My classes are dynamic, intense, and supportive and impart awareness in my students of the ways historical events and people relate to our world today. I show students how the study of history can help us understand current events and contemporary situations and people around us. My goal as a professor is not to force students to memorize a series of events, but to give them the ability to ask new questions, learn new ways of reading, and develop a passion for critical engagement with the past and the present. I show students how to use critical thinking to make sense of the past, to identify and differentiate historical events and themes, and unravel their importance through the use of primary and secondary sources. My training as a European and global historian has given me a broad perspective on the world and my research on the transnational and transoceanic connections between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe shapes my approach to teaching. Students in my classes learn how globalization has transformed the world, encouraging them to makeconnections between different peoples, regions, and time periods. From my own undergraduate experience at a small liberal arts college, I know professorshave the opportunity to not only teach students, but also mentor them. Thisability to give personalized attention to students is a great benefit of working at a school like the University of the Pacific. I am accessible outside the classroom and encourage students to attend my office hours in order to ask questions, discuss ideas, and get one-on-one help with paper drafts.