“To begin, the professor must genuinely value everyone’s presence.”
~bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress
For me, teaching is a calling.
As an educator, I am deeply invested in helping students develop strong critical thinking skills that will serve them across many contexts, and through many stages of life. An educated citizenry is fundamental to a vibrant democracy, and I consider my work in the classroom as one way to facilitate vibrance. In my classrooms, all students are welcome. I believe that difference enriches our experience, but that we have not been taught how to have meaningful and respectful conversations across differences. My classrooms model “brave space,” spaces where we ask difficult and sensitive questions, and delve into hard topics, keeping the dignity of each participant at the forefront.
Diversity is nothing to fear. It is a fact of existence in our world, and it makes our experiences beautiful. Understanding how power functions in society across lines of difference is a necessary component of creating worlds that are just, sustainable, and dignified. I contribute to that dream of a better world by educating students about our shared histories, our interconnectedness, and our responsibilities to generations past, present and future.
College-Level Courses
Black Women in Popular Culture
In this 200-level course, we examine how media constructs, and is constructed by, Black women in the United States. This course combines present-day examples with the historical context of Black women singers, actors, and public figures to provide a robust introduction to both Media Studies and Black Feminist Thought.
Black Queer Theory
While Black Queer Theory is relatively young in the academic world, Black queer brilliance has existed for all time. In this course we examine the historical, cultural, and ethical contributions of Black queer writers, artists, thinkers, and activists to Black and U.S. culture and politics. We trouble the line between “academic” and “art,” and revel in the space created at the intersection of race, gender and sexuality.
Blackness and Belonging
In this graduate level course, we examine what “belonging” means to Black people and communities in the U.S. and the Caribbean. We consider the political, social, geographic, economic, legal and historical consequences of chattel slavery and its afterlives, and question what both blackness and belonging mean across time and space.
