Teaching Philosophy____________________________________________________________
As a teacher of economics, my desire is to both communicate to my students the broad scope of economic applications and to equip them with the quantitative tools of this discipline to pursue those applications. To accomplish this, I incorporate four elements into my teaching and mentorship. First, I cultivate an enthusiasm for economics by connecting the tools of the discipline to the variety of topics and problems that students care about, including in their own research and life experience. I try to connect all the concepts and theories discussed in the classroom to examples that students can relate to from their own lives. For example, if I am teaching the concept of “opportunity cost”, I will engage students in a reflective writing assignment which encourages them to think about how the concept of “opportunity cost” applies to their daily lives. I emphasize student engagement in the courses I teach through strategies that promote critical thinking about the complexity of economics and the role it plays in shaping roles and relations between economic groups. For instance, on the first day of class, I ask students to describe the different economic roles they play in the market. This helps students to identify different aspects of economics in their own lives.
Second, I feel that while it is important to teach students the wide range of economic topics, it is also important that they learn the limits of economic study. Being mindful about this, I always try to have an open discussion on economic problems, which sometimes get mixed with social issues and cultural ideas, thus, presenting no clear-cut answers. For example, during class discussion, I raise the issue about whether the debt collected by the apartheid regime in South Africa should be paid back by later regimes. These kinds of discussions make students aware that in some cases, where economics gets mixed with politics and morality, it cannot provide us with concrete answers, but can rather just inform us.
Third, I endeavor to teach economics’ quantitative tools in such a way that they translate into rigorous analytical skills by firmly grounding them in their underlying intuition. For example, to encourage students to think about the quantitative aspects of the economic theories being covered in class, I engage them in group writing assignments involving quantitative analysis of case studies. I also place an emphasis on developing the students’ empirical research skills by focusing on independent research projects with mentorship throughout the semester.
Fourth, I recognize that my students are all in transitional periods of their lives and that I, in part, play a small role in guiding them through these periods. To play that role effectively I must have a feel for who they are beyond the walls of the classroom. Knowing the students on a personal level also creates a level of comfort for them in the classroom where they can bring in unique perspectives during discussions by being self-reflexive of their personal identities. I understand that students, specially at the undergraduate level, are sometimes going through a tough transition in their lives. Therefore, I feel that my role goes beyond the classroom and extends to providing guidance and mentorship to students when they need it. Doing so not only improves the emotional health of the students but also improves their academic achievement.
Teaching Experience____________________________________________________________
In-Person
Economics of Developing Countries Spring 2022
Principles of Macroeconomics Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020
Statistics for Business & Economics Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021
Money and Banking Fall 2021
Econometrics Fall 2020, Spring 2020
Managerial Statistics (MBA) Fall 2020, Summer 2021
Principles of Microeconomics Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2016
Intermediate Microeconomics Fall 2019, Fall 2016
Workshop in Applied Economics Fall 2017
Economics Tools (Flipped Course) Spring 2014, Fall 2013
Online
Principles of Microeconomics Summer 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Principles of Macroeconomics Summer 2019, Summer 2018
As a teacher of economics, my desire is to both communicate to my students the broad scope of economic applications and to equip them with the quantitative tools of this discipline to pursue those applications. To accomplish this, I incorporate four elements into my teaching and mentorship. First, I cultivate an enthusiasm for economics by connecting the tools of the discipline to the variety of topics and problems that students care about, including in their own research and life experience. I try to connect all the concepts and theories discussed in the classroom to examples that students can relate to from their own lives. For example, if I am teaching the concept of “opportunity cost”, I will engage students in a reflective writing assignment which encourages them to think about how the concept of “opportunity cost” applies to their daily lives. I emphasize student engagement in the courses I teach through strategies that promote critical thinking about the complexity of economics and the role it plays in shaping roles and relations between economic groups. For instance, on the first day of class, I ask students to describe the different economic roles they play in the market. This helps students to identify different aspects of economics in their own lives.
Second, I feel that while it is important to teach students the wide range of economic topics, it is also important that they learn the limits of economic study. Being mindful about this, I always try to have an open discussion on economic problems, which sometimes get mixed with social issues and cultural ideas, thus, presenting no clear-cut answers. For example, during class discussion, I raise the issue about whether the debt collected by the apartheid regime in South Africa should be paid back by later regimes. These kinds of discussions make students aware that in some cases, where economics gets mixed with politics and morality, it cannot provide us with concrete answers, but can rather just inform us.
Third, I endeavor to teach economics’ quantitative tools in such a way that they translate into rigorous analytical skills by firmly grounding them in their underlying intuition. For example, to encourage students to think about the quantitative aspects of the economic theories being covered in class, I engage them in group writing assignments involving quantitative analysis of case studies. I also place an emphasis on developing the students’ empirical research skills by focusing on independent research projects with mentorship throughout the semester.
Fourth, I recognize that my students are all in transitional periods of their lives and that I, in part, play a small role in guiding them through these periods. To play that role effectively I must have a feel for who they are beyond the walls of the classroom. Knowing the students on a personal level also creates a level of comfort for them in the classroom where they can bring in unique perspectives during discussions by being self-reflexive of their personal identities. I understand that students, specially at the undergraduate level, are sometimes going through a tough transition in their lives. Therefore, I feel that my role goes beyond the classroom and extends to providing guidance and mentorship to students when they need it. Doing so not only improves the emotional health of the students but also improves their academic achievement.
Teaching Experience____________________________________________________________
In-Person
Economics of Developing Countries Spring 2022
Principles of Macroeconomics Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020
Statistics for Business & Economics Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021
Money and Banking Fall 2021
Econometrics Fall 2020, Spring 2020
Managerial Statistics (MBA) Fall 2020, Summer 2021
Principles of Microeconomics Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2016
Intermediate Microeconomics Fall 2019, Fall 2016
Workshop in Applied Economics Fall 2017
Economics Tools (Flipped Course) Spring 2014, Fall 2013
Online
Principles of Microeconomics Summer 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Principles of Macroeconomics Summer 2019, Summer 2018
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