Teaching Philosophy

As an instructor, I focus not only on teaching the concepts studied in class, but on how knowledge is produced and how students can produce knowledge of their own. I look for situations and material where, as a class, we can engage in discussions in order to illustrate and dive deeper into important concepts and questions. I focus on research that critically examines institutions of power, governance structures, and all of the individual actors that make up society, stressing an intersectional lens in our understanding of social problems and our responses to them.

Recognizing that students learn in different ways, I vary the learning materials and pedagogical tools on each syllabus, making use of readings, videos, and podcasts. In my courses, I encourage students to consider how course concepts apply to their everyday lives, assigning discussion posts where students must engage with a news story, government document, or piece of legislation and discuss it with reference to the week’s topic. Today’s university students have grown up with a variety of mediums of information, and I think it is important to meet them where they are to spark curiosity. 

With these teaching strategies and overarching philosophy, I aim to provide a comfortable, inclusive, and welcoming learning environment for all students. My principal goals are to show students verifiable data, knowledge, and important theory, and also to provide them with the tools to learn and study independently. To accomplish this, students must feel empowered to voice their opinions, learn from each other, and think critically about the world and the systems around them.