Teaching
I am on a Fellowship Year for ‘24/’25 so will not be teaching.
In Spring 2024 I was Lead TA/GSI for Southeast Asia 101B ‘Introduction to the Religion, History and Culture of Insular Southeast Asia’.
The content of this course has a temporal scope that covers the longue durée between the early modern and the present, and a geographic scope that includes Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.
In Fall 2023 I was Lead TA/GSI for Southeast Asia 101A ‘Introduction to the Religion, History and Culture of Mainland Southeast Asia’.
This course covered Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam from the 9th century to the present. Course material included primary sources from across that period alongside film, literature, academic scholarship and art.
I am also currently pursuing a Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from UC Berkeley, having completed a Certificate in Universal Design for Learning in 2023
If you are a student, office hours can be arranged here
Student Feedback
“Thomas is empathetic, knowledgeable but humble, lets students speak and provides adjustment”
— SEA101A (Fall 2023)
“Thomas was very good in presenting information. I enjoyed how he taught the material and how he engaged the class in the discussions. Everything was organized and well–thought out. I also liked the activities we did in class as it helped me further my understanding of the material. He was very helpful whenever I or another person had questions and answered very concisely.”
— SEA101A (Fall 2023)
85%
of students ‘agreed somewhat’, ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed that my ‘instructional activities, contributions, and/or feedback enhanced their learning. ’
(“Learning” may include gaining mastery of course content and new skills, exposure to new methodologies and modes of critical thinking, and extending the ability to express oneself on the topics treated in the course.)
“I went in with very limited knowledge of the region and now I feel like I have a strong basis. Also, it helped me hone my analysis, writing, presenting, and research skills which are applicable to all courses.”
— SEA 101A (Fall 2023)
“SO AMAZING! Thomas was always very organized and professional, he encouraged us to analyze and assess in the most helpful manner”
— SEA 101A (Fall 2023)
89.74%
of students ‘agreed somewhat’, ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed that I ‘created an environment in which they could feel included’
(for example, encouraged multiple voices/perspectives, welcomed questions and critiques, responded to student feedback).
“The GSI's strength was that he was transparent and supportive of the students. He also was easily available to reach or have a conversation with.”
— SEA 101A (Fall 2023)
87.5%
of students gave scores of 5 or higher* for
my ‘overall effectiveness’ as a GSI
*4 being ‘moderately effective’ and 7 being ‘extremely effective’.
Note: I received a mean of 88.27% for inclusive environment, 82.5% for overall effectiveness and 85.36% for enhancing their learning.
For context, that is equal to, 1.23% and 3.91% higher than the department average on the same questions.
This is based on feedback gathered from SEA101A in Fall 2023