Teaching
I would never have predicted that I would enjoy teaching as much as I do! I have the best mentors in this area. Below I discuss the courses I've taught and provide syllabi and other informational materials, as well as list my courses as a teaching assistant.
One of the most fulfilling aspects of teaching and mentoring has been working with NSF REU (Research Experience for Undergraduate) Students. This program offers funding to involve undergraduates as research assistants on already awarded NSF grants. I worked with over 10 REUs while at CSU. As a postdoc, I worked with 5 undergrads on our research projects. At LSU, I worked with 13 undergraduates featured as advisees. This year, I have had 2 undergraduates from TAMU Urban Planning. They are learning and building their resumes. Some of these REUs have written papers or made posters with me, many have continued to graduate school, and some are still working in the disaster field!
One of the most fulfilling aspects of teaching and mentoring has been working with NSF REU (Research Experience for Undergraduate) Students. This program offers funding to involve undergraduates as research assistants on already awarded NSF grants. I worked with over 10 REUs while at CSU. As a postdoc, I worked with 5 undergrads on our research projects. At LSU, I worked with 13 undergraduates featured as advisees. This year, I have had 2 undergraduates from TAMU Urban Planning. They are learning and building their resumes. Some of these REUs have written papers or made posters with me, many have continued to graduate school, and some are still working in the disaster field!
Teaching PortfolioHere is my teaching portfolio. It includes my teaching philosophy, some of the syllabi that are also listed below, and some student evaluation results.
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Courses Taught or Teaching:
Society and Environment
This class is one of the requirements for the undergraduate environmental sociology concentration at CSU and I brought it to LSU as an upper division elective. We cover social theory as it relates to the environment and then look sociologically at how we understand environmental "problems" and "solutions." It is set up as a seminar style class with readings and discussion. We also do a book review and final content analysis research project. We are trying some (hopefully) fun stuff! I'm experimenting with Twitter as a platform for more participation and encouraging students to think about environmental sociology outside class time.
soc_460_syllabus_lueck_2012_revised.doc | |
File Size: | 71 kb |
File Type: | doc |
environmental_soc_syllabus_final.pdf | |
File Size: | 176 kb |
File Type: |
Environment and Inequality (Graduate Seminar)
This course is a new elective for graduate students. The first time it was offered, we had 11 students: 5 from sociology, 5 from other departments. We completed several projects to support LEAN (Louisiana Environmental Action Network) in their plans to develop a museum to environmental justice in Baton Rouge.
This course is a new elective for graduate students. The first time it was offered, we had 11 students: 5 from sociology, 5 from other departments. We completed several projects to support LEAN (Louisiana Environmental Action Network) in their plans to develop a museum to environmental justice in Baton Rouge.
ej_syllabus_2018.pdf | |
File Size: | 305 kb |
File Type: |
Hazard Mitigation and Recovery (Graduate Seminar)
This course is the required course for the graduate certificate in Environmental Hazard Management offered in our College. We cover issues related to these two phases of disaster that are the most central to urban planning.
This course is the required course for the graduate certificate in Environmental Hazard Management offered in our College. We cover issues related to these two phases of disaster that are the most central to urban planning.
Sociology of Disaster (Graduate Seminar)
This course is a new elective for graduate students. We are attempting to cover a broad and growing field of research in just a semester!
This course is a new elective for graduate students. We are attempting to cover a broad and growing field of research in just a semester!
soc_of_disaster_spring_2016.pdf | |
File Size: | 301 kb |
File Type: |
Research Methods 2 (Graduate Seminar)
This course is required course for PhD students in our program. It provides survey of various research methods useful to urban planners. In the first year, the class completed an applied research project with Habitat for Humanity of Fayette County.
This course is required course for PhD students in our program. It provides survey of various research methods useful to urban planners. In the first year, the class completed an applied research project with Habitat for Humanity of Fayette County.
Quantitative Methods for the Social Sciences
This course is the required undergraduate statistics class for Sociology majors. We cover a lot of ground from calculating central tendencies to basic hypothesis testing to simple linear regression. From my experience teaching and as a TA for this course, the biggest obstacle is generalized fear of math. I try to make the information as straightforward and approachable as possible to reduce their trepidation and hopefully encourage excitement or at least toleration of statistics. One addition I have found useful is extra credit for bringing in a news media article that reports on the use of the statistical method we are learning that week. This helps them boost their grade while connecting the material to real life.
This course is the required undergraduate statistics class for Sociology majors. We cover a lot of ground from calculating central tendencies to basic hypothesis testing to simple linear regression. From my experience teaching and as a TA for this course, the biggest obstacle is generalized fear of math. I try to make the information as straightforward and approachable as possible to reduce their trepidation and hopefully encourage excitement or at least toleration of statistics. One addition I have found useful is extra credit for bringing in a news media article that reports on the use of the statistical method we are learning that week. This helps them boost their grade while connecting the material to real life.
stats_summer08_syllabus.doc | |
File Size: | 55 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Research Methods
This course covers even more ground than the statistics course, basically all methods are reviewed in this required course. My enjoyment and toughest challenge in this course is to generate excitement for the methods that produce the interesting information that we all love learning in topical sociology classes. To accomplish this, I try to incorporate as much "hands on" projects as will fit. The students wander out to do observation, they write a survey, they perform a qualitative interview.
My use of news media was particularly exciting in this course. As part of the grade, I assigned students different days in which they had to bring in and present to the class a news article that reported sociological research. This accomplished a few things. 1. It got them focused on social science not biological, economic, psychological or other area. 2. The had to clearly state the research question, the methods, and the findings which helped with abstracting articles later in class. 3. They also had to indicate holes in either the study or the reporting of the study that they learned from class. This attuned them to how, often, the media gives little detail on the science and leaves us unsure on whether we should trust the conclusions. By the end of class, I was excited to see that they were raising questions about the research that I hadn't considered!
This course covers even more ground than the statistics course, basically all methods are reviewed in this required course. My enjoyment and toughest challenge in this course is to generate excitement for the methods that produce the interesting information that we all love learning in topical sociology classes. To accomplish this, I try to incorporate as much "hands on" projects as will fit. The students wander out to do observation, they write a survey, they perform a qualitative interview.
My use of news media was particularly exciting in this course. As part of the grade, I assigned students different days in which they had to bring in and present to the class a news article that reported sociological research. This accomplished a few things. 1. It got them focused on social science not biological, economic, psychological or other area. 2. The had to clearly state the research question, the methods, and the findings which helped with abstracting articles later in class. 3. They also had to indicate holes in either the study or the reporting of the study that they learned from class. This attuned them to how, often, the media gives little detail on the science and leaves us unsure on whether we should trust the conclusions. By the end of class, I was excited to see that they were raising questions about the research that I hadn't considered!
soc_311_syllabus_summer_2010.doc | |
File Size: | 46 kb |
File Type: | doc |
socl_2211_research_methods_fall_2014.pdf | |
File Size: | 253 kb |
File Type: |
research_methods_final_syllabus.pdf | |
File Size: | 343 kb |
File Type: |
Introduction to Sociology
This is the first course in sociology and part of the all university general studies courses. This 170+ student lecture course is a different experience for me!
This is the first course in sociology and part of the all university general studies courses. This 170+ student lecture course is a different experience for me!
syllabus_socl_2001_spring_2016.pdf | |
File Size: | 111 kb |
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