Heather Perry

Cultivating historical skills
Associate Professor of History

A 2018 finalist for the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence, Perry states two pedagogical ideas remain at the heart of her approach to teaching: “Learning how to do something completely new is hard work, and orchestrating that kind of brand-new learning is even harder.”

She believes her primary role as an educator is to negate the common misconception that a student’s success in a college level history course “hinges on having a photographic memory, a nifty mnemonic device, or a case of Red Bull and the sheer will to stay up all night memorizing everything.”

Instead, Perry cultivates historical skills in all of her students that allow them to develop an “extremely versatile and coveted skillset.”

Former student Pooja Pasupula stated, “Dr. Perry went well above and beyond with the class, especially with the impact it would have on its students. She specifically taught the material in a way that would push us to gain the mental growth to achieve in not only her class but in any class at the University we choose to take.”