Teaching

PictureWith fellow winners of the Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Missouri v. UGA, November 2019
Honors/Awards​
  • Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Sociology, 2022- present
  • Assistant Director, Lilly Teaching Fellows Program, University of Georgia, 2020-present
  • Service Learning Teaching Excellence Award, Office of Service Learning, University of Georgia, 2020
  • Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, University of Georgia, 2019
  • Creative Teaching Award, Office of Instruction, University of Georgia, 2019
  • Research Mentoring Award, UGA Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, 2018
  • Outstanding Professor, UGA Student Government Association, 2018
  • Sandy Beaver Excellence in Teaching Award, UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, 2017
  • Service Learning Fellow, Office of Service Learning, University of Georgia, 2017-18
  • Lilly Teaching Fellow, UGA Center for Teaching & Learning, 2014-16
  • UGA Student Career Development Recognition, Center for Teaching and Learning (2014-2020)
Current Courses - University of Georgia

Criminal Punishment & Society (SOCI 3150)
  • The purpose of this course is fourfold: 1) to introduce you to the major sociological perspectives on criminal punishment; 2) to help you apply these perspectives to analyze varying forms of criminal punishment, past and present; 3) to familiarize you with the current state and consequences of mass criminalization in the United States; and 4) to engage you in active and collaborative learning through an archival project on the history of criminal punishment in Georgia. The first unit of the course will focus on the major sociological theories that attempt to explain the causes, forms, and functions of criminal punishment. The second unit will cover the current state of mass criminalization in the United States and the effects of current policies and practices on individuals and communities, especially people of color. Class periods during the first two units will include a mix of lectures, discussions, and group work. The third unit of the course will focus on applying the knowledge gained in the first two units through an archival group project at the UGA Special Collections Libraries using materials from the history of criminal punishment in Georgia. The semester will culminate in a public pop-up exhibit event during our final exam period

Juvenile Delinquency (SOCI 3070/3070S)
  • This course addresses four deceptively simple questions: 1) What is a juvenile?, 2) What is delinquency?, 3) What causes delinquency?, and 4) What should be done to address delinquency? To answer the first question, we will examine the history of the social construction of  age-defined categories like "juvenile" and "adolescence." We will apply the life course perspective and review recent brain science to critically assess these categories. To answer the second question, we will discuss the various ways that delinquency is defined and measured by the criminal legal system and social science. We will examine how trends in delinquency have changed over time and place, and discuss "moral panics" that have emerged periodically over youth crime (e.g., "superpredators"). To address the third question, we will learn how the life course perspective and other sociological theories explain engagement in criminal behavior during the adolescent and young adult years. Finally, to address the fourth question, we will study the history of interventions to address youth crime, including the juvenile court and formal state interventions as well as community-based programs such as diversion, prevention, and restorative justice. Throughout the course, we will discuss how and why certain groups of youth have been excluded from definitions of adolescence and disproportionately impacted by harsh criminal legal sanctions, including Black youth, American Indian youth, Latinx youth, and LGBTQ youth.​

Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program (SOCI 4470S - Seminar in Deviance & Social Control)
  • The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program is an opportunity for a small group of students from UGA and a group of residents from the Athens-Clarke County Jail to exchange ideas and perceptions about crime and justice, the criminal justice system, and imprisonment.  It is a chance for all participants to gain a deeper sociological understanding of the criminal justice system by engaging in conversation about theories, academic research, and practical experience.

Criminology (SOCI 3810)
  • Understanding the nature of crime (and punishment) in the United States is an important endeavor for any citizen, especially those considering careers in criminal justice, law enforcement, law, education, or social work. While criminology is an interdisciplinary field, the focus of this course is a theoretical understanding of the social causes and contexts of criminal behavior.  We will read classic and contemporary texts that establish and elaborate sociological explanations of crime rates and criminal behavior. To augment the academic readings, we will watch episodes from the critically acclaimed television series “The Wire.” This “visual novel” will provide a basis for discussion of how the theories we study explain crime and their implications for crime prevention and control.

​Communities and Crime (SOCI 3820)
  • This course examines sociological theories and research on communities and crime, including spatial variation in crime rates and the impact of efforts to control crime on the structure and well-being of communities. The course is comprised of four units: 1) trends in crime over time and space, 2) theoretical approaches to understanding crime at the community level, 3) community-level interventions to control/prevent crime, and 4) the effects of the criminal justice system on communities.

First-Year Odyssey Seminar - "So Wrong it's Right: The Sociology in Satire"
  • From The Onion to Colbert to John Oliver, U.S. popular culture abounds with satirical takes on current events and our most pressing social problems. We are simultaneously entertained and horrified by the realities that such satire reveals about ourselves and our society. In this class, we will use satirical articles and videos to expand our "sociological imaginations" about social problems, with a specific focus on social inequality, poverty, and the criminal justice system. Each week we will typically read and/or view some combination of satirical pieces that address a social phenomenon/ problem and writings by sociologists to help us unpack the humor and the underlying sociological analysis.My goals for this class are: 1) to introduce you to the field of sociology and, 2) show you how thinking sociologically can benefit you as a student and as a human being!