Site - ROTA Header

Regents' Outstanding
Teaching Awards

Main page content

Monica Rankin, PhD

Associate Professor of History; Director, Center for U.S.-Latin American Initiatives

School of Arts and Humanities

UT Dallas

Excellent teachers encourage students to think beyond a narrow set of skills and help them to become better global citizens.

I strive to familiarize students with the historical trends and concepts that are important for understanding Latin America while at the same time helping them to understand what it means to “do history.” I present history as an interpretation of evidence from the past, and I encourage students to engage in that interpretive process themselves as “historians in training.” I believe in a student-centered approach to teaching and I adapt pedagogical strategies in response to the diverse learning styles of the students. My classes employ a high degree of interactive learning, whereby students learn from each other and I act as guide and moderator in that process.