As a teacher of Asian religious traditions, I am aware that for many students, my courses may provide one of their first – if not only – sustained encounters with Religious Studies, or with non-EuroAmerican practices and ways of thinking. With this in mind, my primary goal as an educator is to encourage students to think critically about new and unfamiliar material, while fostering respect for ways of thinking that might be different from their own. I achieve this goal by encouraging students to engage with diverse materials from different perspectives, by facilitating discussion through multiple channels, and by connecting the material that we study to contexts outside of a formal classroom setting.
I encourage students to think critically about course material outside of the classroom. Sometimes this happens through student-centered digital projects, field trips to local sites, or study abroad programs.
I also work to broaden students’ conceptions of “text” and “reading,” by incorporating diverse source materials and assignments into my courses.
I’ve also developed a 1-credit course called Doing Nothing that’s been featured in outlets such as Time Magazine, NPR, and CNBC.