Education

• PhD in English at University of California, Los Angeles, California, 2002
• MA in English at University of California, Los Angeles, California, 2000
• BS in Music and History at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, 1987
• Studies in Trombone Performance at The Julliard School, New York, New York, 1982–1983

Why I Teach

Discussion about literature should result in an energetic exchange of ideas. I strive for an interactive experience in my classroom. I work to create an atmosphere in which my students drive the discussions as we delve into the text at hand.

These lively debates challenge the status quo and invite students to open their minds to new ways of thinking. The issues might be about characters’ moral decisions, poets’ inner conflicts, or how to bring the words of a play off the page and into the classroom.