Teaching Philosophy

The practice of studying history involves both student and instructor collaboration. This practice wields the transformative power to change the intellectual trajectories of students and reframe how the instructor evaluates the purpose of history as a category of intellectual inquiry. My role enables students to examine, evaluate and understand the significance of various historical contexts.  Through which they can assess the significance of these contexts and analyze events, individuals or theoretical frameworks for themselves. More importantly, I want students to experience the topics we examine in the course through primary sources and various secondary sources including art, film, and music. 

It is my goal that students feel empowered as mindful historical actors once they finish the course. My understanding of historical study is a process through which students can engage in their own conversations with the “past” and the “present.” As part of this process, it is my task to act as a facilitator in this conversation. Not only do I expose students to history as a scholarly discipline but also I aim to promote their growth in writing, critical analysis and fomenting their own academic voice.  I am a proponent of active learning and use a variety of methods to foster discussion and engagement with the issues/questions the course presents. One method that I frequently use in the “one minute round.” During this exercise, I ask each person to offer commentary and insight about the primary source readings. The “One Minute Round” is an opportunity to engage with each week’s reading by offering their own interpretations, analysis and or questions. Students are encouraged to cite different primary passages and state what stood out and why. In this exercise, students are also empowered to take responsibility for their own learning by preparing their own questions, which is designed to promote class discussion as well as help other students learn how to prepare and present short analyses of specific readings to begin the larger class conversation.  

During weekly class recitations, I facilitated group discussions based on material presented in the lectures. Organized in three parts, these meetings are used to review and dive deeply into the assigned material. I prepare a “mini-lecture” to reinforce important points from lecture. Secondly, I use a class activity, for example a  think-pair-share” activity to allow students to reflect on important points raised during the class session, share their reflections with surrounding classmates, and briefly discuss the insights gained as a group before continuing with my lesson plan. Finally, various secondary sources including art, film or music are paired with the assigned primary sources to encourage cooperative and collaborative learning among students.  

Whether in Syracuse classrooms, symposiums in Paris or local community centers, I am dedicated to teaching a broad array of students. I train students to think critically about cultural, linguistic, political and socio-economic developments within a global context.  I am very committed to providing a learning environment that is both exciting and rigorous, one that empowers students to pursue learning. I devise various assessment strategies that allows me to evaluate student learning in conjunction with varied learning styles. Above all, I endeavor to create an environment where students feel respected and willing to discuss the intersections of race, gender, sexuality and class. All of which are critical to interrogating historical changes and movements examined in the context of various courses.

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