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Links You Can Use Kickstarting Your Academic Career: Skills to Succeed in the Social Sciences (Ostergard & Fisher; available Spring 2017)
Letters of Recommendation (Will I write one for you?) Grad School Application Timeline: 12 Month Approach |
I am happy to say that my peers and students have recognized my teaching through multiple awards and citations. Perhaps the best things that a teacher can do is to pass along the knowledge that she or he has acquired during years of research and to act as a mentor for the students of the next generation. |
I do not hold a "view" in class. I argue from all sides of the political spectrum. I try to keep my students not only alert and on their toes, but also mentally stimulated. Hence, my approach to teaching has to address the variations amongst my students without being discouraging for students.
As such, I have three principles that I adhere to when I teach: (1) engage students and keep their attention, (2) challenge them to think critically and analytically about the topic, not just passively listen to it or simply memorize a bunch of facts, and (3) give them the skills and techniques needed to succeed, not just in my courses, but across the curriculum.
The research component of my classes is intended to give students practice with writing, documentation and library research. Why? What is most important to instill in my students is helping them (1) to understand why certain political phenomena occur, (2) to make connections, (3) to make decisions about ideas and policies for themselves, (4) to hone their detectors for deception. In other words, I try to help them do what social scientists and all scientists have been doing for centuries now: to seek what we believe at that moment in time is the best explanation for the phenomena we are studying. I've avoided the word "truth" here, because truth implies an immutable quality. I worry when we cannot change our ideas or thoughts to reflect changes in what we know or what we see. So, we are seeking the best explanation at this moment in history.
I have worked often with my students, both undergraduates and graduates, in doing research. Some of the papers I've listed under my research page were co-authored with undergraduate and graduate students who contributed significantly to the research (yes, well beyond pulling a few references from the library). If you are interested in research on a current project I have or on a topic that you have in mind, come and talk with me about it.
As such, I have three principles that I adhere to when I teach: (1) engage students and keep their attention, (2) challenge them to think critically and analytically about the topic, not just passively listen to it or simply memorize a bunch of facts, and (3) give them the skills and techniques needed to succeed, not just in my courses, but across the curriculum.
The research component of my classes is intended to give students practice with writing, documentation and library research. Why? What is most important to instill in my students is helping them (1) to understand why certain political phenomena occur, (2) to make connections, (3) to make decisions about ideas and policies for themselves, (4) to hone their detectors for deception. In other words, I try to help them do what social scientists and all scientists have been doing for centuries now: to seek what we believe at that moment in time is the best explanation for the phenomena we are studying. I've avoided the word "truth" here, because truth implies an immutable quality. I worry when we cannot change our ideas or thoughts to reflect changes in what we know or what we see. So, we are seeking the best explanation at this moment in history.
I have worked often with my students, both undergraduates and graduates, in doing research. Some of the papers I've listed under my research page were co-authored with undergraduate and graduate students who contributed significantly to the research (yes, well beyond pulling a few references from the library). If you are interested in research on a current project I have or on a topic that you have in mind, come and talk with me about it.
Copyright Robert L. Ostergard, Jr.