Brittany Presson, an instructor in the Department of Sociology, was the winner of a 2023-2024 Certificate of Teaching Excellence from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Presson also serves as the faculty co-advisor for the Sociology/Criminology club. “We have a fantastic group of student officers who have been busy this year organizing events and representing the club. I enjoy seeing the ideas they come up with and watching that transition into fruition,” says Presson about working with the club. 

Inside the classroom, she works to cultivate an energetic, interactive, and creative space to learn; encouraging intellectual risk taking and challenging students to think sociologically within their everyday lives and social spaces. You can learn more about Presson and her teaching philosophy in the Q&A below! 

What was your reaction when you found out you had won this award? 

I was honored when I was nominated and was very surprised to have won the award. Virginia Tech has a lot of really great faculty members who go above and beyond for their students. I am appreciative to those who nominated me and who were part of the process. Mostly, I’m grateful for my students. I have had the privilege of getting to teach some phenomenal students. They inspire me every day to give my best. They make teaching exciting.

What does it mean to you to have your hard work and teaching excellence recognized by the college and your colleagues?

It is a tremendous feeling to have one’s hard work and passion validated. I love teaching and try to create dynamic learning environments for my classes. To be recognized for that work is a great feeling.

What do you enjoy the most about teaching and working with students?

Many of my classes are discussion heavy and open to critical questions. This empowers students to grapple with sociological concepts and analytical topics. What I enjoy most is seeing students grasp sociological concepts in new ways, recognize sociological ways of articulating what they have already experienced, and learning from one another through course discussions and conversations. 

My students come from a variety of social positions and cultural backgrounds. They have different lived experiences, concerns, areas of their own interests or expertise, and stocks of knowledge. These differences can really show up in discussions and we all learn from those moments. I also enjoy encouraging students to see sociology as applicable to their interests and for non-majors, to recognize ways their majors can help address social problems and inequalities.

How would you describe your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is very student centered. I encourage students to take intellectual risks, even if they are not 100% sure they know the correct answer. We walk it forward from wherever they are. My classes start with a foundation of sociological sympathy and humanity. We recognize at the beginning of my courses that we are all human with our lived experiences influencing how we view and approach the world.

 In order to engage with our sociological imagination, we have to be able to employ a sociological sympathy that prompts us to set aside stereotypes and judgements and instead see topics in the way that people connected to them are effected by them. 

I don’t want students to simply memorize or take in information. I want them to be able work through the concepts and to recognize sociology at work in their everyday lives. 

What is one of your favorite classroom memories here at Virginia Tech?

There have been a lot of great memories. My Sociology of Mental Illness course last semester had several very insightful conversations that sometimes carried over informally after class. On one afternoon, a group of students stayed after the class had ended and continued to discuss our topic for an additional half hour. It is great to see students excited and engaged. In some of my other classes, students have a creative option for their final project and I love seeing the innovative ways they approach sociological issues. Some highlights have been mini-documentaries, podcasts, apps, and case files.

Tell us about any exciting plans you have coming up in the classroom.

 I am trying to form a panel or panels for my Military Sociology course that would include veterans, military family members, and military affiliated professionals. We spend the semester analyzing sociological factors and approaches to military studies. It would be great to hear and ask questions of folks with these experiences. I am not sure that I will have it together for this semester, but it is something I want eventually. I have brought guests in for other classes and it can enrich the overall experience.