My teaching philosophy is largely influenced by my methodological and disciplinary training as an ethnographer and sociologist. I educate students driven by an ethos that fosters their sociological imagination. I teach students to understand how their personal lives, experiences, and complexities of life are embedded in broader social and political structures. In my classroom, students learn how such structures operate in everyday life by drawing on their own lives, and those around them. I encourage students to imagine how social location impacts material outcomes. My approach is intended to teach students critical thinking skills by applying concepts and course materials to real-life contexts and fostering empathy across diverse experiences.

As the first generation in my family to attend university, I value de-mystifying the hidden curriculum. I make space in my classroom for undergrad students to meet and discuss with graduate students about future possibilities. Students have appreciated my approach. I received overwhelming positive student evaluations (available upon request) and was nominated for a Graduate Teaching Assistant Award.

I have taught beginner and intermediate courses in qualitative methods and an undergraduate seminar at the University of Toronto and Dawson College. Below are descriptions of these courses.

Nation-Making in the West: Exploring the Relationship between Race, Religion, and Nationalism(undergraduate, University of Toronto)

This seminar course theoretically examines different expressions of nationalism. We connect nation-building projects across various contexts to the social construction of race—as legacies of imperialism and colonialism. We then empirically explore different case studies, including white Christian nationalism in the United States and far-right politics in Europe. We devote special attention to the Québec context.

Intermediate Qualitative Methods in Sociology(undergraduate, University of Toronto)

This intermediate course offers a foundation in qualitative research methods, including interviewing, ethnography, and comparative-historical analysis. Students explore how qualitative studies are designed, what kinds of questions they can answer, and the practical and ethical challenges researchers face in the field. Special attention is given to how positionality and reflexivity shape the research process. In doing so, we look at a variety of critical perspectives—from feminist approaches to Black feminist thought, and Indigenous methods—to understand how power, history, and standpoint shape knowledge production. Students gain exposure to techniques for analyzing qualitative data and conduct a preliminary research project through scaffolded assignments.

Integrative Research Seminar: Applying the Sociological Imagination(upper-year, Dawson College)

This research seminar offers beginner students an opportunity to do their own research. I designed this course as auto-ethnography. Through scaffolded assignments, students conduct a research project inspired by their own personal experience (as data) and connect it to larger social structures informed by sociological theory.

Aging, Nationalism, and Politics(course designed but not yet taught)

This course explores the intersection of aging, ethnicity, and nationalism to understand why older adults are often drawn to exclusionary political movements—and what nationalism offers them in return. Topics include the emotional appeal of nationhood, how life course experiences structure political worldviews, and the role of everyday practices in reproducing nationhood. Drawing on empirical examples from North America and Europe, we analyze right-wing and liberal expressions of nationalism among seniors, from border activism and gun rights to campaigns for public pensions and racial justice. Designed for students in sociology and related disciplines, this course invites reflection on the politics of aging and the ways older adults navigate belonging, loss, and identity in changing societies.