Kathleen Bradley-Volz

Statement of Teaching Philosophy

As a feminist teacher, my principal goal is to assist students in developing the skills to
analyze the workings of sex and gender as social categories, interconnected with other identity
categories and influenced by power relations. Additionally, my teaching is driven by four
primary and related commitments: engaged learning, teaching transferable skills, accessibility,
and interdisciplinarity.
Engaged Learning: In engaged learning, the teacher and the students work together to
understand a shared object of inquiry. In order to promote engaged-learning, I have developed a
variety of project-based assignments for my course. For example, in my Human Sexuality and
Culture course, students working in groups were able to construct sexuality within their own
societies. Founded in post-structuralist and postmodern theories, they decided if and how bodies
should be sexed, how they would categorize sexuality and what qualifies as a sexual orientation.
In addition, students were asked to write popular press articles (in the style of Huffington
Post and Slate), communicating to the general public their categorization of sexual orientation.
The project was successful in encouraging students to think about the process of information
transfer to and within a patriarchal society. Students were also able to take control of one class
session and decide what relevant topic would be the focus, as well as the way in which they
would learn about this topic.
Teaching Transferable Skills: I am committed to teaching both challenging content and
transferable skills. My goal is to equip my students with skills in the areas of critical reading,
research, writing, and oral expression. For example, in my Human Sexuality and Culture course,

I devoted class periods to the topics of reading critically, writing analytically, and conducting
research.
Accessibility: I work hard to make course concepts and skills accessible and attainable by
all students, regardless of learning style or physical or sensory abilities. To promote accessibility,
I combine a variety of teaching methods (lectures, class discussions, documentaries, and small
group work) with a variety of assessment tools (including quizzes, oral presentations, group
projects, and writing assignments). I also use technology (including PowerPoint and Moodle) to
facilitate student learning, and I am interested in incorporating other emerging technologies into
my teaching in order to increase accessibility.
Interdisciplinarity: I am committed to interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary research
and teaching. In my Human Sexuality and Culture course, I make sure to include readings and
perspectives from a wide range of disciplines.