Teaching Philosophy
What are the goals of higher education, espeically in linguistics and cognitive science, and how can we achieve them?
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Higher education has two primary goals which I call academia's "dual mandate": the intellectual and the societal.
- The Intellectual: Higher education should maximize students' intellectual growth. It should strengthen students' independent learning and introduce the current state of knowledge in a field of study.
- The Societal: Higher education should prepare students for their societal roles. It should introduce skills and knowledge relevant to their future careers and civic engagement.
These goals are not always in natural alignment. A curriculum or a course can cultivate deep intellectual growth while remaining disconnected from practical realities. It can efficiently prepare students for the job market without genuinely challenging them to think. The task of higher education is to strike a balance between these two goals.
I design my courses and curriculum in linguistics and cognitive science with this dual mandate in mind. The lectures, readings, and supplementary videos present current state of knowledge and common theories in a specific subfield. The assignments and class projects aim to cultivate intellectual and practical skills that prepare students for their future careers and postgraduation life.