Teaching Philosophy
My work as a critical researcher and scholar is inextricably connected to my role as an educator. I have extensive experience teaching undergraduate and graduate courses across disciplines, with an emphasis on race and racism, sociology, and educational studies. Each course I teach is guided by a critical social framework that incorporates intersectional identities, sociohistorical context, and field-based opportunities for exploration. My desire is to continue to teach courses in education that integrate sociology of race and ethnicity and policy studies, as a way of grounding teacher practice. I am also well-versed and eager to teach courses that incorporate qualitative methods, social context of education, youth studies, social work, and Black studies.
I work to actively challenge dominant narratives through curricula and pedagogy as part of my commitment to support the engagement of students that are underrepresented in higher education. As an educator, I believe that an integral part of humanizing pedagogy is the process of actively building a community of scholars. In the community of the classroom, our collective diversity is a fundamental resource in the teaching and learning process. Each semester, I try to serve as a catalyst for this process by centering student identity, experiences, diverse perspectives, and learning needs before we begin to explore the content of our coursework. As individuals, we reflect on what brought us to this course of study and begin to integrate these differing pathways as a group, exploring our intersectional identities and experiences together.
Courses Taught
Urban Education Policy & Practice
History of American Education
Sociological Analysis of Urban Education & Policy
Social Research Methods II (Qualitative)
Youth & Society
Chicago as a Social System
Social Welfare Institution
Multiculturalism in the U.S.: Race & Ethnicity
Multiculturalism in the U.S.: Film & Literature
Educational Policy Studies
Educational Policy Studies Internship