Inside…
The Information Exchanger: Professor Erica Woods-Warrior
Erica Woods-Warrior
Assistant Professor Erica Woods-Warrior has been teaching political science at Hampton University for six years. She is currently the only professor who teaches philosophy courses. These courses explore a different way of thinking and processing information. This class is suited for Woods-Warrior, who said she has a different way of teaching.
“I think that a lot of people in academics think that we’re giving information. I really do believe it’s an exchange,” said Woods-Warrior. “I believe that what I’m giving you is something that you don’t know; and what you’re feeding me back is your understanding of what I gave you alongside what you already knew. That’s how knowledge accumulates.”
Woods-Warrior received her undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary and a master of public administration and urban studies degree from Old Dominion University. She previously taught at James Madison University and is an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University.
The Student Connection sat down with Woods-Warrior to learn more about her and her unique teaching style.
Do you think it is hard to teach students to think critically?
I think that my philosophy classes are probably the most difficult. There aren’t many things that we study where you really have to think about “how do I know what I know?” My philosophy classes really incite students to rethink the scope of everything they’ve learned before. It is the most difficult part of my job, but it is also the most rewarding because I’m an old-fashioned girl. I’m emotional. I still like that gleam in your eye when you get it.
How did you develop your teaching style?
I took a negotiation and conflict resolution course, and I just fell in love with the professor and the way he taught. It was very laid back; it was easy to get the material. He had an open-door policy that I try to mimic with my students, and he seemed to care more about me than he did the academia. That made a difference. I never thought I’d be teaching, but I love it. I was born to do it.
What is your favorite food?
Any kind of seafood, and chocolate if that counts as a food, because I am addicted to it.
What is your favorite kind of movie?
I don’t like “chick flicks.” I don’t like sappy, romantic dramas. I like action films. I ride motorcycles so I love anything with speed. I like foreign films, because I travel abroad quite a bit.
Do you speak any foreign languages?
I speak Spanish and Portuguese. I traveled to Brazil and studied abroad, so I had to learn Portuguese before I left. Spanish, I use every day. My daughter is Puerto Rican, and we watch Spanish TV at home. I’m just now learning Arabic.
Do you have any children?
I have two adopted children, one girl and one boy. They’re both four.
What are their favorite shows?
My son loves “Thomas the Steam Engine.” My daughter is pretty enamored with “The Backyardigans.” She’s in to classical music and she loves singing, so “The Backyardigans” and the “Little Einsteins.” That’s all they watch, the Disney Channel and the Sprout Network.
-Krystan Hitchock