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At Portland State University, I teach a diverse range of courses that dare students to think differently. Please sign up for courses on the University course bulletin website.
At Portland State University, I teach a diverse range of courses that dare students to think differently. Please sign up for courses on the University course bulletin website.
If you have any specific questions about course topics, feel free to message me and I will respond as soon as possible.
If you have any specific questions about course topics, feel free to message me and I will respond as soon as possible.
Classroom Business and Philosophy
Classroom Business and Philosophy
In the classroom, I am known for my infectious enthusiasm, critical rigor, and compassionate mentorship. My classes are rooted in the African philosophy of Ubuntu (I am because we are), emphasizing shared humanity, mutual care, and co-creation of knowledge. As I often remind my students, “A single bracelet does not jingle”; learning, like life, is better when we do it together. My students describe me as a professor who makes the past feel present, the personal political, and the academic deeply human and humane.
My teaching evaluations consistently reflect positive feedback, with students frequently expressing that they were both challenged and inspired by my teaching style, while also feeling supported throughout their learning journey. I have been honored with multiple teaching awards, including Portland State University’s John Eliot Allen Outstanding Teaching Award (2021/22) and the Peggy Renner Award for Teaching and Curricular Innovation from the Western Association of Women Historians (2025).
Beyond formal instruction, I also informally advise and mentor undergraduate and graduate students within the department and the wider college, guiding them in their academic and professional pursuits. I serve as an MA Advisor and committee member for various theses and dissertations, demonstrating my commitment to nurturing the next generation of scholars.
An introductory course designed to provide students with an understanding of methods and sources used by the historian of the African past. Museum visits, guest speakers, and films will supplement the lecture format. In addition to a survey of major themes and issues in the history of the African continent, the course will consider the rise of complex societies, indigenous African towns, agricultural and technological achievements, African state systems, and the impact of international trade and Islam on Africa.
Credits: 4
Surveys the rich and deeply layered history of African women, especially from an African perspective. We will examine the historical forces that shaped, and continue to shape, African women’s lives, as well as the ways in which African women have been agents in the making of their own histories. This course illuminates the critical role which African women, of varying nationalities, classes, ethnicities, religions, and regions, have played in African and global history. This is the same course as Hst 301U and WS 335U and may be taken only once for credit.
Credits: 4
Surveys the history of the African continent from the period of European exploration to the eve of colonialism. Examines impact of the European presence on African institutions and trade, and the relative importance of the environment, technology, and indigenous social systems on the transformation of African society prior to 1800. This is the same course as Hst 312U and may be taken only once for credit.
Credits: 4
Survey the history of the African continent from 1800 to the present with an emphasis on the colonial period, independence, and post-independence. This is the same course as Hst 313U and may be taken only once for credit. This is the same course as Hst 313U and may be taken only once for credit.
Credits: 4
Analyzes Africa’s protest and social movements in the contemporary period using both historical events and scholarly analysis. It provides a multi-faceted account of Africa’s protest and activism politics as rooted in its historical and geographical specificities while centering the discourse on “people power.” We will examine much broader questions of social and historical significance like the relation between human agency and historical change, contestations of power, voice[s] of the people, gender, rights, continuity and discontinuity, and new forms of protest like digital protests.
Credits: 4
Credits: 4
Examines gender and sexualities in Africa from an African perspective. We will explore, among other things, the complex, and oftentimes contradictory, meanings attached to gender and sexuality in various African contexts, the notions of gendered and sexualized identifications, the different historical and social constructions of gender and sexualities in African societies. The course asks how sub-Saharan African contexts challenge Western or Global North conventional conceptualizations of gender and sexualities. Expected Preparation: A general knowledge of African history is recommended. This is the same course as WS 368U and may be taken only once for credit.
Credits: 4
Credits: 4
Study of the social, political, and economic dimensions of imperialism in twentieth century Africa from the perspective of post-colonial studies. This is the same course as Intl 372U and may be taken only once for credit.
Credits: 4
Credits: 4
Methods, sources of evidence, and the results of the study of prehistoric cultures of Africa from the earliest traces until the first written records; it includes human origins (physical and cultural evolution), the earliest civilization, peopling of Africa, migrations, earliest settlements, origins of agriculture and metallurgy. This is the same course as Anth 362U and may be taken only once for credit.
Credits: 4
Credits: 4
Historical and recent African immigration to the United States are interrogated for form/nature and function in light of assimilation (i.e., melting pot) expectations. Survey of classical and contemporary migration literature and discovery of the Oregon African immigrant milieu in a global context and perspective are used in search for answers. Expected preparation: BSt 202, 211A or any lower division BSt course.
Credit: 4
Introduces students to the process of conducting research using qualitative research methods in the humanities and social sciences. Exploration of research methods including, but not limited to, interviewing, content analysis, archival research, library research, Internet research, and participant-observation.
Credits: 4
Credits: 4
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