teaching
approach
I see the classroom as a site where knowledge production meets practical skills meant to encourage students in their research and writing, activism, and professional development. I focus on four main tenets in my teaching: critical thinking, deep listening, active engagement, and effective communication. I believe this four-part approach to teaching encourages students to slow down their thought processes, to sit with tension in their own ideologies, and to truly learn from others. Ultimately, I think this approach to teaching permits students to feel more comfortable expressing themselves in the classroom, which allows students – and myself – to learn just as much from one another as they do from me. I draw from my experiences as a queer person from rural Mississippi, as well as my experiences as an educator, to center diversity and inclusion in the classroom. I am intentional about creating space for students to feel brave and confident in their life experiences, bringing them to the fore in classroom conversations to help one another better understand how the ideas we discuss in class resonate in significant ways in people’s lives.
courses taught
Nature & Society
The past few years can be characterized by multiple, competing, and nested crises: from COVID-19 to increased calls for racial justice, to profound levels of unemployment and inflation, to climate-fueled natural disasters (e.g., wildfires in Colorado). These issues may seem unrelated; however, they are profoundly related along axes of inequality and the practices and ideologies that maintain it. Further, it is easy to think of the ‘environment’ as being separate from our social or political spheres. Yet, it is precisely in the environment (built or otherwise) where these crises are happening, and how we exist in the environment – in relation to it and to one another – has ramifications for how these crises are experienced. Take wildfires for example. Wildfires are a natural phenomenon, but their intensity and frequency are changing because of climate change. Importantly, where they happen and who/what is impacted is as much as matter of climate change as it is urban planning. In short, nature and society are deeply interconnected, and this course will explore these interconnections through critical engagement with nature/society scholarship and an examination of relevant and timely case studies.
Global Climate & Environmental Change
Climate change comes up constantly in our day-to-day lives: in the news, in conversations with close friends and family, and in the back of our minds when we take a walk or bike ride and see changes in the landscape around us. It is immense, happening at temporal scales that stretch millions of years into the past and hundreds of years into the future and at spatial scales that span the entire globe. It is also intimate; it is in the air we breathe and is impacted by even some of our smallest decisions. There are global strikes for or against it, multitudes of competing and seemingly contradictory scientific and political claims, and still fires burning in our backyards. In short, it is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and, as such, can be incredibly overwhelming. In this course, we will take a step-by-step approach to understanding how, why, and where climate change is happening; examine specific facets of climate change that are affecting our daily lives; and look to the near-future for possible solutions and interventions. We will unpack climate change together in a seminar-style course, discussing how issues like melting permafrost in the Arctic are linked to water shortages in the American West.
Energy, Power, & Justice
Energy is part of daily lives. Energy heats up your water, cooks your food, charges your phone, and enables you to commute (by walking, biking, driving, or however else you may get to where you’re going). Power is also a part of our daily lives. Whether or not you have access to clean water, access to food, a phone to charge, or a home to commute to/from are also matters of power, of equity and social justice. Energy and power are often intertwined – when you connect your phone to charge, it is most often with a ‘power cable.’ How have ideas of power and energy developed together? Why are nations with more reliable energy sources among the most powerful in the world? Further, in light of a ‘Just Transition’ (a transition towards a more equitable society in which justice is key), what roles do energy and power play? This class examines the relationships between energy, power, and justice. More specifically, this course provides historical context for understanding how our ideas of energy have developed, how these ideas have become synonymous with power, and how issues of equity and social justice should be included in any discussions about a ‘Just Transition.’
Introduction to Environmental Studies & Sustainability
What is the relationship between COVID-19, climate change, and racial justice? How are these seemingly separate issues deeply intertwined in our environment? From mass extinction events to catastrophic extreme weather, the environment, broadly defined, seems to be discussed and debated everywhere. In fact, it is everywhere. However, the environment is different for different people (and non-people). The impacts of these large-scale events, such as climate change, are not distributed equally. Many of the threats posed by environmental problems will have profound effects that span generations into the future, and these events have systemic roots that reach millions of years into the past. In order to address these issues, one must first consider the multiple dimensions of what constitutes the environment. This class is meant to be an introduction in the diverse and interdisciplinary field of environmental studies. This course will provide a broad overview of many key concepts and ideas found within this discipline, as well as provide a platform from which to explore many of the most pressing environmental issues of our time.
graduate advising
I am grateful to work with graduate students, and I find that graduate students - all students, really - are some my best collaborators. If you’re interested in working with me, I am currently taking masters students. Feel free to get in touch if you’re interested!