My pedagogical philosophy and approach embed an inclusive learning environment, active learning, and universal design principles in an effort to support student learning. I believe strongly in undergraduate research and each year sponsor and mentor a number of students in independent research.

This lower division course introduces students to the research process including ethics, design, qualitative and quantitative data collections and analysis, community-engaged research, and evaluation. Students complete a research proposal as their main assignment which they can use for their senior thesis, if they choose.

I designed this course specifically for spring 2020 when classes first went remote. Students designed and completed their own research projects about what it was like to live through this time. Read more about the course and what students found in this blog published by the journal Contexts.

This course introduces students to the social welfare system. Using examples from current day policy discussions and the history of social welfare programs, we explore how the U.S. approaches social welfare for children, youth, and families. The course relies the "pair of ACEs" framing, which highlights the adverse childhood experiences and adverse community environments that affect children's experiences and outcomes. 

This course focuses on the U.S. educational system from preschool through higher education, examining educational policy and practice with a critical lens. Course readings reject the deficit framings of students of color, first-gen college students, and low-income students and instead focus on opportunity gaps embedded in educational institutions that shape outcomes for these students. Students engage in active learning and learn to analyze their own educational experiences through a sociological lens.

In this senior seminar, Sociology undergraduates work with me and a community partner to conduct actionable research that can inform policy and practice on the ground. In 2021, students partnered with the UCSC Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning to conduct various projects related to remote teaching and learning. In 2022, students will partner with the newly formed UCSC research center Campus + Community to conduct projects on community-engaged research and teaching at UCSC.

In this introductory research methods course for doctoral students, I focus heavily on the ethical, epistemic, and ontological considerations for new researchers. The course offers students an opportunity to learn about both qualitative and quantitative research methods, to try their hand at analytic techniques, and to design their own research project with support from peers.

In this doctoral seminar, I help students to learn the ins and outs of grantwriting. I cover topics such as finding funders, designing a research project, reading a request for proposals, budgeting, and creating a timeline. Students write an actual grant proposal that they can submit to their chosen funder.

This is a doctoral course on community-engaged research. It covers the field of community-engaged research from an ethical and epistemic perspective, as well as the specific methods that community-engaged researchers employ.

Each year I mentor several undergraduate students through a senior thesis and work with others on independent and field studies. If you are interested in working with me, please send me an email or come to my office hours.