TEACHING

In the pedagogical tradition of Paulo Freire, I approach the classroom as an inclusive space for dialogue and for liberating students by challenging traditional instructor-student relations of power, because I view all students as equal intellectuals in relation to me and each other. To that end, I center students by limiting lectures to 15-20-minute intervals and including discussion, video, reflection, social media, and short reading activities in-between. This approach shifts emphasis away from the PowerPoint and instructor as the primary sources of knowledge and allows students to closely engage with the subject matter. As a student wrote in my teaching evaluation, “I genuinely enjoyed the discussions and critical thinking we had to employ... He makes himself available for students and is always willing to offer advice and information.” I also show care for my students through flexibility with deadlines and employ office hours as a way to become an approachable mentor, helping students apply for professional opportunities such as: internships, fellowships, employment, law school, or graduate school. Moreover, in the pedagogical tradition of bell hooks, I view every student’s contribution in the classroom as important, as a range of different experiences creates opportunities for collective learning and personal growth. My quality as a teacher is reflected in my excellent student evaluations. For example, in Fall 2022, I exceeded the department’s overall rating average of 4.43/5.00 with a rating of 4.81/5.00. And, in 2024, I was recognized for my pedagogical efforts with my department's, “Mathews and Gilkerson Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award.”

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Identity Politics 3910 taught at The Ohio State University 

I aim to empower students to critically grapple with intellectual and practical questions in their personal and professional lives. This requires diversity in method and content, and inclusive and effective classroom discussions. These priorities are reflected in my “Identity Politics” course that I have now taught for three semesters at OSU. The first week’s reading pairs Horace Miner’s “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” with James Fearon’s “What is Identity?” to get students reflecting on their own identity and how they may approach other identities with bias. The course then frames nationalism, race, gender, and ablism through the lens of international security, presenting how identity can lead either to security or vulnerability for individuals. Course material ranges from readings by W.E.B. Du Bois, Cynthia Enloe, Michel Foucault, and Gloria Anzaldúa, to documentaries on the introduction of race quotas at Brazilian universities, “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland, and Paris is Burning. I combine readings from International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Political Theory, as well as other disciplines, to present a global perspective on how different identities interact with the politics of personal and national security. 

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To download the course syllabus, please click the pdf icon below. ​​​​​

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