Teaching

I've taught at four institutions across three states — as a philosophy TA in Colorado, an adjunct film studies instructor in Tennessee, and a full-time composition and literature instructor at both MTSU and Auburn. I do my best to incorporate evidence-based best practices into all my courses. I emphasize process over product, revision as thinking, and accessible, inclusive course design. Whenever possible, I prefer to adopt alternative forms of assessment (e.g., specifications grading, ungrading, labor-based grading), along with low-stakes multimodal invention assignments and regular one-on-one conferencing. The short version: I want students to feel safe to take risks and to think clearly and carefully about their own goals for their education. 

I received the John N. McDaniel Excellence in Teaching Award at Middle Tennessee State University in 2023.

Composition Courses

Much of my teaching has been in first-year and second-year composition. At Auburn University, I currently teach ENGL 1120: English Composition II. At MTSU, I taught both ENGL 1010: Expository Writing and ENGL 1020: Research and Argumentative Writing. As part of a collaborative OER grant project, I co-authored and co-edited open-access textbooks for both of those courses — The Muse: Misunderstandings and Their Remedies (for ENGL 1010) and The Ask: A More Beautiful Question (for ENGL 1020) — which became the suggested texts for all sections of each course at MTSU.

ENGL 1120: English Composition II — Sample Syllabus

ENGL 1010: Expository Writing — Sample Syllabus

ENGL 1020: Research and Argumentative Writing — Sample Syllabus

Literature Courses

At MTSU, I designed and taught sections of the general education literature sequence. "The Swinging Sixties" (ENGL 2020) used the cultural and political upheaval of the 1960s as a lens for reading and thinking about literature, film, and popular culture. "Literature as Philosophy" (ENGL 2030) approached literary texts as sites of genuine philosophical inquiry, drawing on my background in pragmatism and ethics.

ENGL 2020: The Swinging Sixties — Sample Syllabus

ENGL 2030: Literature as Philosophy — Sample Syllabus

Film Studies Courses

At Cumberland University, I taught Introduction to Film Studies (ENGL 210) as a part-time adjunct instructor. I worked with the department's program director to redesign the course objectives. The course introduced students to formal analysis, genre, and the critical vocabulary for thinking about film as an art form.

ENGL 210: Introduction to Film Studies — Sample Syllabus

Philosohy Courses (Teaching Assistant)

Before entering the English PhD, I served as a teaching assistant in the Philosophy Department at Colorado State University, supporting courses in introductory philosophy, moral and social problems, and the history and philosophy of scientific thought.