Ruslan Elistratov

I love embarking on journeys of discovery with every new class I teach, sharing the beginner’s mind and a sense of awe and wonder with my students. Uncovering ever-deeper levels of complexity of what at first seems like a simple question to answer never fails to fascinate me. Can science and religion be friends? What is the secret to happiness and a good life? What, if anything, should be at the center of our lives? These are some of the questions that have driven me over the years. As a teacher, I aim to spark and sustain student engagement by making each course personally relevant to the students’ own journeys. I strive to honor the diverse perspectives and experiences in the classroom and to model empathetic listening, self-awareness, critical openness, curiosity, and respectful communication—especially around controversial issues. My goal is not only to expose students to existing concepts and knowledge but also to engage them in reflecting on how theories are formed and tested, how data is interpreted and used, and how bias can influence these processes.