ALEXANDER DIENER

My teaching philosophy is deliberately interdisciplinary. I encourage students to explore questions from a variety of perspectives and call for them to recognize the interconnectedness of political, economic, social, cultural, and natural processes and phenomena. It is important to me that students not only ask ‘what’ is going on, but ‘why’ and then critically evaluate what they see, read, and hear. My courses compel active engagement with real world problems in a manner that is designed to lead students to their respective paths of purpose, service, and leadership. To be successful on these paths, students must develop skills of writing, speaking, researching, and organization. Skill acquisition is however only a partial goal of my courses and mentorship. Cultivating capacities for critical reading, critical listening, and the design of rigorous inquiry constitutes the core of my teaching/advising philosophy. My path to becoming a scholar began with the thrill of discovery that I encountered as a student. I therefore want my students to develop a similar passion for learning and to embrace the vibrancy of a ‘life of the mind’. In essence, I want students to see that “awareness” is better than a “lack of awareness.” For this to be true, however, it is imperative that we consider how subjective values of different people and groups influence the world in which we live. I encourage students to critically evaluate their own and others’ claims to ‘truth’ and notions of ‘progress’ - not only in instrumentalist or functionalist terms but also in moral and ethical terms. Through this process, I hope students adopt a sense of responsibility for the world and eschew social and political complacency. My classes balance theoretical literatures with empirical research. To be effective scholars of History, Geography, and Global Studies, it is important to develop skills that facilitate knowledge of particular events and circumstances but also employ and critique theory so as to advance their own and other’s understanding. Methodological skills are also essential, as the design of one’s research correlates to the profundity of the results. I offer courses designed to both stand alone and build upon one another. ‘Global Geographies’ offers a clear point of entry to historical, environmental, economic, and political processes shaping the world. My upper division courses delve deeply into themes such as migration, development politics, and socio-cultural/economic transition. I also teach graduate level seminars compelling textured and critical explorations of social and geographic theory pertaining to regionalism, borders/borderlands, and place attachment. In an effort to bridge history and global studies, I would seek to promote students’ understanding of complex, dynamic, and interrelated human and natural systems, while simultaneously demonstrating the usefulness of the ‘geographic lens’ to critically evaluate and create useful and informative theory. My previous success in doing so is demonstrated in my teaching evaluations (above 4.5) and the complimentary student commentary associated with my courses.