I teach a range of courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. Much of my teaching over the past few years has focused on the History of Science, Technology, and the Environment and has included courses such as the History of the Anthropocene, the History of Evolution and Human Consciousness, and the History of Science and Technology since 1750. I also teach the graduate seminar in Digital Public History and the History of Social and Cultural Theory seminar for the American Studies PHD Program.
In the classroom, I emphasize the importance of dialogue and interdisciplinarity. Students can expect broad ranging conversations that emerge from their weekly primary and secondary readings. Assignments focus on developing disciplinary-specific and interdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and competencies. These assignments tend to be cumulative, often resulting in collaborative digital humanities or community based projects.
In addition to formal university classes, I also co-teach a number of non-credit, community-based seminars and workshops.
courses
Theories of Public Problem Solving
This course examines theoretical approaches to the meaning of “America” by asking students to engage with theories central to the field of American Studies, including: post-structuralism, queer studies, and post-colonialism as well as race, gender, sexuality, class, and religion. The purpose of the course is to introduce students to some of the key theoretical debates that have dominated social science and humanities scholarship over the past 150 years. We will read authors such as Karl Marx, Max Weber, W.E.B. Du Bois, Theodor Adorno, Antonio Gramsci, Frantz Fanon, Michel Foucault, bell hooks, Donna Haraway, Judith Butler, Alexander Weheliye, and more.
The Nature of History
This course introduces students to history as a mode of inquiry and a set of intellectual practices. Through a series of historical case studies, students will learn how historians ask questions, interpret evidence, construct arguments, evaluate competing explanations, and communicate their conclusions. The course emphasizes not only what historians know, but how they think, read, listen, discuss, research, and write.
Digital Public History
Digital History is a branch of the Digital Humanities concerned with the the creation and critical application of digital technologies to further historical scholarship, develop scholarly communities, and present academic research to non-academic groups. This course introduce students to the basic theory and practice of Digital History, especially as it relates to Public History. At the end of this course students will have a clear understanding of the potentials and pitfalls of Digital History, both in practice and theory.
OER Teaching Modules
Understanding Information and Disinformation
Central to any historical work is reading, interpreting, and analyzing texts (whether these texts are written, visual, audio, etc.). Because of this, historians have to read texts very closely, sifting for valuable information and clues. This course module has been created to help students better understand the nature of disinformation, misinformation, and mal-information.
ARCHIVED COURSES
