Learning through Collaboration and dialogue
As an educator in the field of anthropology, my main objective is that my students gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be human. My courses, regardless of specific topic, are structured to highlight preconceptions about humanity and to encourage students to consider how the world might be understood differently. My teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that the classroom should be a venue for growth through dialogue and experimentation and that students should feel free to engage anthropological concepts in creative ways that intersect with their own talents and interests. I believe that mastery of course concepts can be exhibited in a number of ways that extend beyond exams and term papers. My role as a teacher is to guide my students as they collectively explore course concepts and discover how they are relevant to their own lives.
Challenging Assumptions
While my classes emphasize collaborative learning, they also encourage engagement with diverse perspectives that intentionally challenge dominant interpretations. I assign texts that focus on issues relevant to disempowered groups such as indigenous peoples and nations of the Global South, as well as those authored by scholars from these groups. This teaches students to interrogate issues from multiple positions. In my class “The Archaeology of USC,” students explored the history and archaeology of Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. Invited speakers, including a Native American archaeologist, taught students about the ethical and legal dilemmas concerning archaeological remains. Students also visited the Natural History Museum-LA and analyzed the glaring underrepresentation of indigenous and other minority groups in the “Discovering LA” exhibit. Inspired by these experiences, many students designed their final projects around the subject of decolonizing archaeology. They created a wide range of non-traditional products—including a board game, a comic book, and a television script—for teaching non-academic audiences about the archaeology and history of Los Angeles. I co-authored an article for Anthropology Now that details the design, execution, and efficacy of this course
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
I assess my students in different ways, balancing traditional testing with long-term projects that provide opportunities to apply course concepts to complex issues. These projects emphasize critical, deliberative thinking and facilitate thoughtful engagement with class materials. I find projects that slowly build over time and incorporate collaborative elements as well as opportunities to work independently are very effective. One example is an activity I incorporate into my course “Our Human Past: Introduction to Archaeology,” which focuses on the ethical concerns of archaeologists. I present small groups with various ethical dilemmas facing real archaeologists all over the world, and also provide them with a copy of the Society for American Archaeology’s principles of archaeological ethics. Based on these criteria and armed with their own moral compasses, groups decide how they would navigate these scenarios and share their solutions with the class through short presentations. This project is especially effective because it compels students to critically integrate course concepts and to build convincing arguments around complicated issues. It also illustrates the challenges faced by archaeologists today and highlights the salient but paradoxical point that although archaeologists study the past, the implications of their work can have weighty consequences for living people.
Learning That Lasts a Lifetime
I have considerable experience mentoring undergraduate students and see this as a vital part of my job. During the summer, I bring undergraduate students to the field with me. Following our trip, I mentor them as they conduct independent research projects based on their experiences. Currently, my students’ projects include an ethnographic film, a public-facing museum exhibit, an interactive cultural map, and a screenplay written in iambic pentameter about the drama of heritage preservation. I also serve as the faculty mentor for our undergraduate archaeology club. I help student organize talks and social events and I also do professionalization training and talk to students about getting into graduate school and finding jobs in archaeology outside of academia. Through my mentoring and teaching I strive to instill in my students that the pursuit of knowledge, while deeply gratifying, has its most worthwhile expression in service to others. I strive to ignite in my students a sense of social responsibility and equip them with skills to improve our world. While specific course concepts may only stick with students for a semester, broader anthropological skills, including critical analysis and self-reflection, last a lifetime.