Teaching
Teaching Philosophy
As an educator, I believe that building fundamental skill sets - such as critical reading, research, writing, and presentation skills - are instrumental in developing the tools needed for student success. I integrate activities and projects related to course topics designed to develop these skills sets. I also know that every student learns differently. I design my courses with multimodal learning strategies; students read papers, listen and take notes during lectures, watch TedTalks and other illustrative videos, and further process information through weekly quizzes. This allows students to actively synthesize information in different ways throughout the course.
Importantly, I believe that the classroom is a space to explore multiple perspectives. In my courses, I strive to de-colonize my syllabi by including works from diverse thinkers and scholars of color to expand learning beyond the cannon. At the conclusion of my courses, I aim to guide students into becoming a more well-rounded, independent thinkers by exposing them to new ways of approaching how we think about human population history.
Primary Instructor of Record:
Rowan University
Fall 2018
In this course, students will explore how the environment has shaped human genetic and physical variation, resulting in differences in disease susceptibility, body shape and size, and allowed us to adapt to certain environments more successfully. Students will also learn how this information is applied to fields of public health, genetics, and forensic anthropology.
Human Variation
University of Pennsylvania Summer 2019
In this course, students will demonstrate general knowledge of evolutionary theory, genetic mechanisms of evolution, non-human primates & behavior, human evolution, variation, and adaptation. Students will also learn how to research and present on a topic in the scientific literature pertaining to human evolution.
Intro to Human Evolution
Penn Summer Prep Course
Summer 2019 (in person)
Summer 2020 (online)
In this course, students will explore how the environment has shaped human genetic and physical variation, resulting in differences in disease susceptibility, body shape and size, and allowed us to adapt to certain environments more successfully. Students will also learn how this information is applied to fields of public health, genetics, and forensic anthropology.
DNA & Human Society
DNA & Human Society Online Teaching Resources:
In response to the need for online activities, I have developed 'Virtual labs', video responses, and activities on CRISPR, Molecular lab methods, epigenetics, human genetic diversity, race, genetic ancestry testing.
Also included is a critical reading guide for Academic Papers.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OquFkGCnzdueTYtIVeaS69p6SbHAlfV2
Teaching Assistantships:
Dr. Janet Monge
University of Pennsylvania
2017, 2018
Human evolutionary studies is a composite product of the fieldwork of both Paleolithic archaeology and human paleontology (or what we refer to as "stones and bones"). This marriage of two subdisciplines of anthropology produces a unique set of data that is intellectually managed and driven by theories within anthropology as a whole and even beyond. In this course, we will jointly discuss and debate the actual evidence of human evolution, describing what the actual evidence is and exploring how far can we take these interpretation
Becoming Human
Dr. Theodore Schurr
University of Pennsylvania
2016
This course is an introduction to the scientific study of sex in humans. Within an evolutionary framework, the course examines genetic, physiological, ecological, social and behavioral aspects of sex in humans. After providing the basic principles of evolutionary biology, the course delves into the development of sexual anatomy and physiology. The role of ecology and social life in shaping human mating patterns is also evaluated using ethnographic and cross-cultural materials from a variety of human cultures.
Sex and Human Nature
Dr. Janet Monge
University of Pennsylvania
2015
How did humans evolve? When did humans start to walk on two legs? How are humans related to non-human primates? This course focuses on the scientific study of human evolution describing the emergence, development, and diversification of our species, Homo sapiens.
Intro to Human Evolution
Dr. Jen Shaffer
University of Maryland
2014, 2015
An introduction to the evolution of human physiology and human behavior, the relationship between hominid and non-hominid primates, and the study of relationships between a population of humans and their biophysical environment.
Intro to Ecological and Evolutionary Anthropology
This course provides an introduction to biological (or physical) anthropology. We will explore the evolution of the human species and the nature of contemporary human variation. To establish a framework for the study of human evolutionary biology, we turn first to principles of evolutionary theory and genetics. Fossil evidence for human evolution will then be considered through comparisons with non-human primate ecology and evolution to reconstruct prehistoric lifeways. Finally, we discuss modern human variation.
Intro to Biological Anthropology
Dr. Jen Shaffer
University of Maryland
2013
Course Development Research:
Facilitating a Deep Learning Approach for University Students in an Interdisciplinary Lab Setting:
A Case Study Approach to the Formulation of the Introduction to Ecological and Evolutionary Laboratory Course at the University of Maryland
Undergraduate Honors Thesis
Supervisor: Dr. Jenn Shaffer
Active learning integration into biological anthropology laboratory curriculum through the development of different lab activities designed to to achieve greater learning outcomes, as assessed by longitudinal course survey data.
Laboratory session styles varied between activity-based, discussion, station, and out-of-the-classroom formats and contained critical thinking and application-based questions. A pre- and post-test on learning objectives were distributed at the beginning, middle, and end of one academic semester to assess if students were learning course material. Additionally, student opinion surveys on the quality of the laboratory course were distributed to assess student-perceived effectiveness of the course. Over three academic semesters, laboratory activities were either modified or implemented, leading to improvement in the student opinion survey.
The IEEA curriculum design provides framework for how educators in higher education can enhance course effectiveness and student opinions to facilitate deeper learning and interdisciplinary thinking for in their classrooms.
Introduction to Biological Anthropology
