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The overarching goal underpinning my teaching philosophy is creating a humanizing and energizing classroom where students think critically about their social and environmental contexts, and through that thinking begin to see themselves as agents of social change. Additionally, I work hard to create a classroom where students from historically-marginalized backgrounds feel comfortable sharing their opinions and analysis, while at the same time supporting students who might be less familiar with lived experiences of marginalization in gaining fresh perspectives. I emphasize Black Feminist approaches to knowledge production that see knowledges as situated, alongside a teaching approach that highlights relationality, mutual vulnerability and obligation in social justice work. Inspired by diverse intellectual traditions, my teaching keywords are intersectionality (each of us have shared and unique experiences), relationality (we are inescapably connected through the web of life with one another), mutual vulnerability (our actions impact each other through this web of life, and through social and political institutions) and recognition (acknowledgement of history towards future reparation and healing through care and conviviality).
At Saint Mary’s College, I have developed syllabi for and taught 10 unique courses on social and environmental justice topics including environmental justice, global development, globalization, and critical theory and inquiry. My teaching experiences range from teaching lower division introductory courses on Global and Regional Studies to advanced Environmental Research Methods courses for students completing capstone projects. I have also taught at the Masters' level at the University of Geneva and at UC Berkeley. In 2021, I was recognized with a Pandemic Pedagogic Excellence Award. Above is a short video explaining my approach to humanizing education in the context of the pandemic and online teaching. Below, you can find links to syllabi of several courses. If you are an early career educator looking to develop course materials, do not hesitate to borrow some of my stuff/get in touch with questions! Lower division, undergraduate
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My teaching has been featured in Berkeley media and blogs
News report on a climate negotiation class exercise for International Environmental Politics Blog-post on Berkeley Connect small-group meeting on the California Drought Blog-post on Berkeley Connect small-group meeting on professional development Check out this guide I created for undergraduates interested in sustainability, environmental policy and environmental justice careers and grad programs here |
