Teaching

FALL 2018

ENG 202: American Lit II
For well over two hundred years, popular stereotypes have portrayed America as a uniquely independent country made up of “self-reliant” pioneers and “rugged individualists.” Whether or not this is an accurate portrait, one thing is for certain: at least in the field of American literature, the spirit of experimentation and innovation—of “breaking all the rules”—has become a defining characteristic of the nation’s most influential authors and artists. This American Literature II course focuses on literary works that break away from tradition to create new and distinct forms of expression. As we explore how and why these authors have experimented with new styles, new techniques, and new genres, we’ll also be looking at how their work intersects with changing attitudes toward race, gender, class, and national identity. Course readings stretch from the mid-1800s up to the present day and include novels, short fiction, poetry, drama, and the non-fiction essay.

ENG 370: Early American Lit
Although we tend to think we have a good handle on what “American Literature” looks like today, this has not always been the case. For nearly four hundred years (1400-1800), texts written about or within the Americas shared little in common with each other, and the idea that anything approaching a national literature could result from such chaos seemed comical to European critics. In this course, we will be reading and exploring a wide range of texts from these chaotic beginnings, focusing our attention on how—against all odds—literature came to play a vital role in determining how rapid changes in the political, economic, and technological spheres would reshape both the land and the people of the American continents. And as we work together to situate these readings within a vast network of cultural and historical contexts, we will also be working to better understand how, centuries later, the field of Early American Literature continues to shape the attitudes and beliefs of readers in contemporary times.

ENG 405: Teaching and Learning English in the Secondary School
As you begin to shift your role from English student to English teacher, the purpose of this capstone course is to help situate your pedagogical and disciplinary knowledge within the context of today’s ELA classroom. The course will be focused primarily on “learning by doing”—on designing classroom-ready lessons and units that demonstrate your understanding of various learning styles, student needs, and state teaching standards. We’ll also engage with contemporary ELA research that will help ground our conversations about everyday teaching practices in wider theoretical frameworks. And, given the field experience you’ll be taking part in this semester, the course will also allow us to work through many of the day-to-day challenges facing beginning teachers (professional relationships, parent interactions, grading pressures, work/life balance, etc.). This course will ask a lot of you, but in return, it will reward you with a high level of confidence and preparedness for your student-teaching experience next semester.

SPRING 2018

ENG 202: American Lit II
ENG 341: Pedagogical Approaches to Adolescent Lit
ENG 405: Teaching and Learning English in the Secondary School

FALL 2017

ENG 341: Pedagogical Approaches to Adolescent Lit
ENG 405: Teaching and Learning English in the Secondary School

SPRING 2017

ENG 200 / ERS 210 / ENG 210: Literature of Black America
ENG 405: Teaching and Learning English in the Secondary School
EDS 492: Student Teaching Seminar

FALL 2016

ENG 201: American Lit I
ENG 200 / ERS 210 / ENG 210: Literature of Black America
EDS 492: Student Teaching Seminar

SPRING 2016

ENG 341: Pedagogical Approaches to Adolescent Lit
ENG 370: Early American Lit
ENG 405: Teaching and Learning English in the Secondary School

FALL 2015

ENG 110: College Writing I
ENG 341: Pedagogical Approaches to Adolescent Lit

Courses below were taught at Texas Christian University (Ft. Worth, TX)

SPRING 2015

ENGL 20503: Major American Writers
ENGL 20803(T): The #epicfail as Argument

FALL 2014

ENGL 10803: Introduction to Composition
ENGL 30523: American Literature and Popular Culture (Co-taught with Dr. Sarah Robbins)

SPRING 2014

ENGL 20803(T): The #epicfail as Argument

FALL 2013

ENGL 10133: Introduction to Literature

SPRING 2013

ENGL 10113: Introduction to Poetry

FALL 2012

ENGL 20803: Intermediate Composition
ENGL 30523: American Literature and Popular Culture (Co-taught with Dr. Sarah Robbins)

SPRING 2012

ENGL 10803: Introduction to Composition

FALL 2011