TEACHING

In the pedagogical tradition of Paulo Freire, I approach the classroom as an inclusive space for dialogue and for liberating students by challenging traditional instructor-student relations of power, because I view all students as equal intellectuals in relation to me and each other. To that end, I center students by limiting lectures to 15-20-minute intervals and including discussion, video, reflection, social media, and short reading activities in-between. This approach shifts emphasis away from the PowerPoint and instructor as the primary sources of knowledge and allows students to closely engage with the subject matter. As a student wrote in my teaching evaluation, “I genuinely enjoyed the discussions and critical thinking we had to employ... He makes himself available for students and is always willing to offer advice and information.” I also show care for my students through flexibility with deadlines and employ office hours as a way to become an approachable mentor, helping students apply for professional opportunities such as: internships, fellowships, employment, law school, or graduate school. Moreover, in the pedagogical tradition of bell hooks, I view every student’s contribution in the classroom as important, as a range of different experiences creates opportunities for collective learning and personal growth. My quality as a teacher is reflected in my excellent student evaluations. For example, in Fall 2025, I exceeded my college's overall instruction rating of 4.27/5.00 with a rating of 4.90/5.00. And, in 2024, I was recognized for my pedagogical efforts with my department's, “Mathews and Gilkerson Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award.”

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​Texas A&M University-San Antonio

POLS 4354: Latin American Politics (Spring 2026)

POLS 3351: Intro to Comparative Politics (Fall 2025)

GOVT 2305: Federal Government (Fall 2025) 

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The Ohio State University

POLITSC 3910: Identity Politics 

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Syllabi for each of these courses is available upon request. ​