By Douglas Van, Political Science Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2023 The history of political thought is enigmatic. Studying ideas well requires students to take seriously the beliefs and moral commitments of persons from radically different contexts from one another and from themselves. In a survey course like Democracy: Ancient and…
By Meg Everett, Berkeley School of Education Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2023 Washed in sunlight and seated in a bright room, the man smiles sanguinely at the camera and describes GPT-4 as a simple tool that solves real human needs. “The obvious one where these systems have incredible potential is…
By Valentín Sierra, Social Welfare Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2023 In our current educational system, colonialism is often overlooked or dismissed, perpetuating the marginalization of Indigenous peoples and their knowledge, while simultaneously reinforcing colonialism’s power over their lives. Colonialism is detrimental for all learners, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, as it perpetuates…
By Ryan Gourley, Music Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2023 Teaching the history of recorded sound poses a unique set of challenges. Class discussions involve technologies and recordings that have fallen into obscurity. Photos and diagrams do little to convey the feeling of operating devices such as a phonograph or a…
By Nancy Freitas, Energy and Resources Group Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2023 Figuring out how to fund your research and education as a graduate student is a daunting task. Most of us know that writing for grants and fellowships can help defray these costs, but learning how to navigate applications,…
By Salvador Gutierrez Peraza, Ethnic Studies Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2023 As a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) in the Department of Ethnic Studies part and parcel of my pedagogical training is the teaching of courses on the Ethno-Racial experience of U.S. minoritarian subjects and cultures. Our discipline entails “the critical…
By Kyra Sutton, Rhetoric Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2023 As a rhetoric instructor, I have found that undergraduates enter my courses having learned to subdue their feelings about academic texts. Whether they like the text, they have learned in high school, is beside the point; they are here to analyze…
By Morgan Jennings, Film & Media Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2023 In my Film R1B course we examine what monsters and representations of monsters in film and television reveal about the cultures that create and consume them. By looking closely at the various forms in which monstrosity appears on screen,…
By Kay Xia, Chemistry Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2023 Current efforts toward increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in STEM fields generally focus on increasing the numbers of women and racial minorities in these fields, but only rarely do we pose the question of whether the existing ideals of scientific…
By Enze Chen, Materials Science and Engineering Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2023 A hallmark feature of the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) curriculum is the hands-on laboratory courses where students perform experiments using advanced scientific instruments. There have been numerous content enhancements over the years, but the assessment at the…