's teaching style. She talks about history and politics as a story and with a very cutting edge.
"She's very up-to-date, very engaged with students on the newer debates," Brewer said. "She entertains all perspectives"
