Teaching

Black feminist teaching requires the creation of a living learning community where all members are responsible for co-curating a lively discussion.  I accomplish this in class discussions by using peer teaching, small group discussions, and student-led debates. Assignments in my courses heavily depend upon developing my student rhetorical facilities through writing and in-class presentations. I push my students to engage their ideas through developing the written voice. I pair this emphasis on writing by engaging digital scholarship. In previous courses I have used both micro-blogging websites and editing Wikipedia assignments as a key part of student's grade. I encourage my students to devise new arguments with class materials to weigh-in on contemporary social issues. I push my students to synthesize pop-culture, canonical feminist theory, and historical evidence in presenting compelling arguments.  In my courses, I expand for many of my students what ‘counts’ as academic objects of study, I have found this approach empowers my student to approach writing as a necessary part of reflection about critical issues.              

The belief in education as a tool for transformation organizes my pedagogy in and beyond the courses I teach. To become a more dynamic teacher I often revise and reflect on my teaching strategies. I keep detailed notes, often revise my syllabi, and re-evaluate the texts and real-world examples I use in the classroom. My ability to value feedback from students and learn from them ensures that every time I teach the class has taken on a slightly different iteration.  As a Black feminist teacher, I remain deeply engaged in history to meet the mandate of the present and that begins with a deep investment in my students.