Ramona Naddaff, associate professor of Rhetoric and founding director of the Art of Writing program since 2015, has been awarded the Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. Distinguished Chair in Writing in recognition of her immense contributions to the teaching of writing on the Berkeley campus.
Naddaff’s research and teaching interests encompass the history of ancient rhetorical theory, philosophy and literature, the theory of the novel, and literary censorship. She is the author of Exiling the Poets: The Production of Censorship in Plato’s Republic, and is completing a new book on the history of the composition and publication of Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary.
Naddaff has made extraordinary contributions to the academic life of Berkeley’s students and faculty. The Art of Writing program, which Naddaff established and continues to direct, is dedicated to supporting excellence in undergraduate writing and in the teaching of writing at Berkeley. Its major offerings include advanced discipline-specific writing courses, training in writing pedagogy for graduate student instructors, an undergraduate peer writing-support program, writing-intensive professional internships, and specialized writing workshops.
As a result of Naddaff’s dedication and insight, Art of Writing continues to transform the writing landscape of the Berkeley campus. The Koshland Chair recognizes these accomplishments and singles out Naddaff as one of Berkeley’s most distinguished faculty members.
The chair is named in honor of Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. (1920–2007), a renowned UC Berkeley biochemist, professor, and former editor of Science magazine, known for his research on enzymes.