I have been a teacher since 1995. My teaching began with Summerbridge (now known as Breakthrough), an innovative academic-enrichment program that connects college students with middle-school students from under-resourced urban neighborhoods in many large U.S. cities. Since then I have taught high school and college students in Vietnam, Ireland, California, New York, and Pennsylvania for a range of programs and institutions, including a small nonprofit, a large state university, a selective liberal arts college, a vocational college, a large urban high school, and an overseas language-learning center.

These experiences have provided me practice with teaching large lecture courses, small upper-division seminars, and collaborative workshops. I have familiarity with students from many backgrounds along the continuum of educational opportunity—be they American upper-middle class privileged students, international students, or students who are among the first in their family to attend college. The array of institutions and students has broadened my techniques, knowledge of the social world, and understanding of my responsibility as an educator. In 2006 I was recognized for my talents with the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student (by Stony Brook University).

My interest in education and the craft of teaching has lead me to present several papers on pedagogical approaches. Michael Schwartz and I co-authored an article that addresses dilemmas faced by teaching a survey-based Introduction to Sociology course. I also wrote a piece on how state budget cuts of public education have certain implications for race. In addition, I have presented on the teaching strategies that I found useful for educating students about the US criminal justice system.

Overall, my teaching interests include gender, health, social psychology, media and culture, and criminal justice. I have designed and taught the following sociology courses:  Introduction to Sociology, Sociology of Gender, Sociology of Gender and Work, The Sociological Imagination, Punishment and Social Order, Sports and Society, and Masculinities. Last year I designed and taught a course at Rutgers titled, "War Veterans: The American Experience and Consequences for Health."