Associate Professor Claudia Moser is the recipient of a prestigious UCSB Distinguished Teaching Award for 2020. Professor Moser's research is focused on the archaeological record of Roman religion, specifically animal sacrifice and the temples, shrines, and altars at which this ritual took place. She has taught classes on Ancient Spectacle, Field Archaeology, Roman Religion, the City of Rome, Greek Art and Archaeology, and Roman Art and Archaeology; in each of these classes, she is known for making the ancient world come to life through activities outside the classroom, such as digging up a mock archaeological trench next to UCSB’s Lagoon, re-enacting an ancient Roman dinner party and mock animal sacrifice in the center of campus, or participating in an archaeological field survey on the streets of Isla Vista.

The Distinguished Teaching Awards - a maximum of six are awarded each year - acknowledge the efforts of faculty members who have successfully united excellence in teaching with excellence in creative and scholarly work. The awards are intended to recognize the distinguished teaching accomplishments of the faculty, which may be exhibited at any time during a faculty member's career.