Teaching is more than just an academic chore; it requires dedicated scholarship to inspire critical thinking and produce ideas and solutions responsive to the emerging challenges faced by society. I apply this teaching philosophy in my classes by focusing on three key areas of the learner-centered education: engaging students in research, developing systems thinking, and fostering critical analysis and communication skills.

My career goal is to train the next generation of sustainability scholars and practitioners. As an environmental anthropologist, I emphasize interdisciplinary training that is hands-on and cutting-edge. I strongly believe in the value of anthropology and social sciences in general to study complex sustainability challenges such as, climate change, food security, water scarcity, urban sprawl, and biodiversity loss. Sustainability is (and has been) at the heart of all of what I do in research as well as in teaching.

I always enjoy my role as a teacher, and am strongly committed to teaching and mentoring, which I find extremely fulfilling, because it offers an opportunity for me to engage and collaborate with the budding scholars with fresh ideas. In turn, it allows me the opportunity to explore ideas from new perspectives and expand my own worldviews. In the classroom, I promote active learning techniques and challenge students to think critically. I also employ an effective mix of multimedia and online resources (e.g., Blackboard, video clips) to enhance students’ learning. Furthermore, I ask students to follow the current news and blogs on environmental and sustainability issues, which I discuss in class to relate to the course objectives.

My teaching approach embraces the idea of being creative, supportive, and consistent in education. Apart from lectures, visual presentations, and periodic tests, I prefer creative assignments (e.g., short essay, critical review of literature) and group projects, which enable students’ ability to advance their knowledge on the topics of their interest. My students also get to learn and apply a set of practical tools and skills in their research, which include social impact assessment, policy analysis, participatory planning, stakeholder and institutional analysis, and social network analysis. These teaching strategies aim at developing students’ confidence, and advancing communication and leadership skills crucial for a career in sustainability.

As an anthropologist, I highly value the significance of students conducting fieldwork along with faculty mentors. In doing so, students realize the value of a good research design, while learning necessary skills and methods to complete the process. This strategy also ensures that students develop the ability go beyond classroom-based education to advance their critical thinking and communication skills.

I offer a range of classes, from introductory courses on sustainability science and policies to seminars on agricultural sustainability, local knowledge, participatory research, and climate change adaptation.