Teaching
I have three objectives as an instructor: (1) help students identify and critique their own and others’ understandings of the social world, (2) provide students with the tools to comprehend and evaluate empirical evidence, and (3) create an equitable and inclusive classroom. My teaching philosophy is inspired by C. Wright Mills’ “sociological imagination,” an awareness of the intricate relationship between the individual and the society within which the individual is embedded. I have taught courses in The Family, Sociology of Deviance, Self & Society, and Statistics. I was recognized by my colleagues for my exceptional teaching with the Annual Best Teaching Assistant Award in the Sociology Department at UMass Amherst. Teaching is one my favorite parts of my job.
Student Testimonials
"Katie made herself accessible and approachable." |
"I really appreciate your teaching style and all the thought that you've put into readings, discussions, and class policies. Amazing class!" |
"I loved this class. This was my favorite class so far that I have taken in college." |
Courses
The Family (Spring 2024) - Instructor
This course explores how we define family, the ways we construct families, and the relationship between families and larger social forces. We examine what families do for one another, how families roles are tied to individual identities, the forms various families take, and the range of social consequences families make on individuals' lives. Exploring these questions requires understanding changes in the family: definitions, forms, and beliefs about families. Thus, we attend to historical variation in families as well as inequalities in contemporary family forms, practices, cultures, and emotions. Using sociological research, we will challenge myths about family structures and what we mean today when we hear "family values."
Syllabus
Self & Society (Summer 2023) - Instructor
Why do people behave the way they do? In this course, we explore social psychological concepts that help students better understand themselves, others, and their social worlds. Understanding conformity, decision-making, persuasion, and emotions benefits students no matter what career they choose after UMass. How should you market an advertisement to a given demographic? How do you promote equity in your classroom? How do you challenge your unconscious biases during a hiring process? We answer these questions and more throughout the course.
Syllabus
Sociology of Deviance (Fall 2022; Spring 2023) - Instructor
Why are some behaviors and identities considered deviant while others are not? When do we conform to the group and why? How does society exerts its control on us for the sake of social order? When is deviating from social norms a social good? In this course, we explore different theoretical orientations and cases to help us answer these questions. In the first part of the course we learn about different theories of deviance. In the latter section of the course, we apply these theoretical orientations to our analysis of sexuality, gender, race, social class/status, law, criminology, and mental health.
Syllabus
Statistics (Fall 2019; Spring 2020) - Teaching Assistant
This course provides an introduction to basic statistics employed in the sociological analyses. We cover descriptive statistics, probability, sampling distributions, inferential statistics, tests of significance, contingency tables, measures of correlation, and more. This course provides students with an introduction to the basic statistical techniques used by social scientists. It will emphasize the interpretation of statistics as well as their calculation. These methods are important because they can help us understand social life and social organization. Students leave this class with the ability to apply their knowledge of statistics both to their own research and to evaluating research articles and news sources presenting statistics.
This course explores how we define family, the ways we construct families, and the relationship between families and larger social forces. We examine what families do for one another, how families roles are tied to individual identities, the forms various families take, and the range of social consequences families make on individuals' lives. Exploring these questions requires understanding changes in the family: definitions, forms, and beliefs about families. Thus, we attend to historical variation in families as well as inequalities in contemporary family forms, practices, cultures, and emotions. Using sociological research, we will challenge myths about family structures and what we mean today when we hear "family values."
Syllabus
Self & Society (Summer 2023) - Instructor
Why do people behave the way they do? In this course, we explore social psychological concepts that help students better understand themselves, others, and their social worlds. Understanding conformity, decision-making, persuasion, and emotions benefits students no matter what career they choose after UMass. How should you market an advertisement to a given demographic? How do you promote equity in your classroom? How do you challenge your unconscious biases during a hiring process? We answer these questions and more throughout the course.
Syllabus
Sociology of Deviance (Fall 2022; Spring 2023) - Instructor
Why are some behaviors and identities considered deviant while others are not? When do we conform to the group and why? How does society exerts its control on us for the sake of social order? When is deviating from social norms a social good? In this course, we explore different theoretical orientations and cases to help us answer these questions. In the first part of the course we learn about different theories of deviance. In the latter section of the course, we apply these theoretical orientations to our analysis of sexuality, gender, race, social class/status, law, criminology, and mental health.
Syllabus
Statistics (Fall 2019; Spring 2020) - Teaching Assistant
This course provides an introduction to basic statistics employed in the sociological analyses. We cover descriptive statistics, probability, sampling distributions, inferential statistics, tests of significance, contingency tables, measures of correlation, and more. This course provides students with an introduction to the basic statistical techniques used by social scientists. It will emphasize the interpretation of statistics as well as their calculation. These methods are important because they can help us understand social life and social organization. Students leave this class with the ability to apply their knowledge of statistics both to their own research and to evaluating research articles and news sources presenting statistics.