Institute for Advanced Study
University of Minnesota
Teaching Experience
St. Cloud State University, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, 2005-2009
Social Inequality, fall 2007
In Social Inequality, I drew on the work of Gerry Pratt, Richa Nagar, Melissa Wright, Ann Fausto Sterling, Doreen Massey, Howard Winant, Lucy Jarosz and Victoria Lawson among others to discuss social difference and power, the institutionalization of inequality and topics such as welfare, environmental change, social movements and affirmative action. Oral presentations tied to research papers have focused on immigration, sustainability, health care inequalities and issues in Indian Country.
Environment and Society, fall 2008
Environment and Society was designed for juniors, seniors and MA students. The first year I used Paul Robbins' text Political ecology and readings by authors who challenge students to think about the nature-society relationship such as Julie Guthman and Elspeth Probyn on food and farming, Anna Tsing and Doreen Massey on space and scale and Haraway on companion species. In the fall of 2008 I used Zimmerer and Bassett's text, Political ecology, along with additional readings (see syllabus above).
Environmental Citizenship, fall 2008
Democratic Citizenship is a freshman level required course that all SCSU students. I designed the course as Environmental Citizenship and used Michael Bell's Invitation to Environmental Sociology.
Example of powerpoint: Food change
Syracuse University, Department of Geography, September 2001-May 2003
I developed Global Environmental Change, Population Change and World Geography (in additon to two other courses) for the Geography Department at Syracuse University, where I taught for 2 years as a post-doc.
Global Environmental Change
Selected Powerpoint Presentations
Introduction to Questions about Animals
The College of the
Holy Cross, January-May 2000
I designed and taught a seminar on Sustainable
Cities at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA while
completing my doctorate.
Student Evaluations ~ St. Cloud State 2005-present
I design my own evaluations, preferring these to questions that rate the professor rather than provide her with qualitative data from which she can learn. The files below use descriptive statistics to reveal students' general appreciation of the aspects of the course. The statistics are used to give others a sense of my teaching commitment and ability. The evaluations provided me with feedback that led me to change some readings, assignments and teaching methods.
Social Inequality, fall 2005-spring 2006Environment and Society
Democratic Citizenship
Student Evaluations ~ Syracuse University 2001-2003