At the heart of my teaching philosophy is a commitment to theoretical inquiry and close reading. I want students to engage with key texts and concepts but to strengthen their ability to think critically and dissect arguments with rigor. I have found that the most effective way to foster this development is by showing students how the text speaks to questions and cases they care about. Without diminishing the depth or difficulty of the material, I strive to make the contemporary stakes of the texts and the ideas they discuss clear.
I have been a Graduate Student Instructor (equivalent to a Teaching Assistant) at UC Berkeley for 4 semesters, teaching two groups of 27 students each per semester. My teaching has been awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award. Please email me at anna.closas@berkeley.edu if you’d like additional information.
Spring 2025
PS 116P – Power, Freedom, and Democracy
Spring 2024
PS4 – Introduction to Political Theory
Fall 2023
PS 124C – Ethics and Justice of International Affairs
Fall 2022
PS 116B – The Politics of Social Solidarity
- Awarded Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award
These are some of the comments from student evaluations that have been most meaningful to me:
“By far, I greatly appreciated the way that Anna conducted our discussion sections. Each discussion section truly felt like a conversation we could all have about the readings, the course concepts, and the theoretical components we examined. Most of the discussion sections that I’ve had feel like mini–lectures or review/cram sessions, but Anna fostered an actual discussion where we could explore the knowledge we were supposed to grasp instead of just checking off boxes for things we needed to know. Anna also approached the discussion sections like Socratic seminars (not surprising for a doctoral student of political theory) which opened them up as fora for us to creatively examine and explore the course material in such a way that it felt like we were building upon each other collectively in how we arrived at our understanding and ideas. Also, Anna was very effective in not “correcting” us so that we felt like we were wrong but, instead, “pushing back” to nudge us toward the right answer or to examine alternative or expanded perspectives that helped us approach the material more comprehensively.” (Fall 2023, Ethics and Justice of International Affairs).
“She might genuinely be the best GSI I’ve had in my time at Berkeley. I enjoyed and looked forward to every single section. The way she teaches is extremely clear and straightforward, and she does her very best to guide students as best as she can. I absolutely adored her and would love to take a class with her again.” (Fall 2023, Ethics and Justice of International Affairs).
“Anna is quite literally the best GSI I’ve ever had. She had a “study guide” prepared for every section which was useful for following along in discussion and having as a supplemental material while writing essays or preparing for exams. She welcomed questions and opinions while keeping the discussion on track, and she’s also really knowledgeable about the subject. She was helpful during office hours and you can tell she cares for her students on a personal and academic level. She’s also an approachable person in general, which I find really helpful in college classes because asking questions can be intimidating sometimes. I appreciated the small group work when discussing different thinkers and how we took turns sharing our ideas after working in small groups.” (Fall 2022, The Politics of Social Solidarity).
“Everything! Anna is by far one of the best GSIs I have had during my time at Berkeley (and I’m a senior). Not only is she so smart, but also thoughtful, considerate, and kind. She genuinely enjoys being a GSI and teaching undergraduate students, and it shows, in section and in office hours. She also gave in–depth, detailed feedback on each and every quiz and paper, above and beyond that which was required, which strengthened my ability to make arguments and defend them, and my writing as a whole.” (Spring 2025, Power, Freedom, and Democracy).
“Anna did an amazing job! She made learning fun even when our lectures were at 8am. Additionally, her lesson plans were always engaging, and she made a constant effort to understand her students individually and grasp their levels of understanding on the material.“ (Spring 2024, Introduction to Political Theory).