Rachel Wetts, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Environment and Society, received one of two 2023 Dean’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching.

From SOC 0300: “Organizations and Society” to ENVS 1920: “Methods for Interdisciplinary Environmental Research,” Wetts has taught a variety of large lecture and methodology courses during her time at Brown — classes that often require an extra lift when it comes to fostering engagement.  

She is proud of her investments in making her courses welcoming and interesting for students. Specifically, Wetts aims to “to help them see what’s really fascinating and relatable about material that on its face can seem dry or technical.”

Wetts’s pedagogy centers on interactive, participatory classroom spaces; she never likes to lecture for an entire session. She also makes an effort to include examples that help students connect course content to their own lives and to the contemporary world.

At the heart of Wetts’s award is her genuine passion for teaching. “There's a great satisfaction that comes when you realize some concept, book, or argument you’ve introduced to a student is leading them to see recent events or even themselves in a somewhat different light,” she noted. “There are few greater joys for me as a teacher than when students come to see sociological concepts and critiques as not only things to master for a paper or an exam, but as tools to understand and navigate their worlds.”

Wetts expressed that she was “thrilled” to receive her award, emphasizing that “teaching is such a central part of what we do as professors.” Her recognition was even more meaningful, she said, “at an institution like Brown where there are so many excellent and committed instructors.”