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My name is Ananda Satya Spike
and I was an instructor in the Humanities and Philosophy Department
here at Oakton Community College from 2004-2007. I have since then
returned to San Diego California where I teach Humanities and Philosophy
courses at San Diego Miramar College and Southwestern College.
While at Oakton I taught Humanities 120 and Humanities
127 courses. In my Introduction to Philosophy I used such great
philosophical films such as, American Beauty, Waking Life, The
Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Hero, The Cell, Contact, Last Samurai,
Artificial Intelligence, Big Fish, Memento, and American History
X to name a few.
I also deisigned and taught Humanities 210: World
Mythology where I focus on Mesopotamian, Greek, Roman, Celtic, Norse,
Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Native American and Meso~American mythology.
In our analysis of these great cultural myths the works of Joseph
Campbell, Mircea Eliade, Sir James Frazer, Robert Graves, Bronislav
Malinowski, Roland Barthes, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Levi Strauss
are also examined.
I love teaching introduction courses because I wish to act like a modern day Socrates in that I bring new awareness to generally accepted terms to each student. It is a very privileged position to be the one who exposes the students to new material. I love the wide variety of academic/learning atmosphere that Oakton Community College will bring to the classroom. I love the fact that there are students of all types; all backgrounds, all upbringings, all cultures, all races, all religions, all ages, all levels of education. But what I love most is that in my classroom, everyone becomes a large family for many weeks as we journey together through the new material.
I have instructed courses in the Humanities and
Philosophy for over eight years. My teaching portfolio includes
Humanities I and II, Introduction to Philosophy, Art and Music History
and World Philosophy at Harold Washington College (2000-2003). I
also teach German 101 at Northwestern University (2004-2006). I
have taught Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics, and Multiculturalism
courses at DePaul University (1999-2000).
As a graduate student, I have served as a Teacher's Assistant (1994-2001) for various courses in Ancient Greek and German/French Philosophy, US History, Chinese Religion/History, Jewish Literature and Philosophy, and German Literature and Poetry at University of California—San Diego, DePaul University, and Northwestern University. I am currently working on my Ph.D. in German Literature and Philosophy at Northwestern University.
I have a BA degree in Philosophy from University of California, San Diego, a Master's Degree in Philosophy from DePaul University, a Master's Degree in German Literature from Northwestern University and am currently working on my PhD in German Literature and Critical Thought from Northwestern University.
My long-term goal is to secure a teaching position in the world of academia where I can continue to extend my students' mind. Though I am a teacher in the traditional sense, I consider myself as the one who presents and renders new experiences of learning and knowledge to the students. I merely bring the material to them and it is up to them what they wish to do with it. I see my students as extensions of my family. Just as I am a lover of wisdom, I hope too that many of them will become lovers of wisdom and follow the path towards higher education. In addition to teaching, I would like to enhance my research interests in comparative studies between the Ancient Greeks and 19th century German philosophers by writing articles, books, attending and speaking at conferences and symposiums.
I was born and raised in sunny San Diego, California and hope to return in the future to settle down. I lived in Berlin, Germany for over a 1 year [1982-1984] before the Wall fell and once again for a year [1999-2000] after the Wall fell. I have traveled to Prague, Vienna, Holland, Belgium, Denmark and other parts of Germany. During the Summer of 1994 I spent 17 days hiking and rafting in the Arctic Circle for an Environmental Ethics course with Patricia and Paul Churchland professors of philosophy at UCSD.
I began to Ice Skate at 8 years old and successfully competed until I was 18. To this day, I try to skate twice a week. I recently injured my ankle and had to undergo Reconstructive Ligament surgery. I hope to return to the ice soon. I also love to take photographs and have a successfully photography business. I have played the violin on and off and hope to have more time in the future to practice.
I have been married for 5 years to a wonderful man, Ben, I met over 10 ago in San Diego while completing my BA degree. Ben has a BA degree in European History and a BS degree in Molecular Biology from University of California, San Diego, a Master's Degree in Biology from University of California, San Diego, and is currently working on his PhD in Cancer Biology at the University of Chicago. In his spare time, though very little, he enjoys playing the saxophone, piano, and guitar and writing music. He also draws and paints and has tastefully decorated our house with his work.
We have no children [yet] but lots of animals; Floyd and Tasha our two cats and Caramel and White Foot our two rabbits. |
