I believe learning takes place best when it is supported through a combination of responsiveness and encouragement. I use a wide range of teaching methods to help students pose and answer questions that they find personally relevant and meaningful.

At the same time, my goal is to challenge students to look beyond their own experience. I take an active role in synthesizing and probing students’ ideas through discussions and guided activities. I aim to build a common repertoire of concepts and skills that foster individual efficacy within a context of group discovery.

My Sociological Theory course exemplifies my approach. Inspired by Michael Burawoy’s “living theory” approach, I assign relatively short reading excerpts that enable in-depth class conversations focused on critically interrogating connections to students’ lives and the broader world.