In all of my work, within and outside of the classroom, I have recognized a call to teaching. Because of my interdisciplinary academic training, I have taught undergraduate course in Religious Studies, Philosophy, Sociology, and Gender Studies. I have taught graduate level courses in Ethics and at the intersection of Sociology and Theology. Throughout all of my courses, I hold four core commitments. As a teacher-scholar, I am committed to:

Scholarship that is participatory and relevant.

In addition to on-campus connections with the courses I teach and research I conduct, I actively involve my students in off-campus work for justice as a way to learn and connect their education with the needs of our communities. In my Introduction to Christian Ethics course, my students worked on a “Theory and Praxis” project in which students volunteered with community groups and identified and researched ethical issues of concern for their community partner. Through this project, students learned to discern ethical issues, find resources both academic and practical for addressing the issue, and gained a sense of agency in doing so

Teaching as Scholarship

Ernest Boyer argues, and I agree, that rigorous, scholarly teaching ought to be recognized as an important form of scholarship within the life of the students and teachers. My students experience the rigor of scholarship embedded in my pedagogy such as what my Reading in Feminist Theology students learned how to read, understand, and analyze key figures in feminist and womanist theology in order to have rich and challenging class discussions.

Making education accessible.

I have lived out this commitment in all of my teaching appointments. Most recently, my courses serve military personnel and their dependents through St. Leo’s University San Diego campus. I teach my courses using pedagogy that honors the experience they bring into the classroom through discussions, student presentations, and case studies which engage them in critical thinking and reflection. Recognizing that many of my students are underprepared for the college classroom I build opportunities for them to hone their skills at primary and secondary text reading, scholarly research and writing, and respectful dialogue.

Teaching and learning toward liberation and justice.

 I teach toward critical consciousness shaped by a commitment to use power to work toward a just and peaceful world. I strive to center the voices of those whom the church and academy have typically marginalized and who empower my students to be prophetic by their witness and example. I utilize my training in Sociology in all of my classes to bring an analysis of power, institution, and privilege into all of my classes. In my Women in Bible and Culture class, my students encountered the socio-political world that shaped the stories and the texts and then drew parallels to contemporary issues through the use of teaching tools like an adaptation of the “Clothesline Project” which raises awareness of domestic violence and abuse.