I am passionate about teaching and mentoring students.  I strongly believe that a solid foundation in the social sciences, and particularly in globalization and political economy, is crucial not only for preparing students for the realities of the contemporary job market but, more importantly, for creating politically informed and socially aware global citizens.  In my time as a graduate student at the University of Washington I have taught courses in international development, globalization, and political economy, as well as served as a teaching assistant and as lead teaching assistant in the department of geography. Teaching has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my training as a scholar, and I particularly enjoy helping students develop the critical analytical and research skills necessary in order to better understand the historical development and contemporary challenges surrounding complex issues such as transnational migration, rapid urbanization, the international debt crisis, and the restructuring of economies and labor markets in both core and peripheral countries.

My teaching philosophy has developed organically over time and out of my professional experiences, first as a middle school teacher in rural Thailand with the Peace Corps, then through my work as a teacher trainer and curriculum planner for an environmental and population advocacy group in Washington, D.C., and finally both in the classroom and behind the scenes in the geography department at the University of Washington.  In graduate school I have honed both my teaching skills and gained further experience in planning courses and administering educational programs through my work as an independent instructor, as a teaching assistant (including two years as lead teaching assistant), and as the coordinator for the University of Washington Center for the Humanities’Äô Teacher as Scholars program.  Over the course of these very different experiences, I developed and applied three core principles that define my personal approach to teaching and pedagogy. These principles are, first, plan for success, second, approach content through skill development, and finally, a commitment to teaching human geography and globalization within an interdisciplinary framework.

Courses Taught:

University of Washington, Departments of Geography and International Studies:

Globalization and Migration (Geography/International Studies 344), (Instructor), Department of Geography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, Autumn 2009

Introduction to Globalization (Geography/International Studies 123), (Instructor), Department of Geography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, scheduled for Summer Quarter 2009 (A term)

New Labor Geographies ’Äì Work and Workers in the Global Economy (Geography 395), (Instructor), Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, Spring 2009

Gender and Globalization (Geography 431), (Instructor), Evening Degree Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, Autumn 2008

Theories and Practices of International Development (Geography/International Studies 335), (Instructor), Department of Geography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, Summer 2006, Autumn 2006, Summer 2007

At Cornish College of the Arts (Seattle, WA):

Work and Workers in the Global Economy (Humanities & Sciences 280),  (Instructor), Department of the Humanities and Sciences, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA, Spring Term 2010

Other Teaching and Educational Experience:

Coordinator, Teachers as Scholars Program, Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities, University of Washington, Seattle WA, for 2002-3 and 2003-4 academic years

Teacher Trainer and Education Program Coordinator, Population Connection Organization, Washington, DC, August 1996 ’Äì August 1999

Middle and Secondary School Teacher, Peace Corps of the United States, Chumphonwittayasan Secondary School, Chumphonburi District, Surin Province, Thailand, November 1992 ’Äì October 1994