Teaching Philosophy

My teaching is grounded in critical pedagogy and student-centered learning. I approach the classroom as a collaborative space where students analyze structures of power and inequality and consider how knowledge production shapes our understanding of global processes.

Central to my pedagogy is helping students understand how things develop historically—tracing the economic, social, and political conditions that shape institutions, movements, and everyday life. I emphasize interconnections: how each topic relates to broader historical patterns and to one another. Whether discussing global economic systems, social movements, or contemporary inequalities, I guide students to examine not just what happened, but why it happened when and how it did.

Drawing from critical traditions in political economy, postcolonial and decolonial studies, and global history, I encourage students to interrogate dominant frameworks and consider alternative perspectives. As a first-generation college student who began at community college, I'm committed to creating inclusive learning environments where all students can engage with rigorous analysis while seeing its relevance to lived experience and historical change.

Whether introducing first-year students to global inequality or guiding upper-division seminars on transnational social movements, I center accessibility, care, and intellectual rigor in equal measure. I'm committed to creating meaningful learning experiences—recognizing that students invest significant resources in their education, I aim to spark the same passion for inquiry and critical thinking that my own teachers cultivated in me.

Pedagogy

Teaching Interests

Agrarian Political Economy; Agroecology; Anticolonial and Decolonial Theories; Anti-Systemic Movements; Critical Agrarian Studies; Critical Development Studies; Critical Security Studies; Development Geographies; GIS, Global Political Economy; Historical Sociology; Imperialism; Migration; Militarism and Counterinsurgency; Mixed Methods; National Liberation Movements; Philippine Studies; Political Ecology; Southeast Asia; Third World Marxism; Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL); World-Systems Theory

Guest Lecturer

  • Environmentalism and Indigeneity: Perspectives from the Global South, Guest lecture for “Global Ideologies,” at the University of California, Irvine, May 21, 2025.

  • “Political Economy and Ecology of Development in the Global South”, Guest Lecture for “Global Political Economy” at the University of California, Irvine, April 17, 2025.

  • Contemporary Imperialism, Samir Amin, and the Agrarian Question in the Philippines, Guest lecture for “Global Political Economy” at the University of California, Irvine, January 23, 2025.

  • “Bell Hooks on Love, Care, and Critical Teaching,” Guest lecture series for “Pedagogy of the Oppressed: A Space for Radical Discourse on How We Learn & Teach,” California Institute of the Arts, July 19, 2023.

  • Black Panther Party’s Liberation Schools and Community Education,” Guest lecture series for “Pedagogy of the Oppressed: A Space for Radical Discourse on How We Learn & Teach,” California Institute of the Arts, July 13, 2023.

  • Paulo Freire’s Critical Pedagogy: Banking vs. Problem-Posing Education,” Guest lecture series for “Pedagogy of the Oppressed: A Space for Radical Discourse on How We Learn & Teach,” California Institute of the Arts, July 11, 2023.

  • “Anti-Colonial and Critical Pedagogy: Cabral’s Educational Philosophy ” Guest lecture series for “Pedagogy of the Oppressed: A Space for Radical Discourse on How We Learn & Teach,” California Institute of the Arts, July 6, 2023.

  • “Third World Liberation Front/Ethnic Studies and Teach-Ins” Guest lecture series for ““Pedagogy of the Oppressed: A Space for Radical Discourse on How We Learn & Teach,” California Institute of the Arts, July 4, 2023.

Teaching Assistant

University of California, Irvine, CA

  • Global Ideologies - Mamyrah Prosper, Spring 2025

  • Global Political Economy — Sylvia Croese, Winter 2025

  • Global and International Forum – Christopher Harris, Fall 2024

  • Global Ideologies – Mamyrah Prosper, Spring 2024

  • Intro to Global Studies – Phil McCarty, Winter 2024

  • Intro to Global Studies – Phil McCarty, Fall 2023

  • Global Inequalities – Phil McCarty, Summer II 2023

  • Intro to Global Studies – Phil McCarty, Spring 2023

  • Global Political Economy – Yousuf, Al-Bulushi, Winter 2023

  • Global Cultures and Society – Tom Douglas, Fall 2022

University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

  • American Grand Strategy, John Mearsheimer, Winter, 2020

New College of Florida, Sarasota, FL

  • American History: 1865 to Present – Brendan Goff, Fall 2019

  • U.S. in the World – Brendan Goff, Fall 2019

  • International Law and Politics - Frank Alcock, Spring 2019

  • Transitions from War to Peace – Nat Colletta, Fall 2018

  • Conflict, Security, Development – Nat Colletta, Spring 2018

In the classroom, I integrate historical analysis, dialogical learning, and transferable skill-building. I move beyond passive knowledge transmission—what Paulo Freire called the "banking model"—toward pedagogy that cultivates critical thinking, research abilities, and communicative skills students can apply throughout their lives, including academic writing, study strategies, and resource literacy.

I design learning experiences that recognize diverse learning styles: pairing academic texts with oral histories, documentary film, and cultural production, and creating opportunities for visual, verbal, and collaborative modes of engagement. I design syllabi that center diverse voices and perspectives, particularly scholarship from the Global South, and I build in opportunities for student input—inviting them to shape course content and contribute to our collective learning.

Assignments often center on public-facing work—zines, podcasts, digital storytelling, or collaborative research—encouraging students to connect academic learning with real-world issues and communities. I have experience adapting my teaching across institutional contexts, including research universities and art schools, and I work to create inclusive spaces where all students can engage meaningfully with course material.