Teaching is a pivotal part of my identity and the reason I pursued an academic career in the first place. I build my learning spaces on mutual trust and respect, and my students and I turn a critical eye toward ideas and institutions often taken for granted. Starting from the premise that lived experience is a crucial source of knowledge, we use innovative exercises in which students reckon with perspectives different from their own, challenge conventional wisdom, and ask questions as a template for lifelong learning. You can find examples of activities and resources I’ve developed for teaching under the “Resources” tab on this site, or here.
I have experience teaching in two countries at institutions ranging from a 45,000-person public university to a 1,400-person liberal arts college in online, in-person, introductory, and upper-level courses. Most recently, I have co-designed and taught courses on race and politics and critical approaches to counterterrorism, while also giving guest lectures on terrorist proscription and queer theory. I have also designed and led workshops on research methods and pedagogy for the University of Nottingham’s Researcher Academy and the Western Political Science Association. I have a particular interest in universal design for learning (UDL) and kindness as pedagogy. Alongside Liam Midzain-Gobin, I have organized sessions on decolonial pedagogy for the International Studies Association. As a PhD student, I was a Future Faculty Partner with the UW Teaching Academy and was twice nominated for university-wide teaching awards, once for early excellence and once for innovation in teaching.
Mentorship is also a central part of my practice. I am proud to have served as a mentor for other queer early-career scholars through the International Studies Association and the European Political Science Association.
What students have said about my teaching:
“I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive tutor. I definitely feel like a different person since First Year and a lot of that is because of how encouraging you are.”
“Your style of teaching meant that even though as an anxious person I didn’t always feel confident enough to contribute, I never felt as though I shouldn’t have been in the room.”
“You’ve gone so far beyond just ‘teaching,’ and the university really will not be the same without you.”
“You have had such a profound impact on my own academic journey … Your teaching always felt like such a breath of fresh air.”
“She … facilitated more learning in one discussion than most professors do in a week. I really can’t say enough good things about her teaching. If you are an employer reading this, hire her!”