My teaching is informed by the communicative approach to language learning, anti-racist and queer pedagogies, and feminist theory. They have shaped my three core values that guide my approach to teaching, both as an instructor and as an instructional designer: inclusion, accessibility, and relevance.

With these values, I aim for students to use German often and creatively, foregrounding their own production of original language and ideas; engage critically with cultural texts and develop intellectual habits of mind such as critical thinking, curiosity, and creativity; to feel supported and valued in their learning as equal members of a learning community; and to connect what they learn to the world around them in preparation for purposeful lives and rich vocations.

I have been recognized with numerous awards for outstanding teaching and innovation at both the University of Michigan and Vassar College, where I received the Frances D. Fergusson Faculty Technology Exploration Fund to experiment with virtual reality in German-language instruction.

At Vassar College and the University of Michigan, I have taught German language and content-based seminars in a variety of contexts, formats, and modalities:

Vassar College
(Asterisk next to course indicates that I originated and designed the course)

  • German 105-106 – Beginner German: The Stories of Childhood
  • German 211 – Intermediate German II: Space in Weimar Germany
  • German 230 – Contemporary German Culture and Media
  • German 235/Women’s Studies 235 – The German Invention of Sexuality*

University of Michigan
(Asterisk next to course indicates that I originated and designed the course)

  • GER 101-231 (Beginner to Intermediate German)
  • GER 232: Queer German Cultures* (Advanced German)
  • GER 232: Contemporary Politics in Germany* (Advanced German, taught hybrid & synchronously online)

Content Seminars

  • GER 325: History of German Film* (Taught synchronously online)
  • GER 386: Fairy Tales