History
Connecting the past and present
Heather Streets' enthusiasm for world history and working with students at all levels is contagious.
“I love teaching here," she says. "With freshmen, the first year is not just learning about stuff, but also learning how to survive while you’re in college. Teaching seniors is much different because they’re adjusted and they bring a variety of backgrounds to class."
Learning far and wide
Professor Streets has traveled abroad to conduct research for some books she's written, and her students are big beneficiaries of her global understanding.
She taught a summer school class after getting back from Vietnam and interviewing General Vo Nguyen Giap, architect of the battle of Dien Bien Phu in the 1950s, and who later fought against Americans.
“When we did case studies for French Indo-China, I had lots to say about it from my experience there,” she said.
Lectures are optional
A class from Professor Streets is more than just someone lecturing about facts and dates. Even in her largest general education courses, she uses discussions and interaction among students as her favorite teaching method. She also uses films and art to bring topics to life bring a variety of learning methods to her classroom.
Why study history, anyway?
"Historians do what they do because they’re interested in the past in terms of the present," Professor Streets says. “Where have we been, how can we explain who we are?"
"It’s NOT all about memorizing facts and dates (which I actually have a hard time doing). It’s about concepts, it’s about thinking, about how we’ve become what we are.”
