Nathaniel Katz, Lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies and Classics, is the recipient of the College of Humanities 2026 Distinguished Teaching Award.
Since joining the U of A in 2022, Katz has taught more than 5,000 students in a wide range of courses and modalities, from large gen-ed courses such as Classical Mythology (both in person and online) to upper-level courses on ancient empires, and even courses for the Arizona in Orvieto study abroad program and the Dorrance Scholarship Program, said Karen Seat, Head of the Department of Religious Studies and Classics.
“Dr. Katz has proven himself to be an outstanding teacher in all these courses, with many students continuing their studies with him and declaring the Classics major or minor as a result of the passion he inspires,” wrote Seat in nominating Katz for the award. “Dr. Katz is dedicated to continually improving his courses to create meaningful learning experiences and to connect with students, no matter the size or modality of the course.”
Even with his heavy teaching load and the large number of students he teaches, Katz is fully committed to student success and makes himself available to students outside of class to support them in their learning processes, Seat wrote, with student nomination letters speaking to their own experiences learning with Katz.
One student wrote about how taking a gen-ed course with Katz made him fall in love with Classics and declare a minor, which led him to taking courses with Katz for two more semesters in a row.
“If it weren’t for how entertaining and engaging Dr. Katz’s lectures were, I would never have found my passion for classics. Dr. Katz always brought an unmatched level of enthusiasm to his lectures, which always brightened my day,” he wrote. “While some of my other courses gave me mundane assignments that felt like busy work, each assignment from Dr. Katz was thought provoking and I genuinely loved doing them. The prompts he had for our weekly discussion posts were perfectly made to get students thinking about important questions and practice argumentative writing.”
Another student wrote that “Dr. Katz has been one of the most inspiring professors and orators I know.”
“He has an incredible charm and cadence to his lectures that would always keep the class entertained, engaged, and curious about what aspect of history or art we would learn next. He would also allow for open discussions surrounding individual interpretations of works, sparking individual connections and mutual growth with my classmates,” the student wrote. “My favorite part of having Dr. Katz as a teacher, however, was not his rousing talks, but instead, the moments spent outside of lecture. Dr. Katz is truly passionate about what he teaches and also has a great aptitude for understanding the goals and preferences of each one of his students.”
Seat wrote that she was able to witness Katz’s teaching mastery herself co-teaching a summer course with him in 2025. Students bound for Orvieto in the Dorrance Scholars Program take two Classics courses to prepare, which Katz taught back to back, with Seat joining in part of the second course.
“I was inspired and not a little dumbfounded at his excitement and joy in teaching each class session, as well as his ability to keep students engaged, hour after hour, day after day,” she wrote. “He showed no signs of losing his energy or enthusiasm as he led the second course of the day—and the student showed no signs of tiring of him. Dr. Katz is a master teacher.”