I am a committed, passionate, and innovative teacher who challenges students to critically examine the epistemologies that shape our understanding of the world.  I have over seven years of university-level teaching experience and I have designed and taught a wide range of courses in Film and Media Studies; Women’s and Gender Studies; and American, British, and World Literatures, which are outlined in detail in my CV and on this website. Additionally, I have taught ESL/EFL in Japan and know how to address the specific needs of non-native English speakers. I have traveled throughout most of Europe and the UK and I have lived in a number of different countries, including Canada, Scotland, and Japan.  In the future, I hope to be able to participate in study abroad teaching programs because I know how important a role these programs play in broadening students’ learning and cultural experiences having participated in them as a student in the past.

Analyzing the intersections of gender, race, and sexuality in contemporary media texts informs all my teaching and research endeavors.  My classes emphasize student-centered learning and are organized around regular group discussion so that students are actively involved with the materials as well as with their fellow classmates. In these discussions, I facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue that engages students with cross-cultural and cross-textual representations of gender, sexuality, race, nationality, class, age, and ability.  By frequently introducing texts that push at the boundaries of particular genres and media, as well as texts that focus on those who inhabit the margins, I ask students to interrogate the assumptions behind institutionally and socially sanctioned concepts of value, canonicity, and normativity. I always ensure that the class has a clear sense of direction and encourage students to make ongoing connections among the materials we cover throughout the semester.  In order to prepare everyone adequately for discussion, I will often provide a series of questions to consider in advance or begin the class by assigning some brief group work that leads into our main discussion. When dealing with more complicated concepts or texts, I will guide the class with a detailed lecture before opening the floor to shared discussion and analysis of the material covered.  By the end of the semester students in my classes have developed a rigorous and sophisticated level of critical discussion, analysis, and writing ability that will assist them in any field of study they may choose to pursue.

While comfortable teaching in more traditional classroom environments, I prefer being able to use technology in ways that align with my personal pedagogy and reinforce the learning objectives of my courses.  I am proficient with teaching software programs like WebCT, Blackboard, and others.  In the past, I have often maintained an online wiki for my classes, which allows me to host course materials and offer students the opportunity to contribute to and edit parts of the wiki throughout the semester as they collaboratively add to our resources.  I consistently develop multimodal assignments that teach students how to integrate their creative and critical thinking abilities while communicating in digitally innovative ways.  For example, students in my classes not only learn how to analyze media and literary texts but also how to present that analysis via a variety of media platforms like blogs, wikis, websites, videos, photo essays, podcasts, digital portfolios, and more.  My pedagogical commitment to teaching written, oral, visual, electronic, and non-verbal modes of communication has been recognized most recently with the 2008 Teaching Award for Multimodal Innovation from Georgia Tech. I have also received two “Thank a Teacher” certificates from Georgia Tech’s Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in recognition of my teaching.

In the last two years, service-learning has become a critical part of my personal pedagogy. I have developed two composition courses geared around community-based learning and civic engagement that have had students working hands-on with and developing multimodal projects to assist non-profit organizations in Atlanta such as, PFLAG, Planned Parenthood, The AIDS Quilt/Names Foundation, Open Hand, The Center for Working Families, Go Girl Go, and more. Thus far, students have worked on service projects to design and create brochures, posters, membership packets, videos, websites, digital photo archives, and similar materials that the organizations need.  Much of this material has been used on organization websites and in their orientations and training sessions.  This semester, in conjunction with a unit on HIV/AIDS and activism, my students also worked in teams on a fundraising project for the annual Atlanta AIDS Walk and raised over $2200.

Finally, I believe that mentoring is an integral part of my role as a teacher.  Therefore, in addition to my interactions with students in the classroom, I also make myself available outside of class to those who need assistance. While completing my PhD at the University of Florida, I volunteered as a mentor for the Women’s Leadership Council, which assists undergraduate women working on honors projects and planning to pursue graduate education.  As a mentor, I worked with a diverse group of young women and learned the importance of providing supportive and constructive assistance to students while taking into account their personal circumstances and individual goals for the future.   Similarly, while teaching ESL/EFL in Japan I worked with students of all ages and backgrounds who wanted to improve their English reading, writing, and speaking abilities.  This experience helped me understand the challenges facing ESL/EFL students and the importance of addressing differences in multicultural perspectives on language usage in my courses. I am also “Safe Space” trained and always make my office a welcoming and safe environment for students to talk about LGBTQ issues. This semester, I have gained new experience by directing an independent study on “Queer Horror” with an undergraduate student from a former class.  In the future, I greatly look forward to having new and exciting opportunities to teach, mentor, and serve on committees for a diverse range of students.

Teaching Areas of Interest

• Transnational comics and animation
• Popular genres (esp. romance, horror, fantasy, and SF)
• New media
• Fandom studies
• LGBTQ literature and film
• Feminist and queer theory