Teaching Positions and Courses

Stanford University, Lecturer, Theater and Performance Studies, 2016 – present

Stanford University, Fellow, Program in Writing and Rhetoric, 2014 – 2016

Designed and taught five required writing courses per year for Stanford freshman and sophomores. Actively participated in committee work and regular program meetings.

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TAPS 154M: The Musical as History
Theater and Performance Studies, Stanford University, Instructor (Fall 2016)

Abbreviated course description: This course examines how musicals perform history, engaging with and transforming historical subjects and events. Focusing on historical musicals such as Cabaret, concept musicals such as Assassins, and biographical musicals such as Hamilton, we will ask: How do musicals teach us history? In what ways do music and narration interact with past events and people? How does music articulate a sense of time and place, connecting history to contemporary events?

TAPS 151V: Controversies in US Theater
Theater and Performance Studies, Stanford University, Instructor (Fall 2016)

Abbreviated course description: For as long as there has been an American theatrical tradition, there have been controversies about it. This course will ask questions such as: What are the best casting practices with respect to race, gender, ability, and sexuality? How has the commercialization or Disneyification of Broadway changed the theatrical landscape? Should the federal government fund the arts, and if so, does that give them the right to influence content?

PWR 1: Two Truths and a Lie: The Rhetoric of Authenticity
Program in Writing and Rhetoric, Stanford University, Instructor (Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Fall 2015)

Abbreviated course description: Our culture seems fascinated by the phrase “based on a true story,” but genre categories such as documentary, memoir, and biography make it easy to overlook that all narratives are crafted through a process of selection and exclusion. How then are we to judge authenticity? This class focuses on the rhetoric of truth in narrative.

PWR 2: The Rhetoric and Aesthetic of War
Program in Writing and Rhetoric, Stanford University, Instructor (Winter 2016)

Abbreviated course description: From “give me liberty or give me death” to “if you’re not with us, you’re against us,” rhetoric about war has powerfully influenced our historical understanding of war. Increasingly, the tools of performance are being deployed as part of war waging. The primary concern of this class is the intersection of war and culture, with particular emphasis on rhetorical and aesthetic theories.

PWR 1: From Page to Stage: The Rhetoric of American Drama
Program in Writing and Rhetoric, Stanford University, Instructor (Spring 2016)

Abbreviated course description: From questions about race in casting to calls for the Tony awards to foreground drama, rhetoric about American Drama includes contentious debates and passionate opinions. From concerns about the commercialization of Broadway to the rise of regional theaters, this class analyzes the rhetoric of theater in the US.

TAPS155T: Theatre of War
Stanford University, Department of Theater and Performance Studies, Instructor (Winter 2013)

Abbreviated course description: Military personnel and politicians alike use the phrase “the theatre of war” to refer to the geographical area of a military conflict and the intangible concerns of battle. The primary concern of this class is the intersection between performance and war. Our inquiry will focus on drama, film, the media, and role-playing performance as a military training tool.

ENG101b: Writing Composition: War and Literature
Patten University at San Quentin State Prison, English Department, Co-Instructor (Fall 2012)

Taught college-level writing to 18-30 inmates working toward their Associate’s degree through the Prison University Project (PUP)
*All instructors at PUP are volunteers

ENG101b: Writing Composition and Greek Tragedy
Patten University at San Quentin State Prison, English Department, Co-Instructor (Fall 2011)

Student Feedback

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Teaching Assistant

Bing Honors College
Stanford University, Department of Theater and Performance Studies (Fall 2011)

Led writing workshops with undergraduate honors majors working on theses.

The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Theatre and Dance
Teaching Assistant, Fall 2007 – Spring 2009

• Lectured to 400+ students
• led class discussion
• graded papers
• wrote exam questions
• assisted with syllabi
• generated assignments
• met with students during office hours

TD301: Introduction to Theatre for Non-Majors (Spring 2009)

Survey course of 400 undergraduates, included script and production analysis.

TD317: Theatre History Since the 18^th Century (Spring 2009)

Required course for theater majors, the material began with Ibsen and included the works by the Federal Theater Project, Brecht, Baraka, Valdez, and Churchill.

TD311: Languages of the Stage (Fall 2008)

Required course for theater majors, focused on script analysis and staging.

TD317d: Theatre History Through the 18^th Century (Fall 2008)

Required course for theater majors, the material began with ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Sanskrit performances and ended with Ibsen.

TD301: Introduction to Theatre for Non-Majors (Spring 2008)

TD311: Languages of the Stage (Fall 2007)

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