Dr Keene describes receiving the ANZSOC Award for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching as a huge honour and a deeply motivating recognition of her commitment to safe, brave, and relational teaching. The award affirms the importance of thoughtful, ethically grounded approaches when teaching sensitive topics in criminology, particularly those related to gender and violence.
The award recognises Dr Keene’s approach to teaching that is explicitly informed by her research on gender-based violence and a relational ethics of care. Her teaching centres students as whole people, meets them where they are, and prioritises hauora (wellbeing) as foundational to learning—creating conditions where students can engage meaningfully with challenging material.
Looking ahead, Dr Keene is returning to the classroom while also commencing a new research project exploring women’s experiences of reporting and help-seeking following strangulation and/or choking. She is excited to bring insights from this work back into her teaching, further strengthening the reciprocal relationship between research, pedagogy, and student learning.
The Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology (ANZSOC) recognises outstanding contributions to teaching through the Award for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching, celebrating educators who demonstrate exceptional and innovative approaches to teaching criminology and related disciplines across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
At the 2025 ANZSOC Conference, this award was presented to Dr Samantha Keene from Victoria University of Wellington | Te Herenga Waka, in recognition of her outstanding teaching in entry-level criminology and her particular expertise in research-led teaching on gender and crime.
Samantha’s teaching is distinguished by its commitment to safe, brave, and relational learning environments that enable students to engage critically and carefully with sensitive and confronting topics. We spoke with Samantha about what the award means to her, the teaching practices recognised, and what’s next in her teaching and research.
What does receiving this ANZSOC award mean to you?
It is a huge honour to receive the ANZSOC Excellence in Teaching and Innovation Award for 2025. I am still a bit in awe that I was selected! It is lovely to be recognised for my commitment to safe, brave and relational teaching about sensitive subjects in criminology. It is a huge motivation to continue researching in this space, as well as helping others develop their teaching.
Could you briefly describe the work or contribution recognised by this award?
I am passionate about creating safe, brave spaces for students to engage with challenging material. In doing this, I am guided by my teaching philosophy which is informed by my research on gender-based violence and a commitment to a relational ethics of care for students. In my teaching, we regularly cover sensitive topics and materials which necessitates an approach that is informed by an ethics of care, that meets students where they are, views them as whole, and centres their hauora (wellbeing) as the essence of my teaching strategy.
What’s next for you? Any projects or goals you’re excited about?
Following receipt of this award, I’m jumping straight back into teaching this year. I will also be starting a new research project about women’s experiences of reporting and help-seeking in the aftermath of experiencing strangulation and/or choking. I am excited to see where this next project takes me, and to use the findings from my research to inform my future teaching.
