Pedagogical Philosophy
When I teach I strive to foster sound thinkers and culturally literate students who are ready for citizenship and leadership in a variety of fields. I believe wholeheartedly in a robust liberal education. Fostering a deep sense of one’s place in the world requires students to think about complex issues historically. A liberal education, as first described in Republican Rome, is critical to training students to be quality citizens. I also strongly believe that a college education should feature history, art, literature, and philosophy that challenges students to engage with the breadth and depth of human experience and apply this material to their own lives. Therefore, it is necessary to help students develop empathetic understandings of other people’s perspectives while encouraging students to acknowledge how their own experiences and biases shape their understanding of the world. Through understanding that the present is a direct product of the past, and my focus on connecting the past to the present, will students come to understand themselves and their place in the world.
Successful teaching starts creating a welcoming environment that seeks to include people from diverse backgrounds to make inclusive contributions to classroom dialogue. Recognizing the challenges that students from marginalized backgrounds face is central to my teaching and something I strive to remain cognizant of as I teach. A core component to eliciting engagement from students is trust. Trust is built through a welcoming environment and mutual respect. My career as a leader in the military and subsequent teaching career has provided me a multitude of opportunities to hone these skills. Being available, encouraging, and positive precipitates a culture of trust that allows students to open up and ask tough questions of me and about the course materials. Learning is a mutual enterprise where I learn as much from my students as I impart upon them. Realizing the full benefit accruing to the sheer diversity of those perspectives makes the consistent cultivation of a safe environment for free self-expression and often contentious debate crucial to success. Creating a culture of trust and respect is critical to engaging students and fostering learning and growth.
I believe that improving one’s ability to teach is cultivated throughout a career. Teaching, coaching, and mentoring is a lifelong pursuit of mine. This service to others is a core component of who I am as a human being, and how I feel I can make a difference in the world. While my research may only reach other specialists in my discipline, through teaching and mentoring I can stimulate the thinking and cultivate the character of thousands of students over the course of a lifetime.
Courses Taught as Instructor of Record
US History 1877 to Present (In person lecture-based course, Spring 2023)
World Military History (online asynchronous, 4 weeks, Summer 2023)
