Academic Presentations:

Courses I’m Currently Teaching:

• Creative Writing (undergraduate and graduate)
• Writing for Change: Advocacy & Civic Engagement (undergraduate and graduate)
• English Composition I and II
• Grant Writing (undergraduate and graduate)
• Social Science Writing (undergraduate)
• Health Science Writing (undergraduate)
• Journal and Expressive Writing (community and health groups)
• Power of Stories (high school)

Extended Training and Certifications in Higher Education

• Certificate in Online Pedagogy
• Creative & Scholarly Engagement Training
• Online Course Delivery Training

Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is my second career. Because of this, my philosophy is rooted in the world outside academia and my approach to teaching reflects my own experience in interdisciplinary environments. Much of my teaching philosophy is built on over 20 years working in the nonprofit sector and as a writer working in the fields of human services, the arts and architecture. As a teacher, it is my mandate and mission to welcome and approach each student with humanity and to create a learning environment that honors each student’s perspective, gifts, talents, life experiences and motivation.

Real-world, interdisciplinary approaches guide my interactions with students as each one must be prepared to tackle what lays before them.  Each class I teach is based on students’ own life experiences – I want them to understand themselves so that they more clearly understand the world. I want them to mine their own experiences to achieve their best understanding of our complex world by using English language and literature as their springboard for contemplation, analysis and production.

To read my entire statement, please download below. For sample syllabi, please email me.