By Emily Cook, TLS staff writer
In one of Prof. Martin Geiger’s classes you might find yourself learning from emerging researchers via Skype, or peer-reviewing more senior students’ papers. But whatever you do, it all comes back to research.
Geiger joined Carleton’s Department of Political Science and Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies in 2014. Since then, he co-founded Mobility & Politics, a transnational research collective, and was awarded a 2016 Capital Educators’ Award for the significant impact he’s had on student learning both in the classroom and through his extensive research work. He says he always tries to extend his teaching outside the classroom.
“My teaching doesn’t go without my research and my research doesn’t go without my teaching, both are completely entwined,” he says.
In his classes, Geiger says he tries to make the subject as interesting and interactive as possible. This includes breaking larger classes into smaller groups, and using tools like Pinterest, Skype and videos to engage students who learn differently.
“It’s so that they have another way of expressing themselves,” he says.
Geiger says he’s always looking for ways to integrate undergrads with grad students so they can learn from each other.
“The idea is to bring in MA students to the undergrad classroom and by doing this, to encourage and stimulate more people to go down the research path,” he says.
He also does something that’s mostly unheard of: bringing in BA students to graduate courses to give peer-to-peer feedback on MA or even PhD students’ work.
“I don’t really care about undergraduate versus graduate, I see the person,” he says.
Above and beyond that, Geiger says he works alongside students to publish papers with them – whether they’re a graduate student or not.
“There is a hierarchy with students,” he says, “but I try to keep that as flat as possible. I see my role as being the facilitator and senior collaborator.”
This is where Mobility & Politics comes in. The collective brings together more than 70 emerging scholars from across the globe to collaborate in research.
When he won the Capital Educators’ Award, Geiger says he was very happy, but felt the award was more representative of that collaborative work inside and outside his classes.
“For me the award is actually for my students. Because only they make it possible that I can do these things. Without their excitement and commitment, it would not work.”