Dr. Manochehr Dorraj Q&A

Teaching in the MLA since:				2002
Specialty/Area of Research:				International Politics
MLA Courses Taught:				Globalization and Global Power Transition International Political Economy Preparing for the Challenges of the 21st Century

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How many years have you been teaching in the MLA program and what class or classes have you taught?

22 years

 

Tell us a little bit about your specialty or area of research?

I teach courses in international politics. In this area, I have offered the following courses for the MLA program: A.  Globalization and Global Power Transition. B. International Political Economy. C. Preparing for the Challenges of 21^st century.

 

How does your background inform your teaching and scholarship?

I try to use the academic literature in my field to understand the complexities of our rapidly changing world, while challenging our students to critically examine the conventional wisdom and the ascendant narratives. I also incorporate the discussion of current events in my courses in order to make the classical literature more tangible and applicable to a more nuanced understanding of contemporary societies and demonstrate how it impacts our lives.

 

How do you try to make the material in your class engaging considering most students complete their MLA degree 100% online?

My courses these days are offered on line. I use a combination of power points, Socratic dialogue, group collaborative oral presentations, book reviews and research papers to engage and assess my students’ performance in the course.

 

What is an interesting fact about yourelf that you like to share with your students? 

As an immigrant, who has also traveled the world extensively, I bring a different global perspective to class room. MY students seem to appreciate that. What they learn in my classes is not a repetition of main stream media coverage of global events. My intellectual ambition is to provide an analysis of the larger global picture in which national dynamics unfold. This hopefully would also help them to understand US domestic and foreign policies in a larger context.

 

What advantages do you think there are to getting a Master's Degree in the Liberal Arts? How can it be helpful in the "real world"? 

What I like about our MLA program is that it attempts to provide our students with a broad and multidisciplinary education that broadens their horizons and socializes them to be a more aware and engaged global citizens, and a more informed voter. Informed  and engaged citizenry is crucial to the vitality of any democratic political system.  For this reason, I believe, our MLA program plays a significant role in fulfilling this mission.