Fall 2021: Once again, I am pleased to be teaching Understanding Global Development Challenges through the Case Study of Haiti at Georgetown University.
Fall 2020: I am pleased to once again be offering Understanding Global Development Challenges through the Case Study of Haiti at Georgetown University.
NEW In Fall 2019: I will be teaching a course I designed entitled Understanding Global Development Challenges through the Case Study of Haiti. The course is offered in the Science, Technology and International Affairs (STIA) program in the Walsh School of Foreign Service, at Georgetown University. REGISTER HERE
Fall 2018 – I will be teaching a course I designed for the Science, Technology and International Affairs program in the Walsh School of Foreign Service, at Georgetown University. The title of the course is ‘Promises and Pitfalls of Science and Technology’.
REGISTER HERE
I have also taught multiple courses at the University of Florida, in the Department of Anthropology and in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. Additionally, I have organized and co-instructed geospatial analysis workshops at the annual meetings for the American Anthropological Association.
I take the interests and needs of students very seriously. While completing my Ph.D. at the University of Florida, I advocated for students in several different capacities. Locally, I served as the Graduate Student Representative for the Research and Scholarship Council in the University of Florida Faculty Senate. Nationally, I served as the graduate student representative for two sections of the American Anthropological Association (Culture and Agriculture; and The Society for Anthropological Sciences); I served a term as Vice Chair, followed by a term as Chair, for the Student Committee of the Society for Applied Anthropology; and I served a term as Vice President, followed by a term as President, for the National Association of Student Anthropologists.
These varied student advocacy and leadership roles broadened my understanding of the challenges facing students, and reinforced my commitment to meeting the needs of students as one of my top priorities.
Below you will find student feedback on my teaching, followed by a list of courses I have taught:
Student Feedback
[Dr.] “Tarter did an exceptional job in communicating and discussing his personal narratives in the realm of policy creation and implementation. His perspective provided insight on the role of non-governmental organizations and the conflict that arises from the inundation of them within a developing country. Furthermore, his experience outlines the difficulties of policy implementation, the social issues that make it difficult for putting in place but also the interactions he had with policy0makers as he worked for the Haitian and United States governments” -Student, Culture and Policy, Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology, George Mason University, 2018.
“Dr. Tarter is my favorite professor I’ve ever had. I loved his discussion-based style of teaching. I’ve been at UF four years and only had two classes like this; both are at the top of my most memorable and valued university experiences. I don’t remember the names of most professors I’ve had as the classes were cut-and-dry. Dr. Tarter is the opposite of this and is original and spontaneous and engages the class in a way I’ve never seen before. Once I heard a student say “Dr. Tarter should teach a class on teaching to other professors!” and everyone agreed. A friend told me, “I wish my wife could sit through this class.”, and I said, “I wish everyone could sit through this class!” It is these kind of intense statements that I feel show how impactful Dr. Tarter was. He was always encouraging us as students and giving out great advice. Dr. Tarter truly inspired me to be a better student and a more interesting person, and I hope to have him as a resource and mentor for many years to come” -Student, Cultural Anthropology, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Florida, 2015.
“Andrew was a great teacher. His anecdotes from prior experiences abroad and his genuine interest in the subject matter made the class fun and informative for all. One of the best classes I’ve taken at UF, hands down” -Student, Anthropology of Religion, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Florida, 2012.
“Certain skills and qualities that aided in the success of this course include Tarter’s strong communication skills, his energy and sense of humor, composure and an effortlessness in performance, a demeanor that made him approachable and relatable with an ability to convert/apply abstract concepts into relatable ideas or experiences relevant to the material. He was reasonable with applied protocol to maintain classroom balance; logical, flexible, and considerate towards our ideas and arguments (but also challenging those ideas/arguments to push our thinking); innovative with his methods to engage the class and increase participation, and had a demonstrated interest/personal knowledge for topics. Generous/flexible with his office hours and help with grades or other conflicts” -Student, Cultural Anthropology, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Florida, 2015.
“He’s very kind, and he knows Haitian Creole. A lot of our exercises were cleverly constructed, and designed to lessen the tension so pervasive in language classes” -Student, Haitian Creole for Disaster Relief, Dept. of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, University of Florida, 2012.
“Dr. Tarter played devil’s advocate often, this challenged us (students) to think critically about the subjects we were studying. He also encouraged us to explore our public speaking skills. He is very funny, which makes learning from him an enjoyable process. He was creative in the way that he taught the course. Most of the time in large lecture course the students sit and listen to the professor, but he managed to make the course more engaging by projecting discussion questions, based on the readings, that the students had to answer by raising their hands or presenting in front of the class in a group. This was a great way to facilitate learning and to reinforce the material we were learning” -Student, Cultural Anthropology, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Florida, 2015.
“I really liked the format of the class and how it was more discussion based rather than just straight lecture. Professor Tarter always made class enjoyable and presented the concepts in a very clear and concise manner” -Student, Anthropology of Religion, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Florida, 2012.
“Although Dr. Tarter was very knowledgeable on the subject matter, he encouraged people to come up with their own original ideas and explanations of the constructs in the course. Exchanging ideas with him, and other classmates created one of the best learning environments I’ve ever experience. It was refreshing to have a professor who truly respected the students’ ideas and opinions. He showed a keen interest in several topics and shared some personal experiences that tied the constructs learned in the course to the world that we live in today” -Student, Cultural Anthropology, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Florida, 2015.
“Andrew has a thorough knowledge of the material, yet is also willing to admit a mistake. He made the class fun and enjoyable, as well as challenging. He utilized a variety of resources to facilitate our learning including reading, writing, speaking, listening, acting, and watching. He also tailored the course toward the goals and interests of the students. Overall, he is a great instructor” -Student, Haitian Creole for Disaster Relief, Dept. of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, University of Florida, 2012.
“Mr. Tarter’s reserved demeanor does not diminish from his approachability or passion for the topic. Mr. Tarter demonstrates a style of independent thinking uncommon to most conventional professors I have had. His Socratic style of teaching keeps students in an inquisitive, investigative mindset, rather than one set to memorization of others’ opinions. Mr. Tarter remains objective and unbiased (as one can be in the social sciences) but does reveal his humanity and critical thinking from time to time, by calling into question generally accepted pillars of our own culture and time” -Student, Cultural Anthropology, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Florida, 2015.
“I appreciated Dr. Tarter’s teaching method of engaging students in discussion of the texts and course concepts. This definitely kept my interest and he was great at facilitating discussion. He is a good speaker and was never boring. He also promoted our development of our public speaking skills in class which I much appreciated. Initially, speaking publicly in the class of 135 students was very daunting for me, but because Dr. Tarter pushed us to speak up I have definitely improved and become more comfortable with it. He also is very informed about cultural anthropology and always had interesting and informative insights. Dr. Tarter is always available at office hours and is enthusiastic in helping his students. He evidently cares for his students due to the amount of work he puts into individually evaluating and critiquing each of our essays, for 135 students. He also individually grades each of our quizzes” -Student, Cultural Anthropology, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Florida, 2015.
Read more of my student evaluations…
Courses
Fall 2019
Understanding Global Development Challenges through the Case Study of Haiti (STIA 403)
Science, Technology, and International Affairs program
Walsh School of Foreign Service; Georgetown University
Days: M; 3:30-6 p.m; Location: ICC 324
Syllabus: coming soon
Fall 2018
Promises and Pitfalls of Science and Technology (STIA 403)
Science, Technology, and International Affairs program
Walsh School of Foreign Service; Georgetown University
Days: M; 3:30-6 p.m; Location: ICC 202
Syllabus: coming soon
Summer 2015
Cultural Anthropology (ANT 2410)
Department of Anthropology; University of Florida
Section: 4107; Days: M-F; Period: 4; Location: LIT 101
Syllabus: available on request
Fall 2013
Geospatial Analysis & Cultural Anthropology: An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) As a Method and an Application in Anthropological Research. All-day Workshop, American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting (workshop organizer), Chicago, USA.
Fall 2012
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) & Cultural Anthropology: An Introduction to GIS as Method and Application in Anthropological Research. All-day Workshop, American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting (workshop organizer and co-instructor with Edward González-Tennant). San Francisco, USA.
Summer 2012
Anthropology of Religion (ANT 3241) – Section: 1289
Department of Anthropology; University of Florida
Credits: 3; Days: MTWRF; Period: 3; Location: TUR L005
Syllabus: available on request
Haitian Creole for Disaster Relief – Section: 4B08
Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; University of Florida
Credits: 3; Days: MTWRF; Period: 3; Location: TUR 1101
Syllabus: available on request
Spring 2009
Haitian Creole, Section 3165 (HAI 1131)
Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; University of Florida
Credits: 5; Days: M-F; Period: 7; Loc: MAT 0015
Syllabus: available on request
Haitian Creole, Section 2014 (HAI 1131)
Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; University of Florida
Credits: 5; Days: M-F; Period: 8; Loc: MAT 0013
Syllabus: available on request