My teaching is organized to meet three goals: 1) the cultivation of democratic citizenship and diversity, 2) the enhancement of critical thinking and professional skills, and 3) social mobility.
During my PhD study, I have held teaching assistant positions for multiple courses in sociology and criminology. I have worked with great instructors whose course designs and learning materials have helped me to understand how to meet the goals. Throughout my experience as a teaching assistant, I have also gained invaluable insights and practical knowledge that create a more effective class culture with active student interactions and discussions.
As a teaching assistant at a public university, I have met with students at different levels and backgrounds. In introductory classes, I encouraged students to connect their everyday experiences to key concepts in sociology and offered external resources for learning. In upper-level classes, I have helped students to develop analytical skills through different methods (e.g., essay writing, class and group discussion, and other activities). At all times, I encourage students to think about how theory, methods, and empirical data together.
In Summer 2022, I worked with Dr. James Wo to update the class materials for Research Methods in Criminology. I reviewed all the lecture slides used for the course and updated them to improve student learning (e.g., add more guidelines, examples, suggested readings, online resources, etc.). Since I held a teaching assistant position for this course twice (Fall 2018 & Fall 2017) and observed where learning difficulties come from, it was a great opportunity to reflect on past student learning and contribute to effective teaching.
See here for the full version of my teaching philosophy statement.
See here for the full version of my diversity and inclusion statement.
Teaching Assistant Experience
Online Instructor: Online Introduction to Sociology (Fall 2021, Summer 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2016)
Teaching Assistant: Research Methods in Criminology (Fall 2022, Fall 2018, Fall 2017), Environmental Criminology (Spring 2022), Race and Ethnicity (Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2018), Race, Organizations, and Workplace (Spring 2021), Communities and Crimes (Fall 2019, Spring 2019), Linear Models in Sociological Research (Spring 2017)
Grader: Race, Crime and Justice (Fall 2016), Drugs and Society (Fall 2016, Spring 2016), Sociology of Self-Improvement (Spring 2016), Introduction to the Criminal Justice System (Fall 2015)