Art by Rick Rogers
Teaching Philosophy
As an educator, I strive to create learning environments that are intellectually rigorous, inclusive, and responsive to the diverse experiences of my students. I’ve taught sociology in R1, community college, and liberal arts settings, serving as instructor of record for over a dozen courses in a range of formats—including in-person, online synchronous, and asynchronous. Whether I’m teaching “Introduction to Sociology,” “Families in Contemporary Society,” or “Urban Sociology,” I center students’ identities and lived experiences while helping them develop critical thinking, reflection, and analytical skills they can apply well beyond the classroom.
My teaching philosophy has been shaped by my experience as an educator during a time of political polarization, cultural upheaval, and uncertainty in higher education. In this context, I view the classroom as a space for courageous learning and dialogue across difference. I use a multimodal instructional approach—lectures, discussions, activities, and diverse media—to spark engagement and connection. I also co-create discussion norms with students to foster mutual respect and build community. I want students to see sociology not just as a set of concepts, but as a powerful lens for understanding and changing the world. My commitment to pedagogy has been recognized through multiple teaching honors, including being a two-time finalist for UMass Amherst’s Distinguished Teaching Award and a finalist for Suffolk University’s Innovative Teaching Award.
Courses Taught
Syllabi and sample assignments available upon request.
Introduction to Sociology
Students learn how to connect larger social problems with their own personal lives through exploration of basic topics, theories, concepts, and principles of the discipline.
Social Problems
In this course, students use their sociological imagination as a lens for analyzing the structural roots of social problems; the relationship between systems of power and inequality and the social problems of our time; and the link between social problems and the broader political, economic, and cultural context.
Conformity and Deviance
In this class, students consider how conformity and deviance are socially constructed phenomena that are developed both at the marco-level in large institutions and at the micro-level in interactions over time and across place. In doing so, they draw connections between specific forms of deviance and historical contexts, think critically about norms that we take for granted, and reflect on how categories of ‘normal‘ and ‘abnormal‘ are socially constructed.
Communities in Contention
Through this course, students critically examine the social forces behind political divisions, the rise of polarization, and how communities navigate political difference and conflict. The course is oriented around two core questions: 1) How do we live in a contested social order? And 2) How do we achieve community in divided times? In answering these questions, students explore how political identities form and intersect with other identities like race and class; the historical and contemporary drivers of partisanship; the role of social institutions in shaping political behavior and ideological commitments; and much more.
Social Welfare
This course provides students with a critical introduction to U.S. welfare programs, past and present. Students examine the evolution of the U.S welfare state and how its history informs present-day policies; reflect on how categories of “deserving” and “undeserving,” and definitions of citizenship shape policies; examine how systems of race, class, and gender inequality inform policies; and consider directions for the future.
Families in Contemporary Society
In this course, students explore the history of families, how we define family, the ways we construct families, how our social identities shape our families (and vice versa), and the relationship between our families and the wider society. Through course material and discussion, students examine historical and cultural variations in families in order to evaluate how families can contribute to, and in some cases protect against, social inequalities.
Sociology Senior Capstone
This course is designed to provide seniors with a capstone experience that emphasizes reflection, integration, creativity, communication, and community. It invites students to look back over their time studying sociology and articulate how the experience of studying sociology has affected them. In addition, the course is intended to provide an intellectual and professional springboard, drawing on the tools of the discipline to help students look forward to and plan for life after college.