Teaching is central to my professional and personal identity. I believe that knowledge only has value when it is shared, and I see teaching as a way to give back to the community. Education has transformed my own life, enabling me to pursue this application for an assistant professor position, and I firmly believe it is the one asset no one can take from you.
I have had multiple opportunities to apply my teaching goals during my teaching and mentoring experiences so far. I have served as the instructor of record and as a teaching assistant on several occasions. Beyond classroom teaching, I have mentored students through the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center program at UMD, guiding a senior student through her final capstone project on Latin American politics, from refining the research topic to conducting a literature review and collecting data.
My teaching approach is guided by four central principles: active learning, real-world application, inclusivity, and assessment-informed instruction. I have applied these principles primarily as the instructor of International Political Relations while also drawing on experiences as a teaching assistant at the University of Maryland.
Experience
Instructor of Record
- University of Maryland, College Park
International Political Relations (undergraduate level, Fall 2024, Winter 2025, & Summer 2025)
Fall 2024 syllabus available here (in-person course)
Winter and Summer syllabus available here (online course)
Teaching Assistant
- University of Maryland, College Park
Comparative Politics and Government (undergraduate level, Fall 2025)
Scope and Methods for Political Science (undergraduate level, Spring 2025) - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Intensive Beginning Portuguese (undergraduate level, Fall 2019)
Intensive Intermediate Portuguese (undergraduate level, Spring 2020) - University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
Brazilian International Relations (2018)
Introduction to Psychology (2017)
Introduction to Law (2016)
International Relations Theory (2015)
Student Evaluations
In all my classes as instructor of record, I received over 90% (on an agree-disagree scale) ratings across all evaluated categories, including feedback, grading criteria, communication about the course, real-world application, inclusivity, building on prior knowledge, confidence in students’ potential, and instructor care for student learning. Students also reported nearly 80% likelihood of recommending me as an instructor for this course.
When asked, “What about the course and/or instruction most enhanced your learning?” students offered comments such as:
“Professor Batista's guided lecture videos were very helpful, along with her posting the course slides.”
“I loved this class! Despite attendance not being required, almost every student showed up because her class was so engaging. I really enjoyed her positive comments on assignments. The class was well thought out, and I would love to have her teaching another one of my classes in the future.”
“I enjoyed the case studies we did. Each case study made the class more interesting and allowed us to apply our learning to real-world situations. Additionally, the mid-term and final paper helped reinforce the content.”
“I liked that she connected what we learned in class to real-world situations. The content was clearly applicable to current events, and I appreciated that she allowed us to explore these connections.”
“I believe Professor Flavia's enthusiasm and dedication during lectures really helped enhance my learning.”
“The one thing that enhanced my learning was how accommodating Flavia was. Despite not having online classes, she was very communicative via email when I had questions and in setting up office hours. She set people on track by organizing the course in a structured way, sending assignment reminders, and had a very encouraging attitude, even when I felt like I was asking silly questions.”