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Archaeology Professor, Co-director of Jezreel Expedition Named UE Outstanding Teacher of the Year

Posted: Monday, May 12, 2014

Jennie Ebeling, associate professor in the Department of Archaeology and Art History at the University of Evansville, was named the 2014 Outstanding Teacher at the University during UE’s 156th Commencement Exercises May 10.

Ebeling is co-director of the Jezreel Expedition, an archeological project in the Iron Age city of Jezreel, Israel. Co-sponsored by UE and the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at Israel’s University of Haifa, Ebeling leads a multi-national team of archeologists, researchers, and students from U.S. and Israeli universities. Under her instruction, students learn the latest archaeological field methods, interact with international scholars, and research prehistoric, biblical, and modern archaeology. Recently, the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA) accredited the Jezreel archaeological field school, making it one of only 17 archaeological projects in the world to be certified by the RPA and the only project in the Middle East.

Known as Dr. E by her students, Ebeling joined the UE faculty in 2002. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Anthropology from Rutgers University in 1994, and her PhD in Archeology of the Near East from the University of Arizona in 2001. A former Fulbright scholar, Ebeling has been awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Lady Davis Fellowship Trust to conduct research in ancient technology, food and drink in antiquity, and women in Canaan and ancient Israel. She has co-edited books such as New Approaches to Old Stones: Recent Studies of Ground Stone Artifacts and Household Archaeology in Ancient Israel and Beyond and she is the author of Women’s Lives in Biblical Times.

Ebeling teaches core courses focusing on archaeology of the Near East, Egypt, and Syria-Palestine. She also teaches upper-level seminar courses on ancient technology, religion, and women in antiquity. Those nominating Ebeling described her as inspirational, thought provoking, extraordinary, and approachable. Many students praised her teaching style. According to one, Ebeling “shines as a classroom instructor. She encourages students to pursue topics that fit their own interests and enthusiasm.”

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