I teach English general education courses where many students struggle to have confidence in their reading and writing abilities. In addition, as a medievalist, I primarily assign medieval texts, and a lot of students come into class convinced they are in for a bad time. But nearly every student I have spoken to in office hours has told me they enjoy the class and understand the literature far more than they expected. I saw this progression most clearly in a student who told me they were too stupid to be good at English, and then, after active engagement in class, went on to write one of the best analytical papers I’ve read. As a teacher, I aim to create comfort and confidence in my students by emphasizing the validity and quality of their interpretations making them cocreators in the classroom.
Courses Taught
ENGL 1200: Interpretation of Literature: Medieval Monsters | 2025
This course highlights monstrosity in medieval literature. Rather than provide concrete definitions to help undergraduate students identify the monsters from the non-monsters, students cultivate a nuanced understanding of monstrosity to see that it’s more than just black and white thinking. The central concern of the course is the act of interpretation, as students use and refine their reading and writing skills.
ENGL 1200: Interpretation of Literature: Medieval Fantasies | 2024
In this course, undergraduate students examine how the medieval period proves William Faulkner’s assertion that “The Past is never dead. It’s not even past,” to be true. Students read medieval literature to provide a foundation for discussing how issues of gender, sexuality, religion, and class compare with their conceptions in contemporary society. The central concern of the course is the act of interpretation, as students use and refine their reading and writing skills.
ENGL 1200: Interpretation of Literature: Adaptations | 2023
This course focuses primarily on “ways of reading,” asking undergraduate students to become aware of themselves as readers, to learn how to deal with different kinds of texts, and to understand how texts exist within larger historical, social, political, and cultural contexts. The central concern of the course is the act of interpretation, as students use and refine their reading and writing skills to respond critically and sensitively to literary texts.
RHET 1030: Rhetoric | 2021-2023
Rhetoric teaches undergraduate students the essential skills of advanced learning and higher education. In rhetoric classes, students learn to think logically, discover wrong or weak arguments, build a good case on a controversial topic, and overcome the all-too-common fear of speaking in public so that they can deliver crisp and well-prepared speeches.
Teaching Documents
Lesson Plans
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