Philosophy

Over the course of my career, I have taught a range of courses generally focused on Latin American studies, Native American and Indigenous studies, queer studies, and visual culture. My approach to teaching Humanities courses like these rests on two core ideas. First, I strive to enable students to investigate the historical, aesthetic, and cultural patterns that make up the world around them. Second, I believe humanities instruction should critically interrogate the debates, bodies, experiences, and epistemologies of the people and communities who gave rise to (or challenged) the formation of academic fields themselves. Accordingly, I ask students to identify gaps in traditional methods of inquiry, and I provide them with opportunities to develop their own research skills through scaffolded projects, experiential learning, and community-oriented pedagogy. I have developed this approach over twenty years and have also engaged with pedagogical development of diverse curricula. 

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Below you will find examples of recent courses I have taught, along with a complete list of my instructional work. If you would like to review any syllabi of these courses, please email me.