Goals

My goals for this course are a bit more than the SLOs (though those are important, too). What I hope for you is to dive deeper into an awareness and understanding of the the factors that impact women's choices--about their bodies, sexualities, lives.  My hope is that we begin to collectively appreciate and honor the complexities that make up who we are and embrace a philosophy of support and non-judgement for one another.  That we call-out a culture that is oppressive and violent toward women and girls (and POC, trans, gender non-conforming folx) and call-in a practice  of intersectionality, respect, and justice.

"Right now, when we're hearing so much disturbing and hateful rhetoric, it is so important to remember that our diversity has been - and will always be - our greatest source of strength and pride here in the United States."

Michelle Obama, Writer / Activist / First Lady / Sociologist

My Teaching Philosophy--Why am I here?

I have always had a passion for learning.  The first time I stepped into a classroom, in preschool, I knew school was my place. Stories and books were some of my best friends.  I could get lost for hours reading about adventures, challenges, triumphs, and connections.   I get excited when presented with new ideas.  I strive to understand varied perspectives.  I love a-ha moments—that moment when a new concept resonates within someone.  I chose sociology because I find interaction fascinating.  I remember, as a young girl, being dragged to the mall with my family.  My mother and sisters loved to shop but my dad and I would sit in the rotunda and watch people.  I chose Sociology because it gives me a community and a foundation to further explore my passion for people-watching.

I love learning. I love teaching.  I believe that these go hand-in-hand.  I believe that education is a partnership and that we have an opportunity to create a class that supports our combined engagement in the study of sociology.  I hope to create an engaging environment that honors multiple perspectives and supports a learning process that is robust and connected to real world experience.  I encourage a class environment that is a partnership, with each of us supportive of individual journeys as well a collective experience in which we learn from one another.

I respect your commitment to this class.  I commit to working with you to identify and strategize barriers that may affect your success in this class.  I also commit to working with you to create and support a space that allows each of us to honor our own experiences and pull from our own unique knowledge, while challenging us to see society through multiple lens.  Further, I commit to fostering a class that is interactive, that highlights many voices, and that connects learning to action.