Evidence of Teaching Excellence

In my current role at Rutgers, I have taught nine different undergraduate courses – ranging in enrollment from 11-60 students, of which four have been entirely new course offerings. I have also assumed primary responsibility for revamping the research methods course offered by the Latino and Caribbean Studies Department. Many of my advanced seminars are cross-listed for students in a) Latino and Caribbean Studies; and b) Criminal Justice. Abridged versions of my syllabi are linked in the course titles below:

• Black and Brown Bodies and Criminal Justice Systems

• Dystopian Fiction and the Carceral State

• Introduction to Criminal Justice

• Introduction to Latino Studies

• Latinos, Sports, and Society

• Race, Crime, and Justice

• Race, Ethnicity, and Drug Policies

• Research Methods in Latino Studies

• State-Corporate Crime

Student evaluation data from my current institution are available here.

Compiled peer evaluations from senior faculty are available here.

While at George Washington University, I have offered eight (8) different courses. These include: Advanced Seminar in Criminal Justice | Communication & Negotiation in a Global Society | Criminal Justice Reform Seminar | Criminology | Introduction to Criminal Justice | Leadership and Social Change | Sociology of Law | The Sociological Imagination

Teaching evaluation data from George Washington University are available here.

Teaching and Mentoring Practices

Every single one of my students is troubled, bothered, or otherwise concerned about something related to justice and state-corporate power. In a responsible and ethical manner, my teaching philosophy is predicated on channeling personal frustrations and biographical reference points towards a zest for continued learning.  My CV provides the most direct evidence of my substantive experience in advising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students from historically excluded and underrepresented backgrounds. In addition to mentoring research assistants, I continue to regularly supervise honor’s theses, independent studies, and students in the Ronald E. McNair undergraduate research fellowship program.

For me, diversity among criminology and criminal justice (CCJ) faculty is not solely about whether students see themselves at the podium, but whether researchers see themselves in the subjects that they often write about. Being a professional, accessible, and relatable educator is thus a role that I take seriously, and my peer and student evaluation data speak to these commitments.