At Sussex, our faculty are as cosmopolitan as our students – we have staff from over 50 countries. It means our students can learn from their teachers’ international expertise and get a truly global perspective on their subject.
Because Sussex is research-led, our lecturers are experts working at the forefront of their fields, bringing enthusiasm and innovation to their teaching. Here, two academics share what they value about teaching at Sussex:
Dr Sabrina Gilani, lecturer in the school of law
Sabrina lectures mainly in Canadian law, teaching over 100 Canadian students currently studying law at Sussex. She has previously worked at universities in Canada and the UK.
I’ve only recently arrived at Sussex, so I’m still settling in – but so far it’s great. As an academic, of course I love to teach. But I particularly enjoy seeing the different ways that students engage with the subject in discussions, each bringing their unique insights to the table.
Sussex uses research-led teaching, which is new to me. It means I teach areas that are relevant to my own research interests, sharing the teaching with other members of the law faculty, and I think it’s such a useful approach. I can teach the areas I know best, the ones I’m most interested in.
I was previously lecturing in Canada, and I’ve noticed students at Sussex enjoy a more structured teaching and grading approach than I’ve experienced before – they’re very well looked after here. They are given a lot of guidance on how to approach their course material and advice on how to prepare for their seminars.
Dr Dimitris Dalakoglou, senior lecturer in anthropology
Dimitris has been at Sussex since 2009, and has twice won the Sussex Teaching Award. He has previously studied at universities in Greece, the Netherlands and the UK and has held visiting positions in US, Italy and in London. He teaches anthropology at undergraduate and master’s level, as well as supervising PhD students.
Teaching is so satisfying to me because I can see the results of my labour immediately, helping my students through the learning process and watching them gain a new understanding of the subject.
Of course, I’m always learning from them myself. Interacting with such an interesting group of people is one of the best parts of my job, and means it’s a learning process for me as well.
In my own research, I’m examining how humans interact with infrastructures and urban public spaces. Obviously, I find my subject fascinating, so I aim to bring that same enthusiasm to my teaching so that students can feel the same way I do.
I have students from all over the world: Thailand, South Africa, Brazil, but what they all have in common is that they have critical minds – that’s what sets Sussex students apart from those at other universities.
