Teaching

Sample Syllabi

(Updated in light of recent AI developments)

(Older Syllabi)

Teaching Statement

I believe that a pedagogically effective undergraduate course should (a) elucidate the contents of the course so that students can easily grasp them, (b) be intellectually stimulating, and (c) teach students how to be critical, autonomous thinkers. To achieve these aims, I employ various teaching techniques.

One technique is lecturing, although I keep my lectures relatively short so that my classes also include group discussions and other activities. When lecturing, I keep students engaged by asking them questions such as “do you see any parallels between caste discrimination and racial discrimination?” This makes the lecture more engaging for students and adds variety so it does not become a continuous stream of talking. I also try to relate the course teachings to current relevant issues, such as caste discrimination and environmentalism, whenever possible. After lecturing, I break students into groups to discuss questions related to the lecture, such as “do you think the lack of access to one’s memory across lives presents a problem for a theory of karma?” To ensure that students do not rely on AI to formulate answers to discussion questions (and to prevent students from becoming excessively distracted), I plan to implement a no-technology policy for students in my classroom.

Another teaching technique is to have numerous student-led class days. Here, students sign up for a particular class day in which they lead a class as part of a small group. I ask students to lecture, break down the main points, and summarize the readings for that day. I also ask students various questions after their lecture to test their comprehension of the material and to safeguard against students regurgitating AI-produced lecture notes without understanding the content they presented. I then ask students to break the class into smaller groups and facilitate discussions within these groups. I believe these student-led class days break the monotony of ordinary lectures, enable students to engage more critically with the readings, and equip students with better presentation skills. These student-led days also serve as an oral examination, which many professors are turning to as a way to combat AI plagiarism.

Another component of my teaching philosophy is my belief that learning involves the development of genuine insight. I believe that introspection is one way to develop this insight, and I have employed a technique called a structured dialogue so that students can reflect on their life experiences in order to better understand the course material and its implications. A brief summary of how I assign these structured dialogues is as follows. When having these dialogues, I first assign readings that are relevant to the particular discussion questions that they will discuss. Before class, I also ask them to do an assignment that involves them thinking carefully about specific issues related to these questions. Then, during class, I will ask students to form groups of 4-5 students. In a class that runs for 50 minutes, I would plan to cover 3-4 questions. An example of a question when discussing the topic of caste, for example, might be: how has your social identity shaped your experiences, and how do you think lower caste individuals’ experiences have shaped their social identity? After students are asked this question, they would have 2-3 minutes to think about their response to it, and then they would go around the group giving their answer to it (for ~2 minutes). Students would then have roughly 5 minutes to discuss their responses to this question. This process would be repeated for the remaining two questions. I have received extremely positive feedback on these dialogues. For instance, my students have told me that they find these activities highly engaging and that such activities enable them to think more deeply about the course material and see how it relates to their own lives.

Moreover, to assess my students, I assign in-class essays and exams, which many professors, including myself, believe are one of the more effective means to assess students in light of recent AI developments. These essays and exams are based on the readings, lectures, and touch on topics covered during group discussions. As I mature as a teacher, I am also open to assessments that enable students to draw on AI effectively as tools so that they can learn to use AI productively; however, I do not anticipate relying heavily on these assessments in my early teaching years without consulting other professors.

Further, I can add that it is important for me that my classroom is an inclusive place for students and welcoming to students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. To create an atmosphere of inclusion in my classroom, I structure my courses so that I include readings from marginalized groups, such as women and people of color. Second, I endeavor to foreground topics such as race, gender, and caste in order to draw attention to certain pressing issues relating to social exclusion and to encourage critical thinking on such issues. For instance, when teaching Introduction to the Bhagavad Gītā at the College of William and Mary, I drew attention to some of the complex issues surrounding the motif of equality (samatva). I highlight that while on the one hand, the motif of samatva encourages individuals to view others with an equal eye, on the other hand, discriminatory practices against women and lower-caste individuals often undermine real-world attempts to achieve this spiritual equality on the ground. I challenge students to think about this tension, and in doing so, my students have been able to think more critically about how philosophical ideas are lived out in practice.

Moreover, in discussion formats, I actively strive to create a classroom environment in which all students feel comfortable and empowered to speak and add to the conversation. To do this, I invite students to share their insights from their group discussions, and I am particularly mindful to ensure that all students get a chance to share such insights. Furthermore, if students share any insights that I find noteworthy, I make sure to express my appreciation for such insights and ensure that I do not privilege certain perspectives or students over others. I also make special efforts to talk with marginalized individuals outside of class. In this connection, one example I can draw attention to pertains to a student in one of my Modern Hinduism courses. This student is Asian-American, and she initially felt hesitant to contribute to group discussions. I talked with her numerous times outside of class to discuss the course material. I told her that she had several valuable insights into the topics we had discussed, and this gave her more confidence to express her views. Consequently, she participated very actively in group discussions and produced numerous insights.

Furthermore, it is worth highlighting that I continually reflect on my teaching methodology and constantly strive to improve my pedagogical strategies. For instance, I like to structure my classes so that they contain group discussions. However, I also realize that it can be harder for introverts or slower, deeper thinkers to participate in such discussions. Thus, I have been reflecting on how I can enable such students to participate more meaningfully in my classes.

Examples of Student Comments

University of Cambridge (Supervisor):

“Akshay supervised me for a 3,000-word coursework essay on Hinduism which was worth half of my marks for my World Religions paper. His supervisions were engaging, and he gave me good advice on both the structure and argument of my essay, and academic style and writing, as well as pointing out areas for analysis I hadn’t considered. He answered my questions clearly, and was well-organized in setting up and attending our supervisions. I received a first for the paper, which was my highest first-year grade.”

College of William and Mary (Visiting Assistant Professor):

“Love this class! Very good professor and great at making the material approachable! Very flexible and kind to his students. Would recommend to anyone!”

“Great class and great professor who is always available for help outside of class and is very fair in all aspects of his class.”

“Prof. Gupta's class has been a fun and rewarding time this semester, and I would be happy to take another of his classes in the future.”

“Professor Gupta is an incredibly kind, hardworking, and dedicated professor to his area of study! He is clearly super knowledgeable, and presents information on Hinduism in a manner that is accessible and engaging. He gives good feedback on assignments and lets us pursue areas that we are interested in talking about instead of having a very staunch topic/rubric for essays. I would definitely recommend taking a class with him to others!”

“Really liked this course, lot of material he covered, professor did a great job in all aspects of lecturing and teaching. Made people engaged via discussions almost every class, it was great.”