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News and Views
Fall 2000 Volume 11, Issue 1
The Rewards of Teaching
by Stacey Langwick
Teaching to me is both instant reward and long-term pride. The former, when the students grasp new historical insights and their faces suddenly light up. The latter, when I meet them again on campus and they are pursuing interests that were inspired by my courses. Students have often told me that my European background is an important part of my teaching as I could explain history from a perspective and experience largely new to them. I love to share my intellectual journey and teaching offers me a satisfying way to transmit the wealth of knowledge I have accumulated through the years.
Teaching has been a part of my life almost from the beginning of my existence as my grandmother was a teacher, my mother was trained as a teacher, and my husband of more than forty years is a faculty member at the University of Florida. I began my own academic teaching career after earning a Ph.D. in Intellectual History. I brought to my profession not only the influences I mentioned above, but also that of my fathers family which counts several generations of engineers. In fact, my first two university degrees were in the biophysical sciences. Engineering and history may seem like very distant fields, yet both deal with data and facts that have to be organized in a coherent way; the former erects physical structures, the latter creates historical narratives; both have to pass the test of time or scrutiny.
My teaching is informed by my research interest in the historical context and the cultural, political, religious, or social background of past societies in order to detect those shifting mentalities which motivated past events and actions. In my courses, be they in European civilization, medical history, or womens studies, I aim first to explain clearly the particulars of the period under consideration in terms of civil and political systems, scientific or medical knowledge, male or female expectations, and religious beliefs. Then, I want the students to be able to make sense of the past in order to understand the present and deal with the future.
I hold that any given situation becomes less mysterious when its antecedents and context are rendered as intelligible as possible. Besides, it is easier to discuss a contemporary problem when it is transposed to its past manifestations; the emotional and political implications can be left alone when we concentrate on the past situation and attempted solution. Some perennial problems, such as economic justice, medical care, crime, consumerism, or human rights, have in the past engaged some of the best minds, especially in the eighteenth century, in my field of research. By studying, in class, past approaches to the resolution of these ever-present questions, I try to launch the students on a journey of reflections on the attempts of the human race to better our world. I also hope that in the process my students will become personally involved in the common venture of society and will grow into responsible citizens who will seek pertinent information before setting their course of action.
In my teaching, I make a special effort to render my students aware that past individuals were as intelligent as we are, although their thoughts, explanations, beliefs, or solutions were informed by a different knowledge. Because we are standing on their shoulders, we can see further; and in order to pursue the quest toward larger feats, I try to inspire my students to strive for the best they can achieve in the particular course they are taking with me, then later in their chosen career.
To help the students think through the topics presented in class, I give exams that are in the form of essays. In most of my courses, the students have to present oral reports based on their term papers. This offers them the opportunity to share information and concerns about topics that more particularly appeal to their interests. It also leads to lively, albeit always polite, discussions that instill respect for others and impart pride in a work well-done. I expect my students to stretch their minds and their horizons. Year after year, it is with pride that I recognize their names on the Anderson Scholar roll.
Dr. Antoinette Emch-Deriaz is an affiliated faculty member in the Department of History, focusing on European intellectual history. Dr. Emch-Deriaz also teaches a course on Women, Mothers, and Midwives for the CWSGR.
