The opportunity to instill enthusiasm for a subject in a student and to encourage critical questioning of the world is, for me, the most satisfying and important component of teaching. I thus measure my effectiveness as a pedagogue against my ability to inspire students to use analytical skills in service of independent thought conveyed in speech and writing. As an art historian, I consider it my duty to demonstrate how meaning may be decoded from the visual world and how art and architecture accrue social signification in time and space. Trained in Byzantine and early modern art and architectural history, I attempt to make the past come alive in my courses by engaging students to look for historical patterns and by making art historical debates relevant to larger concepts, theories and methodologies, and present-day issues.
Through direct engagement with objects and primary textual sources relevant to the subject by means of guided readings and museum and site visits, my courses balance traditional learning methods with experiential education. Although I have led seminars, lectured, guided museum and monument tours, and mentored students' intellectual projects one-on-one and in groups, I have found that not relying solely on one teaching strategy, but incorporating different pedagogical methods into my classroom, depending on the group of students and the subject at hand, is the most effective way to create a constructive learning environment that caters to everyone. I lead very organized classes with clear expectations, yet remain open to student feedback and flexible to changing my methodology given the response of my audience. I have found that this approach nurtures the most positive learning experiences. Additionally, I welcome diversity and diverse perspectives in my classroom.
In all of my courses, it is my objective to cultivate analytical skills that are informed by historical understanding, local and global perspectives, ethical awareness, the responsible use of relevant theories and methodologies, and the contemporary debates of the given subject. My courses are rigorous because I have found that challenging students from the perspective of believing in their aptitude is almost always met with their reward of learning, and mine for teaching. Furthermore, the experience of having constructed my own interdisciplinary and cross-cultural intellectual projects affords me the ability to relate to students from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. Overall, it is my belief that inclusivity is fundamental to the educational mission.