I have taught courses in first-year composition, literary and cultural studies, critical theory, and heath humanities. As instructor of record, I have taught Writing 101 in the Thompson Writing Program at Duke University, on the topics of “Burnout” and “Poetry and Medicine,” and I worked as a TA for large undergraduate lectures and small seminars in the Literature program. I am prepared to teach intro-level courses in Literary and Cultural Studies, Composition, and Women’s and Gender Studies, and special topics courses on contemporary literature, media, and culture with a focus on genre, poetics, gender and sexuality, science and medicine, and the politics of higher education.

Teaching Statement

As a teacher, I view one of my primary roles as preparing students with experiences they can draw on to confidently articulate and nurture the values that most motivate them. For first-generation students, neurodivergent students, and diverse learners of all kinds, those values and motivations may differ, and for that reason, I strive to think alongside my students and remain adaptable in the classroom. I have found it especially productive to incorporate collaborative exercises that make every student feel involved in the space we make together: My writing assignments have typically included peer workshop components, for example, and my lessons often include group composition exercises and discussions that begin in small sections, which allows students to experience writing and thinking as collective processes. My goal is to ensure students grow comfortable vocalizing their unique perspectives, accommodating those who come to class with different levels of public speaking and discussion experience, and providing the opportunity for students to personally feel the benefits of contributing to a group dialogue.

Because the current cultural climate can overwhelm students with uncertainty about their futures, I encourage students to refract course material through their own experiences and consider precedent for navigating the shared setting they find themselves in. I prefer to assign projects that allow students to think big, work through ideas with their peers, find excitement in historically informed thinking, and sharpen their interpretive toolkits by applying them to some of their most immediate circumstances. Engaging students with campus resources such as the university archives, as I have done in my first-year writing courses, has been an effective means of prompting to students to reflect on their learning environment and educational goals. In one class session of “Burnout,” for example, an assignment developed in concert with the history of medicine special collections librarian allowed students to interact with a range of materials (outmoded therapeutic devices and broadsides alongside pamphlets distributed decades ago by the university’s student services), which prompted students to contemplate their study habits and resulted in lively discussion that fostered a sense of solidarity reflected in thoughtful written responses.

I am interested in gaining further teaching experience and refining my practice by teaching more and different kinds of classes. I hope to grow as a teacher and remain reflective about how to best sustain inclusive environments for learning.