Teaching Statement 

My teaching philosophy is strategic in that my pedagogy responds to students’ interests and limitations, allowing me to adjust my teaching style and the course content accordingly. My pedagogy is strategic also in the sense that it encourages students to relate the course content to their disciplinary studies or subjective interests and view knowledge production through a critical interdisciplinary lens. This pedagogical dialogue and my flexibility toward each student’s singular abilities and aspirations create a purposeful and satisfying learning environment.

For example, students at my undergraduate U of T seminar on “Artificial Intelligence and Its Strategic Discontents” were encouraged to relate their understanding of science fiction novels, films, and television to the uses and abuses of AI in the disciplines, industries, and workplaces they wish to join. My students responded to this challenge by writing critical reflections on the relationship between scientific imagination in literature and cinema and the latest applications of AI to health, law, and engineering concerns. Following Jacques Rancière’s philosophy of “the ignorant schoolmaster,” I moderated my lectures and classrooms to create a democratic environment for exploring themes and topics students truly cared about and pursued on their own. Focused less on transmitting specific knowledge and more on attending to the tactics and nuances of learning as a patient and rigorous process initiated and endured by the learner, this pedagogy encouraged students to master their non-mastery of challenging subjects. In this way, students learned about ‘learning’ as the strategic act of attuning to their forms of intelligence and interest. At the same time, I tested them on their ability to attend to this process, articulate its adversities, and internalise autonomous strategies for evaluating knowledge production. Meanwhile, I provided extensive accommodations to students with disabilities, students whose first language was not English, and students from underprivileged and underrepresented backgrounds to facilitate students’ learning efforts according to their special needs and abilities.

During my time at UC Irvine, I designed and taught a critical thinking and research course on the theme of “American Foreign Policy Through the Domestic Lens” to meet the specific challenges of teaching at UC Irvine, where my students often came from working-class, immigrant backgrounds and sought to apply their research to their own lives and careers. By focusing on US foreign policy’s representations in American novels, cinema and television, I could draw together my students’ diverse social backgrounds and engage them in group conversations that fostered critical thinking on the American cultures of pragmatism. What I learned from such experiences was not as much a teaching style but a flexible pedagogical strategy translatable to any intellectual, institutional, or local context. Like Jacques Rancière, “experience” has taught “me that the power of a mode of thinking” or teaching “has to do, above all, with its capacity to be displaced, just as the power of a piece of music may derive from its capacity to be played on different instruments.”

 

Statement on Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

My social background and life experience inform my relationship to diversity, equality, inclusion, and accessibility in academic spaces. I have been active in human rights campaigns concerning prisoners of conscience for two decades. My work with the Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees has shaped my relationship with gender discrimination and has shown ways of opening my discourse and activism to women and LGBTQ+ peers. Living with a disability I was born with and negotiating its limitations allows me to sympathise with others across the disability spectrum. My family immigrated to Canada from a colonised region of the Middle East, and racialisation has been present in my life and education in various contexts and informs my decolonial pedagogy as a teacher. Throughout these encounters and experiences, I have proactively changed the form and content of my research and pedagogy to make my efforts more sympathetic to the lives of others and my classrooms more inclusive and accessible.

 

Samples of Student Testimony

U of Toronto Student: "Exciting and mentally stimulating content that was given clearly and concisely. A complicated subject has been broken down and built up to help understand and explore different concepts. Wonderfully organized and taught."

UC Irvine Student: "Professor really wants to make you think out of the box and get out of your comfort zone which is something that I really appreciated. I also really am grateful for how helpful he is when giving feedback on our essays."

U of Toronto Student: "Professor Oveisy allowed his students to share ideas and discuss with each other during his lectures. I think this method of teaching positively impacted my learning because I got the chance to listen to other student's perspectives and understanding, which helped deepen my understanding of topics such as AI, human consciousness, and politics."

U of Toronto Student: "This prof went above and beyond for his students. His marking rubrics were very detailed and easy to follow, removing any confusions surrounding where our marks were coming from."

UC Irvine Student: "I found the texts in class very useful because they all related to the main theme of foreign policy. I never thought it would relate but it did and it was very interesting to discuss it all in class."

U of Toronto Student: "This has been the one of the best courses I have taken at U of T so far, and I'm already in my 3rd year of life sciences. I love and appreciate the course changes that Professor Fouad made because it helped us grow not only as writers but also as critical thinkers. How the course was structured also motivated us to actually do the readings because of the discussion–based lectures we have."

U of Toronto Student: "The assistance in this course was not even comparable to any other course I have taken at UofT. The professor and the TAs were very, very accommodating and understanding. The support was very, very kind and a great reflection of what a strong undergraduate education system should offer."

UC Irvine Student: "Reasonable with the rules and grading and comes to classes prepared. Also, he is dedicated to fact-based insight and analysis, which is a good thing to teach students."

U of Toronto Student: "The quality of instruction in this course was very good. The instructor demonstrated a deep understanding of the subject matter, conveying complex concepts with clarity and enthusiasm. The lessons were well–structured, providing a logical progression of topics that enhanced learning. Additionally, the instructor was approachable and responsive, offering valuable feedback and support throughout the course. This high level of engagement and expertise significantly contributed to a positive and informative learning experience."

U of Toronto Student: "Lots of assistance, prof was always available, and he responded to his emails very quickly. he was very approachable and kind and welcoming. The same goes with the TAs in the course. All very helpful and knowledgeable."

UC Irvine Student: "He asks tough questions that make us really think rather than just spew nonsense. Overall, he's just really good at stirring up discussion to facilitate community-led learning."

 

Select Syllabi of Courses Taught

"Artificial Intelligence and Its Strategic Discontents", Faculty of Arts and Science, UofT, 2023

 

"American Foreign Policy Through the Domestic Lens", English & Humanities, UC Irvine, 2015-2020