Teaching Philosophy
The constant development of my teaching style is as important to me as the subject matter of a course. In my fifteen years of college-level teaching, I have embraced a student-centered or liberatory model of teaching, which emphasizes critical thought and centers care as important to the development of motivated and socially proactive students. Central to my teaching is my belief that the classroom should be a space for encouraging open and thought-provoking discussion.
“As always thank you for continuing to believe and work with me. It means more to me than you will ever know.”
Student, 2021
“I appreciate you as a professor, professors like you are the reason why I stayed in school for so many years and to pursue a higher degree, I just wanted to thank you for being a great professor as a whole, making classes interesting and engaging, and I have learned a lot from your lectures that I can now apply into my life. Thank you.”
Student, 2022
“In addition to being my advisor I thoroughly enjoyed your classes at St. Ambrose and attribute much of my knowledge of the criminal justice field to you.”
Student, 2020
Courses
Undergraduate Courses Taught
Criminology
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Introduction to Criminal Justice
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Research Methods
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Contemporary Corrections
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Juvenile Justice
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Criminological Theory
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Individual Research
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Comparative Justice Systems
Sociology
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Introduction to Sociology
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Research Methods
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Drugs and Society
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Communications
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Media and Society
Honors
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Sociology Through Literature
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Criminal Justice and the Media
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Modern Crime Literature
Graduate Courses Taught
Masters of Science in Criminal Justice
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Criminological Theory
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Advanced Criminological Theory
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International Crime and Justice Issues
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Workshop (Peacemaking Criminology)
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Serial Homicide
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Crime Policy Analysis
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Advanced Research Methods
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Applications for Criminal Justice Writing
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Comparative Justice Systems
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Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice
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Seminar in Corrections
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Research 1
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Thinking Critically about Criminal Justice
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Thesis
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Final Paper