I began teaching at City Tech in Fall 2012 after receiving my Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Riverside. There I specialized in American Literature and Culture after 1900, gender and sexuality studies, and Gothicism, and I also served as the Assistant Director of the University Writing Program, specializing in developmental writing, credit-level composition, and writing across the curriculum.
As an Assistant Professor, I created two new permanent courses and taught seven different types of courses as well as a uniquely structured combination course. I created and taught English 2180 (Studies in Identity and Orientation) and English 3407 (Gothic Literature and Visual Culture). I have taught English 092W (Developmental Writing II), English 1101 (Composition I), English 092W/1101 (combination), English 2000 (Perspectives in Literature), English 2160 (Intro to Women’s Studies), and English 3402 (Special Topics in Literature). These courses cover a broad range of course types and levels, from non-credit writing to 3000-level literature, and this breadth reflects my interdisciplinary scholarship interests in writing studies, pedagogy, gender and sexuality in American literature and culture after 1900, and Gothic literature.
Since my promotion to Associate Professor in Fall of 2018, I have continued to support the development of new courses, spearhead the development of Academic Minors at the college, and added 2 courses to my curricular rotation. These new courses include English 2400 (Films from Literature), English 1101CO (English Composition I + Co-Requisite), and Foundations of Queer Studies, a graduate-level course at the CUNY Graduate Center and cross-listed by CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Psychology.
Below is a list of all of the courses I have taught at CUNY. The courses I have taught since my last promotion are highlighted in green.
English 092W, Developmental Writing II
An intermediate course in writing skills focusing on composing the short essay including revision and proofreading. Emphasis on instruction in advanced and varied sentence patterns, appropriate punctuation and grammar and the use of the dictionary to investigate word formation and develop vocabulary. Short readings are used as models to illustrate methods of development and organization.
English 1101, English Composition I
Pathways: English Composition
4 cl hrs
A course in effective essay writing and basic research techniques including use of the library. Demanding readings assigned for classroom discussion and as a basis for essay writing.
Prerequisite: CUNY proficiency in English
English 092W/1101, Combination Course
092W: 3 cl hrs, 0 cr + 1101: 4 cl hrs, 3 cr
This class is a fairly new course offering that uses a Learning Community structure to provide high-scoring developmental writing students the opportunity for extended time in the classroom. A single set of students are enrolled in consecutively scheduled sections of 092W and 1101, resulting in an extended meeting period. The first half of the semester focuses on the learning outcomes for developmental writing, and students attempt the CATW exit exam mid-way through the semester. The second half of the semester focuses on the learning outcomes for English 1101. By the end of the semester, the students will ideally pass both the CATW exam and the English 1101 credit course.
English 1101CO, English Composition I with Co-Requisite
Pathways: English Composition
4 cl hrs, 2 supp hrs
A course in effective essay writing and basic research techniques including use of the library. Demanding readings assigned for classroom discussion and as a basis for essay writing. Two supplemental hours of instruction for reading comprehension, critical thinking, the structured writing process, grammar and punctuation conventions, notetaking and study skills.
Prerequisite: 50-64 English Proficiency Index, or 46-55 on the CUNY Assessment Test in Writing, or 45-54 on the ACCUPLACER Reading Test. ENG 1101CO is equivalent to ENG 1101 for grade replacement purposes.
English 2000, Perspectives in Literature
Pathways: Individual and Society
Writing Intensive
3 cl hrs
Readings in and writings about literature across genres, eras and locales. Themes include family, the individual and society, good and evil, gender, faith and “the human heart in conflict with itself.” Essays and exams based on readings.
Prerequisite: ENG 1101 or ENG 1101CO or ENG 1101ML
English 2160, Introduction to Women’s Studies
Pathways: World Cultures and Global Issues
Writing Intensive
3 cl hr
This course focuses on literature, scholarly writing, and films that examines specifically the role(s) of girls and women, both nationally and internationally, and determines whether women themselves or others (external forces, individuals, or social systems) construct definitions of womanhood. The course utilizes texts, by both men and women, and addresses such themes as womanism, stereotypes, feminism, violence, politics, intimate/familial relationships, sex, sexuality, sexual orientation, and prescribed and evolving gender roles as they relate to girls and women.
Prerequisite: ENG 1101 or ENG 1101CO or ENG 1101ML
English 2180, Studies in Identity and Orientation
Pathways: US Experience in its Diversity
Writing Intensive
3 cl hrs
This course provides students with an introductory understanding of identity, focusing specifically on the concepts of gender and sexuality as they intersect with race, class, ethnicity, and other aspects of social location and identification. The course also includes an analysis of the appearance of gender and sexuality as integrated social concepts by reading and discussing contemporary American texts across multiple genres and media.
Prerequisite: ENG 1101 or ENG 1101CO or ENG 1101ML
English 2400, Films from Literature
Pathways: Creative Expression
Writing Intensive
3 cl hrs
This course will allow students to examine the relationship between film and their literary sources. Through classroom discussions and out-of-class assignments, students will analyze classic and contemporary literary texts and their cinematic versions. Students will examine the relationship between film and literature, with specific focus on the techniques used in fiction, drama and film and the influences of censorship and society. Students will focus on the similarities and differences of literary works adapted into films.
Pre- or corequisite: ENG 1101 or ENG 1101CO or ENG 1101ML
English 3402, Topics in Literature
Pathways: Creative Expression
Writing Intensive
3 cl hrs
This course explores a specific idea or theme in English-language literature. Discussion and analysis of texts related to the course topic. Topics change each semester and have included humor, vampires and zombies, transnationalism and homesickness, utopias and dystopias, culture and identity, and graphic novels.
Prerequisite: ENG 1121 or any 2000-level literature course (AFR, ENG, LATS)
English 3407, Gothic Literature and Visual Culture
Pathways: Creative Expression
Writing Intensive
3 cl hrs
Students critically read, analyze, and write about the popular genre of the Gothic. As represented in both literary and visual terms, in both Europe and the United States beginning in the late-18th century to today. Key concepts include horror, haunting, madness, and monsters.
Prerequisites: ENG 1121 or any 2000-level literature course (AFR, ENG, LATS)
Women’s and Gender Studies/Psychology, Foundations of Queer Studies (CUNY Graduate Center)
Core Course: LGBTQ Studies Concentration offered by CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies
Foundations of Queer Studies will offer students an introduction into this interdisciplinary, multi-methodological field. This course will ground students in key cornerstone writings and research within the field. After an exploration of queer studies’ beginnings in history, literature, and activist organizing, the class will then weave across the evolution and expansion of this area of study from contributory disciplines such as political science, ethics, philosophy, and psychology. Students will engage with content that investigates the conceptualizations of gender and sexuality and their intersections with concepts like ethnicity, class, age, and geography (i.e. rural/metropolitan; national/global). As an extension of this, the class will critically examine the expansion and reconceptualization of sexuality and gender over time with the consideration of identity formation, social movements, political systems, and cultural shifts. A deeper dive will consider questions around queer methodologies as well as the intersections between literary frameworks, cultural studies, critical psychological perspectives, and health-framed analyses. This course will require students to apply the knowledge and information gleaned to propose a critical application addressing a queer-focused social justice concern/issue.
