Rachel Schwaller

I hold an MA in Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies from Penn State (with a focus on ancient archaeology in Egypt and Turkey and paleography) and an MA and PhD in American Studies from KU (with a focus on Christianities in the U.S.). I am currently a lecturer in the History Department and the Religious Studies Department at KU. Pedagogy is more than a theoretical past-time for me. I come from a long line of teachers and thinking about and performing pedagogy is a main motivator in my life. I love teaching, engaging with, and learning from students.

And that's why I am so excited to be the first Fellow at the UCC! I am excited on the one hand to work actively with students, learning from them and listening to them, melding interests and goals with career and life-long learning activities!

On the other hand, my work at the UCC is also about applying Appreciative Coaching models to faculty pedagogy. I'm excited and motivated to work with faculty members to incorporate their research into applicative pedagogies that stress skills and knowledge.

In all parts of my life, I am a proud nerd, loving all things sci-fi and fantasy. An avid board gamer and video gamer, I love hiking and camping. When not at work (and sometimes at work, too), you'll find me with my two kiddos, Fritz and Mechi (7 and 3).