Teaching

Teaching gives me an opportunity to share my areas of expertise, develop collaborations, and most importantly, impart critical perspective to my students. In my undergraduate courses, I am constantly experimenting with new pedagogical techniques (e.g. photo elicitation; mini documentary; auto-ethnography), while maintaining a core commitment to the sociological discourse. I place a strong emphasis on developing conceptual clarity and writing in academic training. Such emphasis requires consistent effort, engagement and commitment from my part to the students enrolled in my classes, that often extends beyond the semester the course is offered. Outside the classroom, I have participated in college level panels on pedagogical techniques, university level Teach-in panels, and supervised a number of capstone undergraduate thesis.

I have been awarded a number of research grants (Provost Undergraduate Research Initiative; Dean’s Assistantship from the College of Social Science) to support undergraduate research mentoring.

In my graduate courses, I emphasize the importance of peer reviewed academic writing and the development of a core engagement with current theoretical and methodological questions in the field. Students from my courses regularly presents papers, originally written for my classes, at American Sociological Association meetings, and have published in peer reviewed outlets.

Notable awards

Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award (https://sociology.msu.edu/)

ISS Outstanding Instructor Award for Undergraduate Teaching (https://iss.msu.edu/index.html)