Eric AhernSawyer 

Teaching Philosophy

As a scientist, a novelist, and a medievalist I bring to my students the academic background of a researcher and the creative spirit to teach biology to a community with vastly different interests.  I credit my first college instructor for inspiring me to go into the sciences.  Our approaches differ.  Her way of teaching is focused on being very flexible with students on any assignment, and empowering her class by holding them to high scientific standards.  This benefited me greatly and I mix this style with my own strengths as a storyteller.  My goal is to awaken the interest and fire for ecological study in my students.  My methods center on fostering critical analysis by using creative and artistic mediums to illuminate scientific understanding.  I have used original games to illustrate ways of communicating threats brought by invasive species.  I use literature that establishes a deep history of scientific inquiry through creative texts such as John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row.  I use examples of fine art to open up the discussion of animal esthetics including pieces by Willem de Kooning that highlight similarities to the art of Congo the Chimpanzee. The often extreme lengths male bowerbirds perform when designing their nests, I find is an ideal way of breaking the notion that art is a human only endeavour.  How I assess mastery of course content is not based on testing per se.  I require active participation in lecture, lab, and field exercises.  Where my analysis will be based on how students present what they have learned by using their own words, skills, and experiences to show how they contextualized the knowledge gained through readings, homework, and outside study.  As a lifelong learner I relish the opportunity to gain new insights from my students and colleagues through collaboration across disciplines.