For former UTA student Eliamaria Crawford, time spent in UTA Professor Allan Saxe’s political science class is literally paying off. She recently published a book of comic illustrations entitled “Humans Really Irritate Me” which stars the professor.
It all began with an introductory political science course she took during a summer semester. “As soon as he opened his mouth and said his first silly quote, I just had to write them all down,” said Crawford. “By the end of each semester of class, I had more quotes than notes.”
Crawford, a theatre major, started the illustrations for her own webcomic, Elia in a Box. By her senior year, she landed a job as a cartoonist at the UTA Shorthorn newspaper which featured a one-panel Saxe comic in every issue.
During her time at the Shorthorn, she was encouraged to submit her work to Columbia Scholastic Press Association, where she received first place in the category Comic Cartoons for Digital Media. “I had no idea how big of a deal these awards were,” said Crawford. “Nationwide newspapers and online news outlets were all submitting material, and they happened to choose mine. It was surreal.”
By the time Crawford graduated in 2014, she realized she had a plethora of quotes that still weren’t drawn. She picked the notebook back up and decided to get them published.
Former Saxe students are likely to relate to the book’s subject matter. He has taught political science on the UTA campus since 1965 and is one of the most well-known faces at UT Arlington. Thousands of students have benefited from his expertise with many offering to sit on the floor or outside just to hear his lectures.
When asked about the book, Dr. Saxe replied, “Frankly I enjoyed it because someone finally captured who I am. There is a certain mindset for sarcasm, and she has it.”
Humans Really Irritate Me: and other wise words verbalized by Dr. Allan Saxe can be found on Amazon for $10.99.
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