As a historian and humanist, I believe in the power of storytelling. Historical narratives allow us to move beyond deterministic explanations and reductive forms of positivist thinking by placing human experience, contingency, and complexity at the center of inquiry. In my classes, students engage broad theoretical frameworks that help them assess major historical questions, but they also learn to complicate those frameworks by attending to multilayered individual and collective experiences across time and space. My goal is for students to leave my courses not only with a more empathetic and clearer understanding of the worlds around them, but also with the ability and confidence to question arguments, challenge assumptions, and recognize ahistorical claims.

I am committed to a model of teaching that combines rigorous historical learning, accessible examples, and comparative perspectives. I use a range of assignments, sources, and classroom approaches to invite students into open discussion, constructive debate, and careful interpretation. Just as importantly, I strive to help students cultivate habits of empathy, curiosity, and intellectual humility. Through the study of history, students sharpen their analytical, critical thinking, and writing skills while building a stronger foundation for understanding the past and engaging the present.

LIST OF COURSES TAUGHT

Muhlenberg College
 FYS 215: East Asia in Ten Words
HST 124: Gender and Woman in Chinese History
HST 269: Introduction to Traditional China
HST 271: Modern China
HST 276: Modern East Asia
HST 280: Asian America: A Transnational History
HST 285: Comparative Empires and Colonialism in Asia
HST 387: War, Society, and Culture: The Vietnam-American War

St. Norbert College
 First-Year Seminar: Modern East Asia
HIST 122-A and HIST 122-B: Introduction to Modern East Asia
HIST 213: Historical Methodology: The Vietnam War Through Archival Documents
HIST 323: Global and Comparative History of Empires
HIST 361: Modern China
HIST 368: A History of Asian America
HIST 389: Special Topics in Asian History: The Vietnam and American Wars, 1900–Present

Michigan State University
Modern Vietnamese History, instructor
National Diversity & Cultures, course assistant
The History and Theory of Genocide, course assistant
Sex Research and Social Science, course assistant
Latin America and the World,  course assistant
Wars and Global Revolutions, course assistant 
World History Since 1500, course assistant 
Social Science Perspectives on Japanese History and Culture, course assistant 
Asia and the World, course assistant 

SUNY Buffalo
World Civilizations,  course assistant 
World Civilizations, course assistant