Teaching
What Students Say
"Dr Rachel Katz created an environment where I felt comfortable engaging in group discussions and voicing my opinion. Past tutorials for other modules are often filled with awkward silences and I often lack the confidence to voice my opinion. However, Dr Katz's tutorials have been really enjoyable and well organised, with different tasks each week such as debates, mind - maps and discussions in small groups.
Dr Katz also explains lecture content very well, I do not specialise in sociology therefore there sometimes terms I do not understand but Dr Katz always asks the class if we are unsure of certain terms and explains them in greater depth.
Lastly, Dr Katz's really helped me with my essay, she gave me very useful advice on the structure of my essay and helped to develop my argument."
"Rachel was genuinely one of the best teachers I have ever had.
Rachel was incredibly engaging and informed about every elements within the course and beyond. Rachel was well organised and offered brilliant feedback. I had a number of personal issues during the course and Rachel went out of her way to be helpful and make sure I was well informed and could make up for what I missed."
"Dr. Rachel Katz's teaching has been outstanding and has made this unit very enjoyable. Each class member is made to feel valued, for example in the very first tutorial Dr Katz made an effort to learn everyone's name, a simple task but one that is often forgotten by other tutorial leaders.
Furthermore, the tutorials are very well - organised, with different activities to engage class members in discussion. It is evident that a lot of planning and time has gone into the tutorials.
I also appreciated the use of youtube clips from TV shows which helped simplify different topics. The final revision tutorial was also very helpful, we were given the opportunity to recap on different topics and create mind - maps and also take photos of other class member's mind maps, a very useful revision task."
Past Experience
Teaching Expertise
In 2020 I won the Outstanding Staff Award for Teaching at University of Manchester.
I have guest lectured about topics such as:
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social science research methods
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ethics when researching digital media
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public engagement through news media
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dating apps
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conducting independent PhD research
I designed the content for my undergraduate tutorials/seminars for the sociology course Sustainability, Consumption, and Global Issues, teaching about topics such as:
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environmental sustainability
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gender studies
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sociology
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practice theory
Audience
My audience has ranged from undergraduates to fellow academics. Students in my classes are of various nationalities and academic major backgrounds. My methods are appropriate for both small seminars and large lectures.
Teaching Activities
Beyond the standard lecture, I also deliver activities that are
creative, interactive, and involve visual and audio sensory elements.
My techniques drive students toward taking an intellectual
stance and making an informed argument, key for
writing in all disciplines.
I design activities to encourage participation from both
shy and outgoing students.
Scale of Opinion
Students sort themselves according to a Likert Scale in dis/agreement with a broad controversial statement. They justify their thinking together as a group, followed by a class discussion between divergent groups.
Mind Map
Students map out socio-technical systems. In sustainability studies, this is useful for understanding how various social actors-- individuals, governments, and companies-- come together to shape a phenomenon.
Mock Trial
Students are randomly assigned a point of view they must argue as a legal team- a twist on a class debate. In the past, we have put the idea of consumption on trial and considered whether it is ultimately good or bad.