At Salem State University, I teach a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses that introduce students on modern South Asia, the British Empire, and world history. My teaching philosophy for these courses is guided by three principles. The first is a strong commitment to teaching historical thinking and methodology. In every class, I seek to provoke students to think like historians by creating an environment in which we collectively engage in exploring, questioning, challenging and defending interpretations of history. A second dimension is an emphasis on global diversity within my courses. My interest in both South Asian and world history has been rooted in my desire to understand and appreciate the diversity of the human experience across the world, as well as my mission to bring this world to the classroom in creative and innovative ways. Finally, I have become more certain that my students learn best through experiential methods. In my discipline, the experience of being a historian often means archival research. As much as possible, I integrate visits to local or digital archives so students can engage with the primary sources much in the same way scholars do.
Courses
Undergraduate:
First Year Seminar: Snake Charmers and Temples of Doom: India in the Western Imagination
Modern World History, 1500-Present
Global History since 1919
Colonialism and the Making of the Modern World
Modern India
The Jewel in the Crown: India and the British Empire
The British Empire since 1783
India and the World
Partition and Postcolonial South Asia
A Passage to India: U.S.-India Encounters in the Archives
Seminar: Research and Writing Seminar (capstone for history majors)
Graduate:
Colonial India
India’s Independence Struggle
The British Empire since 1783
Research and Writing Seminar (Capstone for Masters Degree students)
Michele L. Louro 