Cormac O’Dea Wins Yale College’s Top Teaching Prize in Social Sciences

Yale College has awarded Cormac O’Dea the Lex Hixon ’63 Prize, its highest honor for teaching excellence in the social sciences.

Professor O’Dea was recognized for his work leading Introductory Microeconomics (ECON 115), one of the largest courses at Yale, enrolling nearly 500 students each year. Despite the scale, students describe his lectures as clear, engaging, and personal.

According to the prize citation, O’Dea “makes one of our largest lecture courses at Yale feel intimate and accessible” with a “balance of seriousness and humor” that keeps students engaged. Students describe his lectures as “collaborative and dynamic,” and praise his thoughtful efforts to encourage participation. One student remarked that O’Dea encouragement gave them the confidence to participate for the first time in a large lecture setting—a moment that made a lasting impact on their experience at Yale.

Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis noted: “Students appreciate your ability to ‘explain complex material in a way that was beautifully clear and interconnected’ as one student described. You offer personalized support when students are struggling, lifting them up instead of making them feel that their work is unsatisfactory. Your efforts to forge personal connections with students gives them confidence, too.”

“Cormac does a masterful job of teaching the Department’s flagship course, Introductory Microeconomics," Economics Department Chair Tony Smith said. "Congratulations, Cormac, on this great achievement and for your superb contributions to our teaching mission.”

O’Dea, who joined the Yale faculty in 2018 and has taught ECON 115 six times, reflected on what he enjoys most about teaching:

“I especially like teaching students as they take their first economics class at Yale. Whether it will be the first of many economics classes, or the first and last, I hope there will be something about how economists think about the world that they will take with them.”

To make a large class feel more personal, O’Dea encourages students to introduce themselves—even just once—and actively creates moments for connection. Halfway through the semester, he polls students about their participation habits, and then challenges those who want to engage more to ask a question in class before the term ends.

“While it is a large class,” O'Dea said, “in addition to the faculty, we have a great team of graduate TAs, Undergraduate Learning Assistants, and peer tutors. So the class is large but does not have to be impersonal!”

“Your ability to ‘make economics both intellectually stimulating and fun is truly commendable,’” the prize citation concluded. “For that reason and for the warmth, enthusiasm and humor you bring to your classroom, Yale College is proud to award the Lex Hixon ’63 Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Social Sciences.”

We congratulate Professor O’Dea on this well-deserved honor, and thank him for the energy, care, and insight he brings to Yale Economics.