Philip Gorski, Sociology, Fall 2018

Courses in the School of the Environment and Statistics and Data Science

When I told colleagues and friends inside and outside of Yale about the Teaching Relief for Learning program, they always had the same two reactions: admiration and envy. They wished that their universities would institute such a program and/or that they could be part of it. Once an academic joins the senior ranks, the day-to-day demands of teaching, advising and administration leave little time for learning new skills or exploring new subjects. As a result, most mid-career academics become entrenched in a particular area and approach – even if their field often moves in directions. As the pace of knowledge creation continues to accelerate, it is important the researchers have the opportunity to learn new skills and explore new fields, just as their colleagues in business and the professions do.