Teaching
In my teaching, I deepen accounts of U.S. and global racial formations and resistance movements by centering politics of land, agriculture, and food, and the community formations they give shape to. Recognizing how such historical and contemporary dynamics are of critical relevance to students and social movements alike, I develop course content and collaborative learning strategies that allow them to draw from and better understand their personal, family, and community histories and horizons.
Courses Taught
San Jose State University
ENVS 140: "Politics and the Environment," Department of Environmental Studies, Fall 2023
Williams College
AMST 101: “America: The Nation and Its Discontents,” American Studies Program, Spring 2022
AMST 342/AFR 349/ENV 349: “Race, Development, Food Sovereignty,” American Studies Program, Spring 2022
AMST 332/AFR 347/ENV 332: “(De)colonial Ecologies,” American Studies Program, Fall 2021
AMST 202/AFR 209: “Introduction to Racial Capitalism,” American Studies Program, Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2021
AMST 430/AFR 390/ENV 430: “Race, Culture, Nature,” American Studies Program, Fall 2020
Tufts University
AMER 94/AFR 47: “Race, Culture, Nature,” Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora, Spring 2020
University of California, Berkeley (Graduate Student Instructor)
HIST 120AC/ESPM 160AC: “American Environmental and Cultural History,” Department of History, Fall 2014
HIST 127AC: “California History,” Department of History, Spring 2014
ESPM 155AC: “Sociology and Political Ecology of Agro-Food Systems,” Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, Fall 2013
ESPM 50AC: “Intro to Culture and Natural Resource Management,” Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, Fall 2012
University of California, San Diego (Undergraduate Teaching Assistant)
BIEB 176: “Conservation and the Human Predicament,” Division of Biological Sciences / Division of Anthropology, Spring 2009
What Students Say
Williams College
"I genuinely loved your class. The material was interesting and easy to engage with and the classes were fun and challenging. I already told you this, but I genuinely think taking this class has made me grow as a person. I hope to take another of your classes in the future and see you around."
- AMST 101, Spring 2022
"You are such a great professor! I mean this in every genuine way, your class and attitude was a bright spot in my semester. Thank you for teaching this course, and I am incredibly grateful for having taken this class!."
- AMST 101, Spring 2022
"Thank you for all the care and thought you put into designing this class. A lot of Professor's write on syllabi about wanting the classroom to feel accepting, but you are one of the few professors I've had who I could had put a lot of time and care into making that happen."
- AMST 101, Spring 2022
"As a senior, Professor Ayazi and this course have been one of my favorite professors and courses I have taken at Williams so far. This course helped me understand and define a term/concept (racial capitalism) that I had heard in passing, but now feel like I have a firm grasp of what it really is. This course has transformed my way of thinking of the world and structures of inequalities." - AMST 202/AFR 209, Fall 2022
"Professor Ayazi is a wonderful instructor who fully engages their students with the material and encourages them to apply the course content to their interests. This course is intentional in showing students how to directly apply theory, historical context, and academic analysis to current events or to topics in other classes that demonstrate how interconnected everything is to racial capitalism. Professor Ayazi's breakdown of each reading allows the class to engage in fruitful discussions." - AMST 202/AFR 209, Fall 2022
"With regards to the course, I think it is far more applicable to living my general everyday life than any other course I've taken this semester. It was very easy to relate it to things in our world and daily lives, and that made it all the more compelling and worth learning about. I definitely view certain aspects of the world and my role in it differently coming away from this course than I did going into it. A lot of that can be attributed to Professor Ayazi's ability to take complicated theoretical concepts and boil them down into a few digestible portions." - AMST 202/AFR 209, Fall 2022
"Thank you so much for an amazing course! This contributed so much to my learning at Williams and laid a strong foundation for my major. I really appreciated the varying methods you used to explain the material including lectures, discussions, and the questions/responses. And also the many adjustments during the semester due to the pandemic!" - AMST 202/AFR 209, Spring 2021
"Thank you for being concerned and helpful with my mental health struggles this semester. You have helped me get through this difficult period immensely, and I thank you for that. You have been very accommodating and helpful, and this has helped me engage with the course in a way that didn't overwhelm me with stress, which it could have otherwise. I think you are a great example of how Williams professors should approach their material and how they should treat their students. Thank you for this semester and have a great summer." - AMST 202/AFR 209, Spring 2021
"I think that everyone should take this class. This course covers extremely important under- highlighted histories and outcomes in a productive and informative way. Prof. Ayazi made sure that everyone felt comfortable in class, and taught the material clearly. I really like the readings, as well as the structure of the class. Outside of class, Prof. Ayazi was extremely helpful when I was unsure what to write about, or if I misunderstood any of the material. I highly recommend this class, as it is tied for 1st for my most favorite class at Williams." - AMST 202/AFR 209, Spring 2021
"I loved this course! It provided extremely interesting insights which are very relevant today. The readings were interesting, and the instructor was very helpful in ensuring that everyone understood them and was able to build off them to analyze contemporary phenomena or events. I liked the lecture/discussion combo for this reason. I also liked the essay assignments, as it provided an opportunity to connect our material to modern subjects." - AMST 202/AFR 209, Spring 2021
“I really appreciated this course. This was a really rough semester for me, but this is the one course that I still felt engaged with and interested in. I really appreciated the discussions we had both in and outside of class. I thought it was an interesting way to engage with each other and I feel like it really helped me understand the material in a more expansive way. I also really liked the structure of the course and the way it was broken into units. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and am so grateful to have taken my senior seminar with you. Thank you!” - AMST 430/AFR 290/ENV 430, Fall 2020
“Professor Ayazi, I'm really grateful for this course! If it was possible, I would honestly take this class again. The course material was incredible and I learned so much more than I thought I would during this chaotic semester. Your syllabus curation was definitely noticed and high key appreciated. The way you ran class made it feel so informative but also super comfortable and welcoming for everyone. I really appreciated how much you clearly cared about all of us and about making a space where we all felt seen. I hope I get the opportunity to take more courses with you in the future!!! And good luck with your first spring semester at Williams! Wishing you the best x.” - AMST 430/AFR 290/ENV 430, Fall 2020
Tufts University
“Almost every week, this course has forced me to question fundamental assumptions I've held about myself and the country in which I live. Certain things I've never even thought to question, like my own love for national parks, have forced me to wrestle in a new level of discourse that is still not completely comfortable for me, but is vital for what imagine may become my life's work” – AMER 94/AFR 47, Spring 2020
“Dr. Ayazi is the single most organized, dedicated and thoughtful professor I have had in college. It was immediately evident in class that he had engaged thoughtfully with the questions and concepts we identified in our weekly responses and actively worked to incorporate these questions, while deepening them, into the lecture material. The lectures and slide were immaculately organized and incredibly easy to follow. Class time was divided efficiently between forms of discussion (see above for this success), lecture, and engaging other sources. Connecting with Dr. Ayazi outside of class, I found him to be very accessible and adaptive to my questions, be they about specific concepts from class or broader questions about the discipline itself.” – AMER 94/AFR 47, Spring 2020
“Dr Ayazi is both a kind and engaging instructor. While some of the readings were DENSE, he always took the time to explain and explore topics we were struggling with in class. In addition, his determination to keep the weekly discussions fresh by using new formats and activities almost every week speaks to his ability and dedication as an instructor.” – AMER 94/AFR 47, Spring 2020
“We used varied formats to engage in critical discussion, and I really appreciated how each of these engaged people in different ways. On a whole, having many options to engage with concepts and texts made for very fruitful learning environment.” – AMER 94/AFR 47, Spring 2020
University of California, Berkeley
“I really enjoyed the fact that the class was inclusive and it definitely felt like a safe space. This has been my favorite course through the 4 years that I have been in Berkeley.” – ESPM 160AC, Fall 2014
"Made discussions fun and thoughtful. I always looked forward to the discussion in this class each week." – ESPM 160AC, Fall 2014
“Great leadership, good at motivating students, clear instructions, and really cares about the students.” – ESPM 160AC, Fall 2014
"He made everything very clear and was very personable. It was always a good class environment because of his methods of teaching." – ESPM 160AC, Fall 2014
“He was very knowledgeable of and passionate about the course material. He encouraged discussion that was interesting and helped inspire critical thought both about the reading material and using the material as a lens to view the outside world.” – ESPM 160AC, Fall 2014
“Very clear and very innovative. This discussion incorporated debates, group work, personal writing time, and lecture, which made me engage with the class.” – ESPM 155AC, Fall 2013
“Hossein is a very thoughtful and compassionate instructor. He seeks to involve all students, incorporate different learning approaches, and a holistic view of the subject matter.” - ESPM 155AC, Fall 2013
“Hossein was a great instructor. He fostered wonderful conversation, healthy debates, and interactive learning. He knew when exactly to help the conversation and how to further our understanding from personal to global scales.” ESPM 155AC, Fall 2013
“Knows his stuff, really takes student feedback and caters to students learning style requests. Super cool guy, passionate about his work :)” - ESPM 155AC, Fall 2013
“Great delivery of material, and good at engaging students. Clear on presenting the focus of the course. Overall, great instructor.” – ESPM 50AC, Fall 2012
San Jose State University
ENVS 140: "Politics and the Environment," Department of Environmental Studies, Fall 2023
Williams College
AMST 101: “America: The Nation and Its Discontents,” American Studies Program, Spring 2022
AMST 342/AFR 349/ENV 349: “Race, Development, Food Sovereignty,” American Studies Program, Spring 2022
AMST 332/AFR 347/ENV 332: “(De)colonial Ecologies,” American Studies Program, Fall 2021
AMST 202/AFR 209: “Introduction to Racial Capitalism,” American Studies Program, Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2021
AMST 430/AFR 390/ENV 430: “Race, Culture, Nature,” American Studies Program, Fall 2020
Tufts University
AMER 94/AFR 47: “Race, Culture, Nature,” Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora, Spring 2020
University of California, Berkeley (Graduate Student Instructor)
HIST 120AC/ESPM 160AC: “American Environmental and Cultural History,” Department of History, Fall 2014
HIST 127AC: “California History,” Department of History, Spring 2014
ESPM 155AC: “Sociology and Political Ecology of Agro-Food Systems,” Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, Fall 2013
ESPM 50AC: “Intro to Culture and Natural Resource Management,” Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, Fall 2012
University of California, San Diego (Undergraduate Teaching Assistant)
BIEB 176: “Conservation and the Human Predicament,” Division of Biological Sciences / Division of Anthropology, Spring 2009
What Students Say
Williams College
"I genuinely loved your class. The material was interesting and easy to engage with and the classes were fun and challenging. I already told you this, but I genuinely think taking this class has made me grow as a person. I hope to take another of your classes in the future and see you around."
- AMST 101, Spring 2022
"You are such a great professor! I mean this in every genuine way, your class and attitude was a bright spot in my semester. Thank you for teaching this course, and I am incredibly grateful for having taken this class!."
- AMST 101, Spring 2022
"Thank you for all the care and thought you put into designing this class. A lot of Professor's write on syllabi about wanting the classroom to feel accepting, but you are one of the few professors I've had who I could had put a lot of time and care into making that happen."
- AMST 101, Spring 2022
"As a senior, Professor Ayazi and this course have been one of my favorite professors and courses I have taken at Williams so far. This course helped me understand and define a term/concept (racial capitalism) that I had heard in passing, but now feel like I have a firm grasp of what it really is. This course has transformed my way of thinking of the world and structures of inequalities." - AMST 202/AFR 209, Fall 2022
"Professor Ayazi is a wonderful instructor who fully engages their students with the material and encourages them to apply the course content to their interests. This course is intentional in showing students how to directly apply theory, historical context, and academic analysis to current events or to topics in other classes that demonstrate how interconnected everything is to racial capitalism. Professor Ayazi's breakdown of each reading allows the class to engage in fruitful discussions." - AMST 202/AFR 209, Fall 2022
"With regards to the course, I think it is far more applicable to living my general everyday life than any other course I've taken this semester. It was very easy to relate it to things in our world and daily lives, and that made it all the more compelling and worth learning about. I definitely view certain aspects of the world and my role in it differently coming away from this course than I did going into it. A lot of that can be attributed to Professor Ayazi's ability to take complicated theoretical concepts and boil them down into a few digestible portions." - AMST 202/AFR 209, Fall 2022
"Thank you so much for an amazing course! This contributed so much to my learning at Williams and laid a strong foundation for my major. I really appreciated the varying methods you used to explain the material including lectures, discussions, and the questions/responses. And also the many adjustments during the semester due to the pandemic!" - AMST 202/AFR 209, Spring 2021
"Thank you for being concerned and helpful with my mental health struggles this semester. You have helped me get through this difficult period immensely, and I thank you for that. You have been very accommodating and helpful, and this has helped me engage with the course in a way that didn't overwhelm me with stress, which it could have otherwise. I think you are a great example of how Williams professors should approach their material and how they should treat their students. Thank you for this semester and have a great summer." - AMST 202/AFR 209, Spring 2021
"I think that everyone should take this class. This course covers extremely important under- highlighted histories and outcomes in a productive and informative way. Prof. Ayazi made sure that everyone felt comfortable in class, and taught the material clearly. I really like the readings, as well as the structure of the class. Outside of class, Prof. Ayazi was extremely helpful when I was unsure what to write about, or if I misunderstood any of the material. I highly recommend this class, as it is tied for 1st for my most favorite class at Williams." - AMST 202/AFR 209, Spring 2021
"I loved this course! It provided extremely interesting insights which are very relevant today. The readings were interesting, and the instructor was very helpful in ensuring that everyone understood them and was able to build off them to analyze contemporary phenomena or events. I liked the lecture/discussion combo for this reason. I also liked the essay assignments, as it provided an opportunity to connect our material to modern subjects." - AMST 202/AFR 209, Spring 2021
“I really appreciated this course. This was a really rough semester for me, but this is the one course that I still felt engaged with and interested in. I really appreciated the discussions we had both in and outside of class. I thought it was an interesting way to engage with each other and I feel like it really helped me understand the material in a more expansive way. I also really liked the structure of the course and the way it was broken into units. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and am so grateful to have taken my senior seminar with you. Thank you!” - AMST 430/AFR 290/ENV 430, Fall 2020
“Professor Ayazi, I'm really grateful for this course! If it was possible, I would honestly take this class again. The course material was incredible and I learned so much more than I thought I would during this chaotic semester. Your syllabus curation was definitely noticed and high key appreciated. The way you ran class made it feel so informative but also super comfortable and welcoming for everyone. I really appreciated how much you clearly cared about all of us and about making a space where we all felt seen. I hope I get the opportunity to take more courses with you in the future!!! And good luck with your first spring semester at Williams! Wishing you the best x.” - AMST 430/AFR 290/ENV 430, Fall 2020
Tufts University
“Almost every week, this course has forced me to question fundamental assumptions I've held about myself and the country in which I live. Certain things I've never even thought to question, like my own love for national parks, have forced me to wrestle in a new level of discourse that is still not completely comfortable for me, but is vital for what imagine may become my life's work” – AMER 94/AFR 47, Spring 2020
“Dr. Ayazi is the single most organized, dedicated and thoughtful professor I have had in college. It was immediately evident in class that he had engaged thoughtfully with the questions and concepts we identified in our weekly responses and actively worked to incorporate these questions, while deepening them, into the lecture material. The lectures and slide were immaculately organized and incredibly easy to follow. Class time was divided efficiently between forms of discussion (see above for this success), lecture, and engaging other sources. Connecting with Dr. Ayazi outside of class, I found him to be very accessible and adaptive to my questions, be they about specific concepts from class or broader questions about the discipline itself.” – AMER 94/AFR 47, Spring 2020
“Dr Ayazi is both a kind and engaging instructor. While some of the readings were DENSE, he always took the time to explain and explore topics we were struggling with in class. In addition, his determination to keep the weekly discussions fresh by using new formats and activities almost every week speaks to his ability and dedication as an instructor.” – AMER 94/AFR 47, Spring 2020
“We used varied formats to engage in critical discussion, and I really appreciated how each of these engaged people in different ways. On a whole, having many options to engage with concepts and texts made for very fruitful learning environment.” – AMER 94/AFR 47, Spring 2020
University of California, Berkeley
“I really enjoyed the fact that the class was inclusive and it definitely felt like a safe space. This has been my favorite course through the 4 years that I have been in Berkeley.” – ESPM 160AC, Fall 2014
"Made discussions fun and thoughtful. I always looked forward to the discussion in this class each week." – ESPM 160AC, Fall 2014
“Great leadership, good at motivating students, clear instructions, and really cares about the students.” – ESPM 160AC, Fall 2014
"He made everything very clear and was very personable. It was always a good class environment because of his methods of teaching." – ESPM 160AC, Fall 2014
“He was very knowledgeable of and passionate about the course material. He encouraged discussion that was interesting and helped inspire critical thought both about the reading material and using the material as a lens to view the outside world.” – ESPM 160AC, Fall 2014
“Very clear and very innovative. This discussion incorporated debates, group work, personal writing time, and lecture, which made me engage with the class.” – ESPM 155AC, Fall 2013
“Hossein is a very thoughtful and compassionate instructor. He seeks to involve all students, incorporate different learning approaches, and a holistic view of the subject matter.” - ESPM 155AC, Fall 2013
“Hossein was a great instructor. He fostered wonderful conversation, healthy debates, and interactive learning. He knew when exactly to help the conversation and how to further our understanding from personal to global scales.” ESPM 155AC, Fall 2013
“Knows his stuff, really takes student feedback and caters to students learning style requests. Super cool guy, passionate about his work :)” - ESPM 155AC, Fall 2013
“Great delivery of material, and good at engaging students. Clear on presenting the focus of the course. Overall, great instructor.” – ESPM 50AC, Fall 2012