I am committed to the success of students pursuing higher education, particularly first-generation college students, women, racial and ethnic minority students, and gender and sexual minority students. Creating an open and inclusive environment in the classroom where students feel comfortable engaging with other students and with the professor and -- importantly -- seeking help when needed is critical to effective teaching. In my classroom, I do this by addressing power and privilege from the outset, discussing strategies for engaging in tough conversations, and challenging students to open their minds to new ways of seeing.

I have experience teaching undergraduates at University of California, Berkeley and graduate students at University of California, San Francisco. Courses I have taught include advanced qualitative research methods courses for undergraduate students, senior seminars in sociology, introduction to sociology (health and society emphasis), as well as social theory and proposal development seminars for graduate students. I welcome the opportunity to teach substantive and methods courses in sociology, science and technology studies, as well as interdisciplinary social sciences.

COURSES TAUGHT

University of California, Berkeley (UCB) - Department of Sociology (all undergraduate)

Sociology 108 (Spring 2020): Advanced Methods: In-Depth Interviewing

This course trains students in how to carry out a qualitative, interview-based research project. In the process, students learn how to develop research questions and determine the appropriate methods to explore them, with specific attention to qualitative research. Because the focus of this course is interviewing, this course teaches students how to identify and recruit people to interview, how to prepare a comprehensive set of interview questions, how to conduct interviews, how to address issues that can arise while conducting interviews, how to code and analyze interviews, and how to present one's findings at the end of a project. A keystone of this course is writing a sociological research paper using interview data that you gather for this class.

Sociology 190 (Fall 2020, 2021): Seminar and Research in Sociology: Health, Biomedicine, and Inequality

This course explores the social and political aspects of health, illness, and the ways we produce biomedical and public health knowledge. In recent months, the global coronavirus pandemic has highlighted pervasive health inequalities that inundate the US, as well as challenges with our biomedical research infrastructures. These disparities and challenges, however, are not novel. Why are health outcomes often stratified along racial and class lines? How do various intersections of identity - such as gender, sexuality, race, age, and religion - make some groups more vulnerable to health risk and disease? Why do we, as a society, invest in particular health interventions over others? And why do some groups have better and more access to new innovations in biomedicine?  We will cover sociological perspectives on health inequities and inequalities, the production of biomedical knowledge, and our current biomedical moment. This course draws on frameworks from medical sociology, as well as science and technology studies. Additionally, it utilizes popular media and documentaries sources.

Sociology N1H (Summer 2018, 2019): Introduction to Sociology (Health and Society Emphasis)

The primary objective of this introduction to sociology course is to introduce students to the major theories, concepts, and substantive areas of sociology with an emphasis on health and medicine. Sociology is the study of the social-social life, change, identity, and institutions. In 2015, the Association of American Medical Colleges deemed sociology to be such an important lens for understanding health that 30% of the social and behavioral section of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is focused on sociological material. In this course, readings, lectures, and assignments have been selected with the needs of pre-health professional students in mind, consisting of three thematic units that focus on social structures and institutions, stratification and inequality, and social change. Throughout the course, we also consider the diverse research methods used in sociological research. This course is open to all majors and there are no prerequisites.

University of California, San Francisco - Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences (graduate level)

S215 - Dissertation Proposal Development Seminar, 2019

The purpose of this course is to help students prepare for writing their dissertation proposals. This course provides a structured environment for phd students to make concrete progress planning their dissertation proposals and timelines as well as a supportive forum to discuss the process, means of assessing progress, and challenges common to this phase of the PhD program. Course sessions are student-centered and focus on skills helpful in completing a successful dissertation proposal. 

S237 - Qualitative Research Proposal Preparation Seminar, 2018, 2019

This seminar is intended to help first year doctoral students with the initial stages of designing their qualitative research pilot project. S237 is designed to be a supportive and informative environment for student-to-student discussion during the planning and writing of the qualitative research proposal (which is carried out in Yr 2). In this course, students begin designing their research proposals. Class sessions are focused on discussion of progress and challenges in the research planning process. Meetings are student-centered and focus on skills helpful in developing a successful pilot project proposal and preparing for the qualitative research and ethics courses.

S212B - Contemporary Social Theory (with Kristen Harknett), Winter 2022

Syllabi for all courses available upon request.