Teaching

I practice a teaching philosophy which emphasizes conceptual learning and affective engagement through active inquiry and critical engagement. My work in the classroom is to teach the concepts and tools of the subject at hand, but also train students to engage with the world. I build a conceptual framework throughout the semester which allows students to continually build, integrate, reflect, and revisit ideas. I also work to create space for students to engage with this material through research, writing, and oral presentations as well as critical examination of texts, films, and research materials in class. Combining the conceptual and affective aspects of learning I have found that students are able to understand the foundational concepts of anthropology and critically apply them to understand the worlds in which they live. I emphasize to my students that learning is social. This requires a classroom climate that supports social learning; I do this by providing options within the syllabus, co-creating class rules, and adapting my course.

I have taught Introduction to Cultural Anthropology and Identity & Culture as primary instructor at UNC-Chapel Hill and taught Culture & Consumption, Anthropology through Expressive Cultures, Popular Culture in Modern Southeast Asia, and Introduction to Anthropology as a teaching assistant. I have also worked as writing coach at the UNC-CH Writing Center. I currently advise and work with several brilliant graduate students at Cornell University.