Paul Adler

Instructor and seventh-year Ph.D. candidate in history
Age: 32 years
Hometown: Born in Washington, D.C., raised in North Carolina
Education: B.A. Brandeis University, Politics and Globalization
Time at Georgetown: 7 years
Courses: “Planetary Citizens: U.S. NGOs and the Politics of International Development, 1972-1989,” “U.S. History Since 1865”

How did you come to narrow your focus to your research interests and dissertation topic?
That’s a long story. I worked on issues around more international trade and development plus environment during my undergraduate years, and then worked for a couple of years in D.C. for an organization engaged in that kind of work, and then decided to study more of the background of that history.

How does teaching as a lead instructor while as a graduate student compare to the more typical teaching assistant experience?
It makes things busier, but it’s also nice to use different facets of my brain, so to speak. Doing research and writing is different from giving a lecture and helping students figure out their own work. It’s a nice mix, but it can be a little overwhelming.

How do you move from a teaching assistant to a lead instructor as a graduate student?
As with many hiring processes, there’s a bit of mystery to it. Some of it is how much teaching experience do you already have, where are you — if there’s someone in year six and someone in year five, you give the chance to the year six person because they’re closer to being done.

What drew you to Georgetown?
I was interested in staying in D.C. I was really interested in working with my adviser, professor Michael Kazin, and then I met a number of other professors here, including Joseph McCartin, and it gave me a good sense about Georgetown so I decided to stay. I was already living here.

What have your interactions with Georgetown undergraduates been like?
I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the folks that I’ve been able to get to know. I think Georgetown students are very bright. I think sometimes they put too much pressure on themselves.

What do you think you’ll be doing when you finish your dissertation in the coming months?
I have no idea.

Interview by Emma Hinchliffe