Teaching Philosophy

In talking to Dr. Andersen for any length of time, her strong commitment to the improvement of higher education becomes quite evident. Clearly an intelligent and influential woman both in the scopes of sociology and women’s studies, Margaret Andersen, as described by former student and faculty member of Saint Joseph University’s Sociology Department, Kim Logio as a woman whose invested interest in the success and well being of her students is not only inspiring but exceptional. From the testament of those who have been fortunate enough to learn from Dr. Andersen, whether in undergraduate or graduate studies, her teaching philosophy has always lent itself to the idea of bringing students into the discussion; a relatively easy task considering her “unending energy and enthusiasm” for the subjects she teaches. In the eyes of her students, both current and former, she is an intellect who not only challenges them in their analyses of course materials but also encourages them to “write often and do more than [simply] memorize facts.”
She is clearly one who truly believes in the advantages the discipline has on society and consequently continually encourages her students to understand and appreciate the variety of ways, this discipline is applicable and useful in everyday life, even in the most mundane of behaviors. In the words of Dr. Logio, Margaret Andersen’s “scholarship is excellent; her teaching is impassioned; [and] her feminist spirit is true.”