I Have Taught Nine Courses While a Graduate Student

Teaching Statement

Overview

I have taught nine courses while a graduate student:

SOC 101Introduction to Sociology

SOC 222Gender Identities, Interactions, and Relationships (2 semesters)

SOC 321Sociology of the Family (2 semesters plus correspondence course)

SOC 448Sociology of the Body (2 semesters)

SOC 459Sociology of Gender (2 semesters)

SOC 321Sociology of Sexuality [Scheduled Spring 2010, Web-Based]

In addition to those classes I have already taught, I am prepared to teach Research Methods, Quantitative and Qualitative Methods, and Theory. I am also interested in developingnew courses in Medical Sociology, Work and Organizations, Race and Ethnicity, Urban Sociology, Social Inequality, and Social Psychology.

Philosophy

I have three major goals as a sociology instructor: I want students to learn how social theory matters, I want them to learn how to think critically, and I want them to believe sociological research. I believe that my role, as an instructor, is to be an enthusiastic and knowledgeable resource that students can draw from as they develop themselves in these three areas.

First, I want students to see how social theory matters. To do this, many of my courses, readings, activities, and even exams run in two phases: we learn some social theories, and then we practice applying those theories to a variety of real life situations. For example, after learning the difference between biological essentialist and social constructionist theoriesin Sociology of Gender, we watched clips from a TV show and practiced identifying which approach the television characters are using. I believe that it is by actually practicing sociological principles that students are able to see the connection between social theory and their lives.

Second, I want students to learn how to think critically. Students in my class spend a substantial amount of time learning how to recognize bias and problematize the sociological literature that they read, lectures that I give, and their social world. I want students to develop the skill of healthy cynicism and critical thinking. I define critical thinking as the ability to recognize logical flaws, tolerate ambiguity in social debates, understand and empathize with positions that threaten deeply held values and beliefs, and identify biases in written and oral presentations. I organize many of my course activities around practicing these critical thinking skills.

Third, I want students to believe sociological research. Many students are able to recite sociological research, theory, and conclusions, and even apply these principles in exams. However, I realized recently that even my top students did not necessarily believe the information that they had been taught. My new goal as a sociology instructor is for students to actually believe the social constructionist viewpoint, believe that social inequality exists, and believe that sociological research is superior to common sense. I often anonymously poll students to directly ask them whether they believe what they’ve just been taught and, if not, what they do believe. I then use those responses to craft the next lecture.

To help students accomplish these goals, I strive to empower them as much as possible over the course organization, structure and content. I believe that when students take control over their own education they become more invested in the outcome. For example, last semester, individual students were able to select whether to write a comprehensive term paper or whether to do additional reading. Because I believe that people learn best through teaching, I also put students in teaching and facilitating roles.

As a role model to my students, I personally work to practice evidence-based teaching rather than practicing common-sense teaching. I am convinced by recent research that the learner-centered teaching practices I use are more effective than traditional teaching methods. I am committed to ongoing learning about best teaching practices.

Professional Development

I have won two teaching awards from the University of Arizona: the William K. Bunis Award at the Department level and the Outstanding Graduate Assistant Teaching Award from the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. I am pursuing the Certificate in College Teaching organized by the University of Arizona Teaching Center. This certificate requires three courses on teaching, including a supervised teaching course. I have had six teaching exercises and activities included in teaching manuals produced by the American Sociological Association. In 2005-2006, I served on the Undergraduate Studies Committee, where I had the opportunity to help revise the teaching requirements for graduate students. I presented a teaching-based paper at the Pacific Sociological Association meeting about embedding basic skills in Sociology courses in April 2008.

Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness--Qualitative

Qualitative evaluations offer a more complete picture of what students experience in my courses. The following excerpts are taken from written comments on official student evaluations. Complete qualitative evaluations are included in this folder.

I liked how Monika was really passionate about social issues, and it was obvious she knows a lot about the subject.

Instructor knew her stuff. Taught with excitement.

Professor Ulrich really seemed interested in her subject and teaching.

Teacher unbiased and amazing!

Monika is a great motivator who did an outstanding job in teaching this course this semester. I enjoyed it very well!

The instructor was very enthusiastic. She likes to teach. We need good teachers nowadays.

Monika is an amazing teacher. She tries very hard to present the information in many different ways.

The instructor’s enthusiasm made the class that much more interesting. I was willing to learn more knowing the instructor cared about the class.

Professor Ulrich has a good teaching method that makes her students reflect on the reasons they have the opinions and perceptions they hold.

Teacher was unbiased and presented both sides of arguments. I loved how she made us think, question, and form our own opinions. This was an awesome class.

Monika has an exceptional amount of enthusiasm for teaching!

Ms. Ulrich was a great teacher. Very enthusiastic, well organized, and always made class enjoyable.

The instructor was really effective. I enjoyed her teaching and enthusiasm for the subject.

The instructor knew her stuff and taught with excitement.

Really helpful teacher in and out of class.

Great professor. Very interesting and respectful.

You related to us well and used a variety of teaching and testing methods

Learned an exceptional amount. She taught with great knowledge. One of the best teachers I’ve ever had. Great learning environment.

I thought this class was very interesting and it made me think about things that I maybe never thought about in that way before.

Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness--Quantitative

The table below represents a selection of quantitative data provided by official student evaluations. Numbers in parentheses are comparison means provided by the Office of Instructional Assessment, University of Arizona. Complete teaching evaluation data is available in the appendix. The University of Arizona asks student to rank their course experiences on a five point scale (1=low quality and 5=high quality). I am pleased that students have ranked my courses above average in seven of the nine courses I have taught.