A Passion for Teaching

"Dr. Berndt has a way of blending intelligence, knowledge, and empathy in a way that fosters the most inclusive and welcoming classroom. She ensures that each student she interacts with is seen, heard, and validated and approaches communication with kindness as well as professional courtesy. Dr. Berndt's ability to empathize grants her the ability to speak with authority about sensitive subject matter and issues and is just what a sociology professor should embody. Her curriculum is on pointe, and she delivers her lectures in an extremely cohesive, easy to understand, calming, and engaging way, paying careful attention to key points and using engaging techniques and conversation to encourage learning and discussion. She is never boring and her class is a delight to be a part of."
- Sociological Theory student (TAMIU) 

I have taught undergraduate Sociological Theory and Sociology of Disasters at TAMIU, as well as graduate-level seminars in Women, Gender, & Health and the Sociology of Health and Illness. I gained my initial teaching experience as a teaching assistant at Lehigh University. In my teaching, I help students use a sociological perspective to both see and critically engage with their social world. Importantly, it is also my goal for students to analyze and question core sociological concepts and ideas they learn throughout the course. As an instructor committed to equity and inclusion in pedagogy, I actively account for students' backgrounds, accommodating their needs within and outside the classroom. Facilitating intensive, seminar-style classes as well as teaching technically oriented statistical material has helped me develop the skills needed to work with a culturally and circumstantially diverse student body.

Courses taught:

• Sociological Theory (Avg. Student Eval. = 4.93/5)
• Sociology of Disasters (Avg. Student Eval. = 5/5)
• Women, Gender, & Health (Student Eval. = 5/5)

"The course was fun and designed very well by the teacher. The teacher was very instructive and always had the time to answer questions and was very engaged with the students. I had fun in this course, and I feel I learned a lot from it. Doing activities in class put us in perspectives of how we think we should react in the event of a disaster, even how to react in our own communities.
​- Sociology of Disasters student (TAMIU)

"Thank you so much for being so flexible and understanding with me throughout the semester. You were a friend to me this entire semester. The hardest part was talking about my family and my life and relating it to macro patterns, but I feel that was supposed to happen. You were so sweet and friendly, and you got across what sociology was all about."
​- Introduction to Sociology student (Lehigh University)

"I liked how engaging the classes were and how it touched on contemporary issues in the real-world. I feel she is one of the best grad professors I have the pleasure of having class with."
​- Women, Gender, & Health Graduate Student (TAMIU)

"Dr. Berndt is a really good teacher, and I really understand the concepts once she explains and gives examples. She is really understanding with the students which helps with the anxiety we experience throughout the semester. I really am thankful for professors like her that not only are good at their job but are also good with students."
​- Sociological Theory student (TAMIU)