Philosophy
I teach undergraduate and graduate students using scaffolded and inclusive educational practices. I specifically focus on training future technology leaders. My courses are interdisciplinary, with an emphasis on training social science and humanities students in statistical and computational thinking. Bridging critical, social, and technical skills is essential for developing a technology workforce that can tackle difficult issues including racism, sexism, bias, and exclusion in our technology and our workplaces. Given the pervasiveness and impact of socio-technical systems I aspire to rectify historical and current injustices in society through interdisciplinary, intersectional education.
Courses
COMM2301: Methods and Research in Communication (Undergraduate Lecture)
Methods and Research in Communication provides an overview of the concepts, methods, tools and ethics of communication research. The primary goal of this course is to help you become a knowledgeable consumer and a limited producer of communication research. Throughout the term, you will learn to read, interpret and critically evaluate research reports. You will be exposed to basic social science concepts and research designs and learn the fundamentals of conducting and analyzing research using surveys, experiments, qualitative interviews, and other methods. You will also learn to connect social science theories, questions, and research methods and you will practice presenting original research results in writing. This course is designed for novices with no previous experience with social science research or analysis. If words like “statistics” and “math” strike terror into your heart, fear not. You will be taught all the skills you need to master the material. Data collection and analysis are important skills for social scientists, and being able to confidently conduct original research is among the most valuable skills you will learn in college, regardless of your eventual career path. I look forward to helping you on your journey to become independent researchers.
COMM2105: Social Networks (Undergraduate Lecture)
This is a class about social networks. But maybe not the way you think. Social networks are all around us – we all have social networks of friends, family members, acquaintances, colleagues, and yes, social media contacts. In this class, we will learn how to use social network theories and methods to examine the connectivity and complexity in the world around us. This class will teach you to see the world in a new way: using a network perspective. Together, we will examine how we create social, professional, and technological networks, and how these networks influence our behaviors, beliefs, and opportunities. By the end of the semester, you will understand not only how to optimize your own social networks, but also what made Steve Jobs so successful, how pandemics spread, how social movements come together, and why the Internet seems so polarized.
COMM4605: Youth and Communication Technology (Undergraduate Seminar)
This course examines how meanings of youth and communication technology shift in relation to one another, and to broader changes in society, culture, politics, and the economy over time. Students will analyze how communication technologies (and the content they deliver) positively and negatively affect the social, emotional, political, and cognitive development of young people, and how these changes are influenced by the particular family, school, community and institutional contexts in which children grow up. We will be attentive to how young people differ individually across the lifespan, as well as collectively by class, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, and disability.
Through regular writing assignments, culminating in a final paper at the end of the term, students will learn to articulate and defend positions about youth and communication technology.These papers will take the form of evidence-based arguments aimed at educating young people, their families, and/or other institutions on how to make best use of the communication technologies in their daily lives.
INAM7000: Introduction to Research in Interdisciplinary Design and Media (Graduate Seminar)
This course provides an overview of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Design and Media, familiarizes students with different modes of arts, design, and media research inquiry, and establishes a vocabulary for interdisciplinary research and creative activity. We will read expansively, discuss critically, engage guest lecturers, and write reflectively throughout the semester as we learn to navigate the “hidden syllabus” of graduate work and develop plans for success in your own independent programs of research.
NETS7345: The Practice of Interdisciplinary Scholarship (Graduate Seminar)
This course is designed to improve students’ written, oral, and visual communication skills, with a special focus on the unique challenges of communicating across disciplinary boundaries. We will focus on all stages of the academic writing process, including preparing a manuscript, selecting an appropriate publication outlet, and navigating the peer review process. We will also practice other forms of scientific communication, including conference talks, posters, and presentations for lay audiences. Designed for 2nd year doctoral students, course assignments are designed to cultivate the skills, wisdom, and expertise necessary to communicate independent, high-quality scholarship for a number of different audiences. Through a combination of regular writing, speaking, peer-review, and instructor feedback, students will learn to be outstanding interdisciplinary scientific communicators.
Teaching Awards
2017 College of Arts, Media and Design Excellence in Teaching Award