Teacher.
I spent 10 years of my career as a sociology professor (2008-2018). I was most passionate about teaching research methods and statistics.
Math and science aside, the most important thing I wanted to impart to my students was critical thinking. That is, knowing how to ask the right questions, synthesize and summarize information and then make effective decisions.
I was also deeply committed to teaching Black history and politics, with a focus on Black women and feminism. Black women were feminist pioneers long before the "first wave". And the unique intersection of race, gender, class and sexuality are key to understanding the fullness of Black life throughout the diaspora.
A list of the courses I taught during my university career is below.
Math and science aside, the most important thing I wanted to impart to my students was critical thinking. That is, knowing how to ask the right questions, synthesize and summarize information and then make effective decisions.
I was also deeply committed to teaching Black history and politics, with a focus on Black women and feminism. Black women were feminist pioneers long before the "first wave". And the unique intersection of race, gender, class and sexuality are key to understanding the fullness of Black life throughout the diaspora.
A list of the courses I taught during my university career is below.
Previous Courses
Applied Statistics for the Social Sciences
This course, designed for students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in the social sciences, introduces basic descriptive, inferential, and correlational statistical methods. The course emphasizes the importance of research questions and goals in statistical decision-making and focuses heavily on proper selection and interpretation of statistical processes. Graduates will pay special attention to multivariate statistical procedures as applied to ordinary least squares (OLS) and various logistic regression models.
Constructionist Approaches to Social Problems
This course takes a constructionist approach to the study of social problems. We will focus not only on the objective and measurable occurrences of social problems, but also on their interpretation. How do troublesome conditions rise to the level of "social problem"? Who gets to decide what is defined as a problem and what is not? How do people respond to social problems in the form of social movements? How are interpretations of troublesome conditions integral to the direction of movements?
Feminist Thought in Black History, Culture, and Politics
This advanced course examines the sociological issues that underlie the ways that African American women have negotiated their social, economic, and political lives as racial and gender minorities. The course uses African American women’s life experiences to challenge hegemonic notions of the categories “woman” and “black” during critical eras in African American history such as slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, the Black Feminist movement, and the 21st century.
Research Methods for the Social Sciences
Also designed for social science majors, this course surveys ontological and epistemological approaches to social scientific research with close attention to research ethics and research question construction. The course focuses equally on qualitative and quantitative methods and strongly encourages students to select methods that will answer their research questions; rather than avoid methods that seem difficult or gravitate to those which appear simple.
Senior Research Seminar
Designed for sociology seniors who chose to carry out empirical research projects. This course will ensure that students are posing answerable research questions, have selected methods that fully answer these questions, support students through the data collection and analysis processes, assist students in preparing IRB forms, and work with students in crafting and executing a professional research presentation.
Social Movements
This new course will examine social movement theory (collective behavior, resource mobilization, political process, framing, and new social movements) as well as the factors that gave rise to major social movements in U.S. history.
Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
This course will examine historical and contemporary issues within the social scientific study of race in the U.S. We will also consider the diversity of racialization experiences within Asian, Black, Latino, Middle Eastern, Native American, and white cultures.
This course, designed for students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in the social sciences, introduces basic descriptive, inferential, and correlational statistical methods. The course emphasizes the importance of research questions and goals in statistical decision-making and focuses heavily on proper selection and interpretation of statistical processes. Graduates will pay special attention to multivariate statistical procedures as applied to ordinary least squares (OLS) and various logistic regression models.
Constructionist Approaches to Social Problems
This course takes a constructionist approach to the study of social problems. We will focus not only on the objective and measurable occurrences of social problems, but also on their interpretation. How do troublesome conditions rise to the level of "social problem"? Who gets to decide what is defined as a problem and what is not? How do people respond to social problems in the form of social movements? How are interpretations of troublesome conditions integral to the direction of movements?
Feminist Thought in Black History, Culture, and Politics
This advanced course examines the sociological issues that underlie the ways that African American women have negotiated their social, economic, and political lives as racial and gender minorities. The course uses African American women’s life experiences to challenge hegemonic notions of the categories “woman” and “black” during critical eras in African American history such as slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, the Black Feminist movement, and the 21st century.
Research Methods for the Social Sciences
Also designed for social science majors, this course surveys ontological and epistemological approaches to social scientific research with close attention to research ethics and research question construction. The course focuses equally on qualitative and quantitative methods and strongly encourages students to select methods that will answer their research questions; rather than avoid methods that seem difficult or gravitate to those which appear simple.
Senior Research Seminar
Designed for sociology seniors who chose to carry out empirical research projects. This course will ensure that students are posing answerable research questions, have selected methods that fully answer these questions, support students through the data collection and analysis processes, assist students in preparing IRB forms, and work with students in crafting and executing a professional research presentation.
Social Movements
This new course will examine social movement theory (collective behavior, resource mobilization, political process, framing, and new social movements) as well as the factors that gave rise to major social movements in U.S. history.
Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
This course will examine historical and contemporary issues within the social scientific study of race in the U.S. We will also consider the diversity of racialization experiences within Asian, Black, Latino, Middle Eastern, Native American, and white cultures.